Recap of WITS 2026
By Shirley Davis Conner, Conner Hospitality Consulting
I was so excited to have the opportunity to attend the Women In Travel Summit in Chattanooga, May 29-31, 2026 thanks to the generosity of Travel Unity. I had never heard of the conference so it was an excellent chance to learn about an entirely different side of tourism than I normally work with. I loved the thought of a conference geared especially toward women, yet open to all genders. I will also say that it was the first conference I had attended since I started in tourism in 1992 that I did not know several people in the room. It definitely made me get out of my comfort zone to network with new people.
Shirley Davis Conner at WITS Chattanooga 2026
On Friday, May 29th, Creator 101 was the first session I attended. I paid for this extra class to really learn about travel creators and how this sector of the industry works. In my previous life working at Graceland, Home of Elvis Presley, influencers and content creators were just coming on the scene and the Marketing team worked with them more than I did in the Sales department.
This 4 ½ hour session offered a great overview for those like me who were new to digital content creation. It helped me understand how varied the opportunities are in this field. Not only did it talk specifics about blogs, reels, Instagram and Pinterest postings and how to manage them all, it helped guide us in finding out our why. It really showed how creators are entrepreneurs and not just content makers. Beth Santos, the founder of Wanderful, the organization that put on WITS, opened the session by sharing that the creator economy is $32 billion and still growing!
Although this class was specifically for “newbies”, there were women of all levels of knowledge in attendance. Some had been posting for personal records/memories (this is me!), some already have websites that they want to build their distribution and monetize better by working with sponsorships or selling content such as books or lists. Some were already working as affiliates on Amazon and other companies where they earn a commission when they promote a product. There were even a couple of travel agents who wanted to up their social media game to entice future trip sales. The 101 class offered a little something for all of us.
This was a great session to help us lay the framework for what each of us want to do going forward. Beth and three other speakers led discussions in finding our WHY or our motivation for being at the conference. They helped us to think about what audience we want to reach and what the benefits can be. We looked into how to be successful as a content creator, which format to use and what tools are available to help us move forward. There was a discussion on different revenue paths and what level of income is possible based on the time and effort that is put into content creation. There was also a great talk by an attorney who offered tips on what can be a business expense, figuring out if one needs to create an LLC for a business and how to think about where you are now and where you want to be in three months and then in six months and further in the future, protecting your own content along the way. There was so much information thrown at us in such a short time, that at times I was overwhelmed! However, we did have the opportunity during lunch to sit and visit with our classmates and learn more about who they were and what they did. That really helped me to see that this is not a one size fits all industry!
Throughout the conference there were opportunities to make appointments with Mentors who have been successful with content creation. While I was too overwhelmed to narrow down to a specific mentor, it was a great option for those who had attended the conference before or those who already followed specific creators and wanted to learn their advice for expanding the reach of their products.
During the same time as the Creator 101 class, a Media Marketplace took place. This allowed creators to meet bands and companies to create valuable partnerships. These one-on-one pre-scheduled meetings seem to be like the meetings we are used to at NTA, ABA and SYTA. A quick sales pitch from both the creator and the brands/DMOs to see how they can help each other bring dollars to their bottom lines. To take part in the Media Marketplace you had to be registered as a Creator. Like suppliers use profile sheets at our travel industry shows, the creators shared their media kits with the brands/DMOs they wanted to work with. This helps them determine which creators will fit best within the demographic the brand is looking to promote their products/trips/locations to.
The Friday afternoon Opening Session kicked off with a little networking and excitement about being in Chattanooga. Susan Harris, with Visit Chattanooga, welcomed everyone and Beth Santos talked about what to expect from the weekend. A great part of the sessions throughout the weekend were the 30-Second Sparks. This offered anyone the chance to come to the front of the room and give a quick elevator speech. Some were recruitment pitches looking for partnerships or specific products to fit within a creator’s niche, some were self-promotions offering their skill to others, some were stories of why they came to Chattanooga and some were sharing their goals for the future. No two were the same which was really a great takeaway from the conference.
A WITS session highlighting Chattanooga’s community, creativity, and curiosity
The WITS Opening Party was hosted by Visit Chattanooga and took place at the Historic Chattanooga Choo Choo just a few blocks away from the host hotel. The bus ride over offered another opportunity for networking. Although I’m from the Memphis area in the western part of Tennessee, I did choose to wear a “LOCAL” sticker on my badge because I’ve been to Chattanooga many times through the years and love to share with others the great tourism opportunities that the area offers. I also used to travel with the Visit Chattanooga rep and heard her spiel so often that I can definitely recommend things to see and do.
