General Sessions
The theme for THE 2026 forum is Fortune Favors the Bold.
CHECK OUT THE PROGRAM BELOW.
Thursday, April 16
GENERAL SESSION I: 8:15AM - 10:10AM
Welcome from MTS
Cat Brask, Director of Content & Marketing, Mountain Travel Symposium
Alicia Evanko-Lewis, Executive Vice President, Global Events, Northstar Travel Group
WELCOME FROM WHISTLER BLACKCOMB & TOURISM WHISTLER
Barret Fisher, President & Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Whistler
Belinda Trembath, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Global Events, Whistler Blackcomb
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
Courageous Collaboration: Co-Creating Tourism Experiences with Indigenous Communities
Bold growth in mountain tourism requires more than new offerings—it requires courageous collaboration. Court “Blackbird” Larabee, a trailblazing Anishinaabe leader and Indigenous relations pioneer, shares how authentic partnerships with Indigenous communities can drive tourism growth while creating richer, more meaningful visitor experiences. Drawing on his groundbreaking work at Whistler Blackcomb and advisory roles across mountain destinations, Court offers practical insights for marketers and sales leaders ready to move beyond performative inclusion and build relationships rooted in respect, trust, and shared success.
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.
Court “Blackbird” Larabee, Anishinaabe Leader | Indigenous Relations Specialist, Whistler Blackcomb
Tom Foley, SVP, Business Intelligence, Inntopia by Outside
Madeline List, Manager of Research and Special Projects, Phocuswright
GENERAL SESSION II: 10:30AM - 12:30PM
Enabling the Travel Industry’s Next Era of Innovation
Booking.com is dedicated to making it easier for everyone to experience the world, a mission we’ve supported for decades by experimenting with and developing products based on the latest technological innovations. This session will outline our approach to leveraging technological advances to enable the travel industry’s next era of innovation. Attendees will gain actionable insights on evaluating technology to ensure ongoing customer relevance.
Betsy Steckler, Regional Director Partner Services, North America, Booking.com
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
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
GENERAL SESSION III: 2:00PM - 3:30PM
What’s Shaping the Future of Mountain Travel: Global Trends You Can’t Ignore
Mountain travelers are changing—and not just in one market. This fast-moving panel brings together on-the-ground perspectives from Europe, Asia, and North America to unpack the global trends and shifting consumer behaviors redefining mountain travel. Speakers will compare what’s different, what’s universal, and what lessons translate across borders. This is not a data dump or research recap—it’s a candid, real-world conversation focused on practical insights mountain travel professionals can act on now to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
Moderated by Marie-Josee (MJ) Legault, EVP Growth & Strategic Initiatives, MMGY Global
On the Snow Visitors Choice Award
OnTheSnow.com’s Visitors’ Choice Awards are an annual list of favorite ski resorts as ranked by user ratings and feedback from the platform’s nine million unique North American visitors. The winner for the ’25-’26 season will be announced live at MTS.
Chad Dyer, Owner & Global Managing Director, Mountain News, publishers of OnTheSnow & Skiinfo
2027 Location Announcement
More to come!
As of February 5th, 2026