Sessions & Speakers
Opening General Session
DATE: Thursday, Oct 29
TIME: 11:30AM - 1:50PM
LOCATION: Salon E
SPEAKER: LUKE GOETTING
SESSION: From Gen X to Gen AI: Bridging Your Teams Across Time, Tech & TikTok
Sponsored by Visit New Braunfels
Three forces are converging to reshape your organization: AI is revolutionizing how your industry operates, the “silver tsunami” risks decades of unwritten expertise walking out the door, and Gen Z and Millennials now make up two-thirds of your workforce—generations more likely to tap TikTok for advice than a coworker on the shoulder.
The clock is ticking…but the opportunity is enormous!
Join Future of Work expert Luke Goetting for a high-energy, interactive keynote that turns these collisions into competitive advantage. Packed with live audience participation and cheeky cultural nods from avocado toast to TV dinners, you’ll discover how to use AI to capture institutional wisdom before it disappears, build skills marketplaces where knowledge flows in every direction, and walk away with ‘aha’ moments that change how you see your coworkers, your direct reports, and even your family members!
Come ready to laugh, participate, and leave with strategies you’ll implement Monday morning.
Campfire Breakout
DATE: Thursday, Oct 29
TIME: 2:00PM - 3:00PM
LOCATION: Salon A
SESSION: Beyond Awareness: Human Trafficking Prevention for Meeting & Travel Professionals
SPEAKERS:
- Susan Greenberg, CMP, CASE, CTA - Commercial Director of Sales & Marketing
- Brian E. Francis - Speaker, Author, Slam Poet
- LisaBeth Thomas - Speaker, Author, and Organizer of "Not on my Watch Texas"
Meeting and travel planners aren't investigators — but they're in a position to help. This practical, scenario-driven session opens with spoken word introductions by the presenters and a short original spoken word performance giving voice to the human stakes behind the statistics — isolation, control, the quiet moments where someone might notice and act — before shifting into concrete, tactical guidance: what to ask hotels in the RFP process, how to build safety partnerships with venue and transportation partners, and how to recognize behavior-based warning signs without relying on stereotypes. Attendees will work through a real-world scenario, learn the "Notice → Stay Safe → Report → Emergency" decision path, and leave with a one-page checklist for their next event.
More about Susan
Oasis Breakout
DATE: Thursday, Oct 29
TIME: 2:00PM - 3:00PM
LOCATION: Salon B
SESSION: O₂ Upgrade: Syncing Breath, Energy & Connection
PRACTITIONER: JJ Ruescas
Sponsored by ALIGN Wellness Sessions by Escape the Box
You spend your days creating experiences for everyone else. This one is for you. Step out of the conference buzz and into an immersive, guided breathwork experience with JJ Ruescas. Through wireless headphones, his voice and music bring the session directly to you: a personal space to pause, breathe and reconnect within a shared room. Arrive stressed, wired or running on empty. You don’t need to arrive relaxed. This is the experience itself, not a talk about it. Explore how different breathing patterns can support a shift in energy and attention, and discover practical ways to bring a breathing break into a demanding workday.
Walk away with:
A full guided breathwork experience delivered through silent-disco headphones. Simple breathing practices to explore when you need to settle down, refocus or recharge. Firsthand inspiration for bringing an immersive wellness experience to your own meetings and events.
ALIGN Wellness Sessions by Escape the Box offers a meaningful pause within the pace of a busy event. Through breathwork, meditation, yoga and immersive sound baths, participants are invited to reset, recharge and reconnect with themselves. Behind every session is a team of professional event planners with decades of experience creating large-group conference experiences, so everything from timing and flow to participant experience is considered within the context of the larger event. The result is thoughtful, restorative programming that helps attendees reduce stress, renew their energy and return more focused, grounded and engaged.
NOTE: This experience is not appropriate for people with epilepsy, other neurological diseases, or those who are more than 3 months pregnant.
Trailblazer Breakout
DATE: Thursday, Oct 29
TIME: 2:00PM - 3:00PM
LOCATION: Salon C
SESSION: Beyond the Screen Panel: What Planners Need to Know about A/V
SPEAKERS: Brandy Johnson, Timothy Martinez, and Brian Fisher (Moderated by Michele Gonzalez)
Lights, cameras, contracts! Get beyond the tech jargon and into the real-world A/V knowledge every planner needs—from asking the right questions to avoiding those dreaded day-of surprises.
Campfire Breakout
DATE: Thursday, Oct 29
TIME: 3:30PM - 4:30PM
LOCATION: Salon A
SESSION: What's on Your Mind? An Industry Fishbowl
SPEAKER: James Brown
Sponsored by Visit Beaumont
You bring the questions—we bring the conversation. This interactive fishbowl puts today's biggest industry topics, challenges, and hot-button issues on the table. Come curious and ready to jump into the discussion.
Oasis Breakout
DATE: Thursday, Oct 29
TIME: 3:30PM - 4:30PM
LOCATION: Salon B
SESSION: Breathe - A Guided Yoga Reset
SPEAKER: Mattie Hawthorne
Hit pause on the conference chaos! Take an hour to stretch, breathe, and reset with a guided yoga experience designed to help you step away feeling refreshed and ready for whatever comes next. You don't need a mat for this session or to wear anything other than your normal clothes! Just bring yourself and come ready to relax and reset!
