SFEA Winter Seminar - AMLTA

Join us in person for a winter seminar with the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association! Coffee and lunch will be provided.

9:30-10am: Registration, coffee & networking

10-10:15am: Welcome & housekeeping

10:15-11am: What's Your Event Really Worth? - Greg Fuson

Councils, sponsors and tourism boards all want to know whether an event is worth the investment. Greg shares how economic impact studies and simple attendee surveys work, how to separate local spending from new visitor dollars and how to present the results so they help you keep and grow funding.

11-11:45am: Reading the Data

Many destinations already have access to Placer.ai, but the reports can be hard to interpret. This session walks through a real event report step by step: estimated attendance, where visitors came from, how long they stayed and where they went next. You'll learn which numbers matter and how to explain them to leadership.

11:45am-12:15pm: Lunch, provided by NAMLTA

12:15-1pm: Your New Planning Assistant

A hands-on look at how AI tools can save small event teams time. Live demos show how to turn notes into a run of show, draft sponsor and vendor emails, write social posts and summarize survey feedback, along with simple guardrails for accuracy and privacy.

1-1:50pm: The Volunteer Playbook

Volunteers are getting harder to find and keep. Organizers of large festivals, city events and small all-volunteer events share what is working for recruitment, scheduling, training, day-of support and recognition, and how to turn one-time helpers into returning leaders.

1:50-2pm: Closing remarks