General Sessions
The theme for 2026’s forum is Fortune Favors the Bold.
CHECK OUT THE PROGRAM PREVIeW BELOW.
Thursday, April 16
From Outrageous to Obvious: The Power of Bold Ideas
Every breakthrough starts as an idea that sounds impossible. Mike Douglas, freeskiing pioneer and Whistler-based filmmaker, knows this firsthand. His vision for a twin-tip ski revolutionized the sport, just as forward-thinking concepts like the Peak to Peak Gondola transformed destination experiences. Now leading ski touring events with Natural Selection and climate action with Protect Our Winters Canada, Douglas reveals how daring ideas—and persistence—can reshape industries. This inspiring opening keynote challenges mountain travel marketers and sellers to think bigger, act bolder, and turn today’s “outrageous” into tomorrow’s “essential.”
Mike Douglas, The Godfather of Freeskiing | President, POW Canada | Canadian Ski Hall of Fame, Class of 2025 | Founder, Switchback Entertainment
AIO, SEO, E-I-E-I-O: Winning Visibility in the Age of AI Search
Travelers aren’t just “Googling” anymore—they’re asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI-powered travel planners where to stay. If your resort, hotel or experience isn’t optimized for AI search, you’re already disappearing from the conversation. In this session, Mike Lannen from Eternity pulls back the curtain on how AI is reshaping traveler discovery, and what hospitality brands must do to stay visible. You’ll see real examples of how AI tools choose which products to recommend and why some get featured while others get ignored. You’ll leave with clarity, inspiration, and the first steps to future-proof your marketing and guest experience in the AI era.
Mike Lannen, Founder, Eternity
MTS Summit Award
Corporations—big and small—have a responsibility to their customers, local communities, and society at large to make a difference in the world we live in. The Summit Award celebrates action by recognizing organizations, programs, projects and individuals that go beyond rhetoric and truly make an impact. MTS and United will announce the 2025 Summit Award and the recipient will share details on how they’ve changed the way they do business to benefit the greater good.
Brian Roth, Director - Regional Sales, United
The State of Mountain Travel: Trends, Tech, and Transformation
In 2025, Phocuswright and Inntopia partnered on a groundbreaking study aimed at uncovering the latest mountain consumer lodging and destination behavior trends and preferences. And in 2026, the study is back. With updated findings and an assessment of the impact of some fundamental geoeconomics, we’ll be looking at critical industry topics, such as: How are broader economic forces informing consumers’ purchasing decisions? What role does cutting-edge tech play in enhancing the ski travel experience? What is the role of social media and mobile technology in ski and mountain travel? What are the emerging social trends around climate change impacting travel preferences? Using 2025 as our benchmark, we'll provide actionable insights and strategies to help destinations and mountain travel businesses thrive in this evolving landscape.
Tom Foley, SVP, Business Intelligence, Inntopia by Outside
Madeline List, Manager of Research and Special Projects, Phocuswright
Enabling the Travel Industry’s Next Era of Innovation