Trailblazer Breakout
DATE: Thursday, Oct 29
TIME: 3:30PM - 4:30PM
LOCATION: Salon C
SESSION: Run the Room - Robert's Rules for Real-World Leaders
SPEAKER: Whitney Masterson
Meetings can get messy—but they don't have to! Learn how to confidently navigate group discussions, keep meetings moving, and use Robert’s Rules as a practical leadership tool rather than a rulebook nobody wants to read.
Opening General Session
DATE: Friday, Oct 30
TIME: 9:00AM - 10:00AM
LOCATION: Salon E
SPEAKER: MICHAEL DOMINGUEZ
Michael Dominguez is a nationally recognized hospitality sales and leadership expert with more than 30 years of experience shaping the meetings and events industry. As President & CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), Michael leads a global sales organization connecting meeting and event professionals with exceptional independent luxury hotels, resorts, and experiences around the world.
Before joining ALHI, Michael served as Senior Vice President and Chief Sales Officer for MGM Resorts International, where he oversaw global sales for 42,000 hotel rooms, 3 million square feet of meeting space, and group and leisure sales efforts across one of the world’s largest hospitality companies. His extensive experience in hotel finance, operations, sales strategy, and destination partnerships gives him a unique perspective on what happens behind the scenes at a hotel—and what meeting professionals can do to create better outcomes for their events.
A Certified Hospitality Sales Executive (CHSE), Michael has spent his career helping organizations understand the business of hospitality while building stronger, more productive relationships between hotels and their clients. He is a longtime leader within the meetings industry and has held numerous leadership roles with Meeting Professionals International (MPI), including Chairman and Immediate Past Chairman of the MPI International Board of Directors. He has also served with the U.S. Travel Association, Professional Convention Management Association, American Society of Association Executives, and StarCite, and has been a co-chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition.
For his keynote, Michael brings that decades-long experience to one of the questions every meeting professional has faced: How do you ask a hotel for what you want—and actually get it?
With insight from both sides of the negotiating table, Michael will share practical strategies for understanding what matters to hotel properties, communicating your value, asking for concessions with confidence, and creating win-win partnerships. Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of what to ask for, how to ask for it, and when to ask—giving them the tools to negotiate smarter and build stronger hotel partnerships.
Oasis Breakout
DATE: Friday, Oct 30
TIME: 10:30AM - 11:30AM
LOCATION: Salon B
SESSION: Nervous System Tools for Everyday Stress
PRACTITIONER: Mandy Kleint, Pn1, ACSM-CPT - Move with Mandy, LLC
Sponsored ALIGN Wellness Sessions by Escape the Box
Professionals across every field carry a constant stream of demands, decisions and responsibilities that can leave the nervous system feeling overwhelmed and depleted. In this experiential session, participants will explore simple, practical tools for nervous system regulation through grounding, sensory awareness and movement. Participants will leave feeling more calm, clear, connected and equipped with tools they can use throughout the workday and beyond. Sweat free session. No workout clothes needed!
ALIGN Wellness Sessions by Escape the Box offers a meaningful pause within the pace of a busy event. Through breathwork, meditation, yoga and immersive sound baths, participants are invited to reset, recharge and reconnect with themselves. Behind every session is a team of professional event planners with decades of experience creating large-group conference experiences, so everything from timing and flow to participant experience is considered within the context of the larger event. The result is thoughtful, restorative programming that helps attendees reduce stress, renew their energy and return more focused, grounded and engaged.
Trailblazer Breakout
DATE: Friday, Oct 30
TIME: 10:30AM - 11:30AM
LOCATION: Salon C
SESSION: The Next Event Panel - What Planners are Preparing For Now
SPEAKERS: Nour Hammoudeh, Angi Morales, and Lisa Ann Garcia (Moderated by Travis Young)
What's coming next for the meetings industry? Hear directly from planners about the trends, challenges, expectations, and changes they're already preparing for—and get a peek at what the future of events may look like.
Closing General Session
DATE: Friday, Oct 30
TIME: 11:45AM - 1:45PM
LOCATION: Salon E
SPEAKER: MATT KOVATCHIS
SESSION: The Self-Compassion Advantage: Managing Stress and Building Resilient Event Professionals
Sponsored by Visit Corpus Christi
After spending seven years in corporate banking, Matt looked like he was living the dream life. Fancy job title. Big salary. Living in a high-rise apartment in downtown Chicago. He achieved everything the outside world told him would make him successful. But beneath the surface, he was deeply unhappy, disconnected, and emotionally exhausted. It wasn’t until he hit his rock bottom that he started doing the hard work: therapy, healing, and self-acceptance.
Now, as a certified coach and keynote speaker, Matt helps others do the same. His keynotes on self-compassion, emotional intelligence, and mental health are raw, inspiring, and grounded in real-world experience. Audiences leave feeling seen, supported, and equipped with real tools to create positive and lasting change in their lives.