What is a hotel today began as a train station for industrial and passenger traffic in the early 1900s. It played a significant role in the growth of Chattanooga through the end of World War II. As automobile travel increased and rail travel in the South decreased, the terminal activity fell and the terminal ultimately closed in the early 1970s. In the 1980s the building was reimagined as a cultural hub and still attracts visitors today to its hotel and food outlets while offering the opportunity to stay overnight in a rail car and to learn about rail history. Glenn Miller’s Chattanooga Choo Choo will always be tied to this historic place.
Throughout the weekend there were extra opportunities to network with fellow attendees scattered in between workshop sessions. This was also a good time to visit the tables of the vendors and sponsors if one hadn’t already met them during the Media Marketplace.
Before and after the conference there were opportunities for creators to participate in overnight fam tours throughout Tennessee and the region including Knoxville, Kingsport/Bristol, Franklin and Memphis. I’m happy to report that the creators who came to Memphis were featured in the Memphis Tourism’s weekly industry e-newsletter and Kirby Boyd, who serves on our Metro Memphis Attractions Association Board, says they were a great group!
Local day tour fams were also an option including popular Chattanooga activities like Ruby Falls and the Tennessee Aquarium, outdoor activities like hiking, cave exploring and the Chattanooga Zoo, along with food tours and craft options. I didn’t participate in any of these because I felt it was important for the creators to take up the spaces. I didn’t want to take a spot that would prevent an attraction/activity from getting the opportunity for posts or reels with extended reach.
During the conference there were workshops/sessions that were held simultaneously, similar to how education sessions happen at the travel industry conferences I regularly attend. The descriptions on the program app were helpful in that they indicated if the sessions were for everyone, beginners, intermediate or advanced. That definitely helped me choose the ones that were geared towards my inexperience.
The “Seeing Life Through a Different Accessibility Lens” session made me think about the way attractions and hotels can describe their experiences on their own websites. Examples of this could be mentioning stairs vs ramps access, crowd levels at different times of the day and noise levels that could impact the tourism experience. Using accessibility references in social media content or even in website/brochure descriptions can definitely expand an audience reach.
“The Room Where it Happens: What DMOs and Hotels Wish Creators Knew” was interesting as it brought together different segments of tourism together to explain their viewpoints on what they are looking for when reaching out to content creators and working with influencers. It had some similar advice as the session on “Negotiating to Get Paid What You’re Worth”. When it comes to working with companies, as a creator you need to be able to clearly express what you can bring to the table when you begin to work with a new company or project. You need to decide if you want to get to the point where you don’t want to trade content for exposure which seems to be where most creators begin.
There was a great session that offered an overview of why Pinterest is such a valuable option for travel creators. The “12-Week-Year for Creators” workshop showed ways to hit goals in a shorter period of time. Although geared for creators, I also gained insight on how to break down goals into focused time periods. The attorney from Creator 101 class, Meredith Shippee, also offered another session later in the weekend focused on protecting your work, talking about copyrights, trademarks, contract disclosures (even needed on a social media page) and business structure.
The sessions throughout the weekend, although definitely geared towards creators, offered great insight that I found ways to apply to what I do as a hospitality consultant. I also even picked up a tip that will help the monthly meetings I plan as Executive Director of Metro Memphis Attractions Association run a little smoother. To help the speakers stay on time, there were laminated “10 minutes”/”5 minutes”/1 minute left” signs that were held up in the speakers’ line of sight. So easy!
Some of the wisdom that I gained from the conference was things I’d heard before, but in a new setting they hit home in a different way. I have to be intentional about where my time and energy go. If it matters, I need to schedule it as this will help me stay on task and take control over my time. This can be both personal things like scheduling time to work out or meal planning (which I don’t take the time to do!) as well as work items like investigating affiliate marketing options to add to my income stream. If I decide to pursue a creator role, I need to be recognizable and consistent in what I do but this also applies to my life now as well.
Shirley Davis Conner at the Women in Travel Summit
I took a massive amount of notes throughout the weekend and am still working my way through reviewing them. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have a better understanding now of content creation and influencer marketing and the possibilities that this segment of tourism offers.
