Destinations International Annual Convention (DI Annual Convention)

Event Snapshot

• Organizer / Event identity: Destinations International (the leading association for destination marketing organizations)
• Event theme: Destination marketing, tourism strategy, visitor growth, community branding, travel trade, and partnership development
• Typical audience mix: Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVBs), destination marketing organizations (DMOs), tourism boards, tourism agencies, hospitality partners, travel industry suppliers, and service providers supporting destination growth
• Best list-selling angle: DMO & tourism leadership + marketing executives + trade/business development buyers who plan tourism campaigns, partner activations, and travel industry programs

1) Who attends (BUYERS / ATTENDEES)

Destinations International Annual Convention is best understood as a DMO and destination leadership conference rather than a purely consumer travel show. That means the strongest “buyer” audience typically sits in tourism marketing and partnership roles—people who directly influence budgets for destination promotion and who evaluate vendors that help them acquire visitors, improve traveler experience, and build partnerships across the travel ecosystem.

Primary attendee groups (most likely to convert depending on your solution):

• DMO/CVB leadership: CEOs, Presidents, Executive Directors, and senior leadership running the destination marketing engine
• Marketing & communications decision-makers: CMOs, VP Marketing, Directors of Marketing, Marketing Managers, PR/Communications directors
• Visitor experience and brand strategy leaders: Brand managers, visitor engagement leads, destination experience strategists
• Sales, trade, and business development teams: Travel trade managers, sales directors, partnerships managers, group business development leaders
• Research and analytics roles: Tourism research directors, analytics/insights managers, marketing performance leads
• Operations & funding stakeholders: Finance leads involved in marketing investment, program managers coordinating grants and initiatives
• Industry suppliers (exhibitors / sponsors): Technology vendors, advertising agencies, media platforms, CRM providers, PR agencies, travel content creators, tourism training providers
• Cross-industry tourism partners: Hospitality organizations, attractions, event venues, airlines/air service partners, tour operators (varies by year and agenda)

2) Where the show is happening + attendee geographic origin

The DI Annual Convention location can vary year-to-year based on DI’s hosting arrangements. Regardless of the host city, the audience is highly U.S.-centric, with many attendees representing U.S. destinations (cities, counties, regions, and state-level tourism entities).

Geographic origin (typical pattern):

• Core origin: United States (destination leadership and tourism teams)
• Secondary origin: Canada and select international participation is common in tourism networks, but the dominant density is U.S. DMOs
• Travel behavior: Many attendees travel from within their assigned destination territory plus nearby states for logistics efficiency

Best targeting regions: We typically recommend focusing list segmentation on U.S. destinations and U.S. tourism boards, then expanding to relevant international tourism organizations if the client’s offering supports cross-border travel trade.

3) Audience reach (Local / National / Global)

DI Annual Convention delivers strong national reach. DMOs and CVBs operate across the U.S., and the conference functions as a national networking and strategy event where destination leadership shares market insights and vendor solutions.

• Reach type: National (U.S.) with some international travel trade and partner participation
• Why it matters: The buyer “problem” is consistent—grow visitation, strengthen brand performance, and build partnerships—so a well-targeted attendee list can be reused across multiple campaigns

4) Sample buyer company names (BUYERS ONLY) + Websites

Below are representative buyer-style organizations that align with DI’s audience profile (DMOs/CVBs, tourism boards, destination marketing entities). These are not guaranteed to exhibit every year; they represent the type of buyer we would prioritize for attendee-list sourcing and outbound alignment.

Top 5 priority samples to send first (highest probability buyer fit): Visit California, Destination DC, Choose Chicago, Visit Orlando, NYC & Company.

