AUGUSTA - The 2017 Maine Governor's Conference on Tourism will be held at the Augusta Civic Center March 14 and 15. This year's full program of speakers, workshops and breakout sessions will address issues for the growth of Maine tourism, with a focus on workforce development and enhancing the visitor experience.

Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) Commissioner George Gervais and Department of Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette will be joined onstage by Ed McKersie of 'Live and Work in Maine' for a discussion of workforce development challenges and opportunities.

"Tourism and hospitality is a broad industry that provides numerous opportunities for entrepreneurs to create new businesses, and for our young people to gain valuable work skills that can lead to a lifetime career path,” said DECD Commissioner George Gervais.

Keynoter Berkeley Young will provide insights on current tourism trends and building travel experiences that increase visitation and revenue.

Best-selling digital marketing expert Daniel Lemin will speak on the top 10 digital trends for 2017, and present a "how to" breakout session on managing your business reputation online; while international tourism consultant Neville Bahda will give a TEDx-style presentation on what prompted his own interest in travel, and what sets Maine apart from other destinations in the eyes of the overseas traveler.

"We hope the conference will give attendees the tools and strategies they need to continue to be successful in today's evolving and competitive tourism industry," said Steve Lyons, Maine Office of Tourism Acting Director.

The two-day 2017 Conference will open with an afternoon of free business resource workshops at the Augusta Civic Center, followed by an evening networking reception at the Governor Hill Mansion in Augusta.

The Monday afternoon workshops will take a "how to" approach to improved marketing, building experiences, and destination development efforts. Workshops will include sessions on the proposed Electric Vehicle Corridor; making the most of Google Analytics; upgrading photography and video assets; building a Destination Development team; and best practices for public relations and social media.

The second full conference day agenda will include additional "nuts and bolts" breakout sessions in addition to the full program of speakers, the Maine Office of Tourism 2016 report, a roll-out of the 2017 Tourism Marketing Campaign, and the annual Governor's Conference on Tourism awards luncheon.

The annual tourism conference brings together approximately 400 industry businesses, organizations and stakeholders from across the state for an exchange of ideas and best practices to help build one of Maine's most vital and valuable industries.

More information and registration is available at MaineTourismConference.com.