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Beyond Attendance: Marketing Festivals and Events for Greater Visitor Impact

Date: Nov 10, 2026

Time: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Category(s):

Educational Breakout

Successful event marketing is about more than filling a festival or generating impressions. It’s about attracting the right visitors, driving overnight stays and spending, maximizing marketing investments and demonstrating measurable results. Drawing on real-world examples, this session explores practical strategies for identifying target audiences, optimizing marketing campaigns, measuring visitor behavior and economic impact and communicating value to sponsors, partners and stakeholders.
Learning Outcomes:

Practical strategies to identify and reach the right audiences, make the most of their marketing budgets and attract visitors who contribute to the economic success of their festivals and events.
Explore ways to measure marketing performance, understand visitor behavior and demonstrate the value of their efforts to sponsors, partners and stakeholders.
Gain ideas they can put to work in their own communities and events through real-life examples.

Ellen Stallcup is the Director of Marketing and Brand Management for the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau, where she leads strategic marketing, brand management and promotional efforts designed to position Grapevine as a premier destination for leisure travelers, meetings and events. In her role, Ellen oversees integrated marketing initiatives that showcase Grapevine’s unique blend of historic charm, Texas hospitality, culinary and wine experiences, shopping, attractions and signature events. Ellen began her career in the sports and entertainment industry with Speedway Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway. Computer Needs No Audio/Video No During her 20-year tenure, she held leadership roles spanning ticketing, marketing and events, ultimately serving as Vice President of Marketing for both Texas Motor Speedway and NASCAR at Circuit of The Americas.

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Schedule

Ellen Stallcup

Nov 10, 2026 | 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM