The Innovators Summit 2026 – Day 2 Recap!
After kicking things off Monday night at Wolverine Pickleball with great conversations, friendly competition, and plenty of networking, attendees gathered at The Vanguard Ann Arbor for the first full day of Summit programming. The momentum from opening night carried right into a day packed with innovation, collaboration, and fresh ideas for the future of visitor engagement.
Morning Highlights:
After grabbing breakfast at The Vanguard Ann Arbor, we launched into a morning of major announcements, innovation, and collaboration.
Playeasy Co-Founder and CEO Kerri Shields welcomed attendees and officially kicked off Day 2, setting the stage for a day focused on breaking down silos and bringing destination teams together.
The morning continued with the unveiling of Playeasy’s newest products, vision, and major announcements, giving attendees an inside look at what’s next for destinations looking to better engage visitors, event organizers, and local communities.
Attendees also got a first look at new platform enhancements, AI-powered experiences, and tools designed to help destinations create, distribute, and measure engagement more effectively than ever before.
Working Lunch gave attendees time to connect with peers, explore new product features, participate in training sessions, and get hands-on support from the Playeasy team.
Afternoon Breakouts: Turning Ideas Into Action
The afternoon featured four interactive panels focused on building, sharing, activating, and measuring destination experiences.
Creating the Experience
First up, Katherine Johnson of Destination Ann Arbor, Kimberly Dalby of Visit Salt Lake, and Travis Harrison of Auburn-Opelika Tourism explored how trusted content serves as the foundation of every great destination experience. From customized event pages to AI-powered visitor engagement, the panel shared how destinations can create experiences visitors trust and event organizers want to be part of.
Distributing the Experience
Next, Jordan McCraw of Visit York County, Brian Jones of City of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation & Tourism, and Chris Harrell of Visit York County discussed how destinations can get their content in front of attendees where they’re already spending time. From event websites and attendee emails to venue activations, the conversation focused on extending the reach of destination experiences long before visitors arrive.
Engaging the Community
Jen Chizek of Destination Ann Arbor, Jamey Amrine of AFC Ann Arbor, and Joe Halsch of Jim Toy Community Center shared strategies for activating local communities before, during, and after events. The discussion highlighted how destinations can create long-term engagement opportunities through partnerships, local offers, and ongoing communication that benefits both visitors and local businesses.
Measuring the Impact
We wrapped up the afternoon with Anthony Terling of Auburn-Opelika Tourism, Rich Mackey of Visit Rochester, and Patrick Cansfield of American Junior Golf Association, who explored how destinations can use engagement analytics, AI conversation reporting, and performance data to tell a clear story of impact. Their message was simple: if you’re creating value, make sure you can prove it.
Compass Scavenger Hunt: Explore Ann Arbor Like a Local
The learning didn’t stop when the sessions ended.
Powered by Compass, attendees teamed up to explore downtown Ann Arbor through an interactive scavenger hunt featuring local favorites, iconic landmarks, and hidden gems throughout the city. Along the way, participants completed challenges, earned points, and experienced firsthand how destinations can guide visitors beyond the event itself.
After-Hours Networking at Babs’ Underground
We wrapped up the day at Babs’ Underground, where attendees continued conversations, strengthened new connections, and shared ideas from a full day of learning and collaboration.
Thank you to all of our attendees, speakers, and partners for making Day 2 such a success. Today reinforced one important takeaway: the future of visitor engagement happens when every part of the destination works together.
We’re looking forward to another exciting day tomorrow!
