Tourism Insider Meetings

In 2023, the Iowa Tourism Office launched a new series of meetings called Tourism Insider Meetings. The intention of the events is to provide opportunities for industry partners from across the state to gather, collaborate, share ideas and network. 

Save the dates for our upcoming Tourism Insider Meetings:

• November 20, 2025, Dubuque (register HERE)

Please sign up for eTraveler newsletters for details on agenda and registration info for all Tourism Insider Meetings.

Host a Tourism Insider Meeting in 2026
The Tourism Insider Meeting series offers Iowa destinations a platform to showcase to other industry members how they are attracting travelers, enhancing tourism infrastructure and elevating visitor experiences. We are excited to continue this series into 2026 and feature even more of Iowa’s great communities!
 
In 2026, host communities will receive a $2,000 stipend from the Iowa Tourism Office to assist with meeting expenses, with the following guidelines:
 
Host communities will be solely responsible for:

• Securing a venue and managing meeting set up logistics
• Agenda planning and execution, including but not limited to inviting speakers and panelists to present and choosing topics and tours that show off their visitor assets.
• Organizing any transportation needs
• Food and beverage planning
• Securing room blocks for potential overnight attendees
• Managing event registration, including inviting local stakeholders, community/business leaders and tourism partners.
• Partners must use the Travel Iowa logo to acknowledge the Iowa Tourism Office’s collaboration in holding the Tourism Insider Meeting.

 Iowa Tourism Office role:

• The Iowa Tourism Office requires 60-90 minutes of the agenda throughout the day for updates and statewide programming.  
• The Iowa Tourism Office will promote the Tourism Insider Meetings on its Industry Partners website and in the e-Traveler newsletter.

 2026 dates
Host communities can choose the day of the week they wish to hold the meeting from the selected weeks. Tentative dates for meetings in 2026 are:

• May 7, 2026
• August 27, 2026
• November 19, 2026

We encourage partnering with others in your area to co-host. Please note if you have already hosted a Tourism Insider Meeting, you cannot host again during this cycle. Preference will be given to hosts who have attended a previous Tourism Insider Meeting. Geographical consideration will be given when selecting host communities.

 If you are interested in being a host community for the next cycle, please complete the host application by Monday December 1, 2025. Please reach out to Stephanie Neppl (stephanie.neppl@iowaeda.com) with questions.