5) Job profiles, industries & event type

Best job profiles to target

• Executive leadership: Executive Director, President, CEO, VP/GM (DMO/CVB)
• Marketing & brand: Chief Marketing Officer, VP Marketing, Director of Marketing, Brand Manager
• Tourism strategy & research: Director of Tourism Research, Analytics Manager, Insights Lead
• Trade & sales: Director of Travel Trade, Sales Director, Partnerships & Business Development Manager
• Communications: PR Director, Communications Director, Media Relations Lead
• Partnership operations: Sponsorship Manager, Industry Partnerships Director, Program Manager (tourism initiatives)
• Technology enablement (if applicable): Marketing Technology Manager, CRM Manager, Digital Experience Manager

Industries most commonly connected to attendees

Based on the DI audience and how these roles map to buyer responsibilities, the most useful industry filters (from your provided industry list) typically include:

• Leisure, Travel & Tourism
• Marketing & Advertising
• Media Production / Online Media (for content and distribution partners)
• Market Research (for insights, analytics, measurement)
• Public Relations & Communications
• Events Services (for event-driven destination growth)
• Program Development (for tourism programs, partnerships, and training initiatives)

Event type

• Primary event type: Destination marketing / travel trade strategy conference
• Secondary event type: B2B networking for tourism suppliers and service partners
• Functional areas: brand strategy, marketing campaigns, partnerships, tourism research, trade development

6) Estimated attendance (expected total footfall)

DI Annual Convention attendance can vary year-to-year, but it is generally a mid-to-large B2B conference with a meaningful expo presence and substantial networking programming. In buyer-list terms, the key value is not only total footfall, but the concentration of destination leadership and marketing decision-makers.

How we estimate value for your campaign: We treat the event as “lead-density oriented”—DMO executives, marketing leaders, and travel trade teams attend in numbers sufficient to justify targeted outreach (especially when we focus on the right titles and industries).

7) Key focus areas & buyer engagement

Typical key focus areas:

• Destination brand strategy: positioning, storytelling, and differentiation across segments
• Visitor growth and demand generation: campaign planning, conversion optimization, and channel strategy
• Travel trade engagement: partnerships with tour operators, agencies, and industry networks
• Measurement and analytics: performance reporting, tourism research, and ROI discussions
• Partnership building: sponsorships, joint marketing, and stakeholder alignment
• Experience and community alignment: how destinations coordinate with local stakeholders to improve visitor outcomes
• Technology and digital marketing: digital distribution, CRM/data activation, and marketing tech enablement

Buyer engagement approach (what messaging resonates):

• Lead with outcomes: “helping destinations grow visitation, improve campaign performance, or strengthen travel trade partnerships.”
• Map to marketing ownership: target marketing leadership, partnerships directors, and analytics roles rather than generic attendees.
• Offer program fit: highlight how your solution supports co-marketing, measurement, content distribution, or trade enablement.

8) Client-product fit note + buyer attendee list review request (required)

We can absolutely refine the buyer shortlist “based on your client requirements,” but we need two things from you:

1. Your client website (the exact URL)
2. 1–2 sentences on what the client sells (who it helps, use cases, and the main buyer persona)

Once you share the client website, we will:

• Identify the best buyer roles to target at DMOs/CVBs (and related tourism organizations)
• Recommend the best industries to filter (using your provided Apollo-style industry list)
• Provide a ranked buyer shortlist with priority titles and company types that match the client’s offer

Please send the client website so we can proceed with the best buyers for DI Annual Convention.

9) Industry suggestion (using your provided Apollo industry list)

For Destinations International Annual Convention, the most relevant industries to use from your list are typically:

• Leisure, Travel & Tourism (highest priority)
• Marketing & Advertising (destination campaign vendors and marketing leadership)
• Public Relations & Communications (PR and communications strategy roles)
• Market Research (tourism research, analytics, and insights)
• Events Services (event-driven destination growth and activation partners)
• Online Media / Media Production (content/distribution and digital strategy)
• Professional Training & Coaching (if the client offers tourism workforce training or destination programs)
• Program Development (if the client offers structured destination programs or partnership frameworks)

Final Recommendation

Yes—DI Annual Convention is a strong event to build a buyer-focused attendee database for companies selling to destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, CVBs, and travel trade ecosystem partners. The highest success comes from precise targeting on destination leadership, marketing strategy, travel trade, and research/analytics roles.

Send us your client website and we will return a refined buyer list plan with: priority titles, best company types, and industry filters tailored to your exact offering.