The Next Generation of Visitor Intelligence for Place-Based Organizations: It’s Here

As Chief Brand & Strategy Officer at the CRVA, Laura White leads strategic branding and marketing initiatives that elevate destinationperception and drive visitor demand. Her work also strengthens the visibilityand financial performance of CRVA-managed venues, directly supporting overalloperating revenue impact.

Responsibilities encompass strengthening the perception ofCRVA’s portfolio of brands that drive leisure tourism, attract economicimpact-inducing meetings, conventions and events and position venues such asthe Charlotte Convention Center, BOplex and NASCAR Hall of Fame for sustainedoperational success.

White has played a pivotal role in promoting Charlotte and CRVAvenues through impact-focused leadership and data-driven marketing. She hasworked to amplify premier events such as the NBA All-Star Game and thePresidents Cup, advanced the city’s culinary identity through targeted brandactivations, and crafted integrated venue marketing strategies that havedelivered substantial revenue growth and visibility.

In addition to her brand leadership responsibilities, Whiteguides the CRVA’s strategic planning function and the organization’s StrategyTeam. This work encompasses establishing CRVA-wide, cross-functionalpriorities, aligning goal-setting and directives to advance those priorities,and ensuring performance aligns with both near-term goals and long-rangevision.

White brings nearly two decades of leadership to the CRVA,having previously served as Director of Communications and Director of BrandMarketing. A passionate advocate for Charlotte’s dynamic growth and the city’sculinary and cultural landscape, she is a dedicated volunteer for LeadershipCharlotte as a Class 37 alumna and currently serves on the board of the Marketat 7th Street.

With over a decade of advertising agency experience leadingaccounts spanning tourism, beverage, CPG, tech, energy, entertainment, healthand retail, Shelley brings a well-rounded marketing background to Visit Austin.Her tireless commitment to finding creative solutions is unparalleled. Prior tojoining Visit Austin in 2023, she led the agency team at THIRD EAR across avariety of initiatives promoting Austin as a premier leisure and meetingsdestination, starting in 2015 when the agency was known as LatinWorks.  

From rebranding the organization to a more modern,consumer-friendly name, to branding one of the most important events for thecity’s meeting industry, PCMA, she has held and maintained the highest standardof work for Visit Austin to drive year-over-year increases in visitor volumeand direct travel spending throughout her tenure. In addition to Visit Austin,brands she's led include Bravo, Tillamook Cheese, Nike, Google, the AmericanHeart Association, Heineken USA and New Mexico Tourism.

In Shelley’s role as Vice President of Marketing,  she worksto maintain Visit Austin’s position as a leader in destination marketing bybreaking out of category norms and developing integrated marketing campaignsfor domestic and international markets. She is a graduate of The University ofTexas with a Bachelors and Masters in Advertising.

Katie Cook is the Vice President of Client Success at Zartico where she leads the client service team and works with many of the enterprise level accounts.

With nearly 25 years in the tourism industry, Katie has extensive experience in destination marketing, especially in the areas of strategy, integrated campaigns, social media, digital marketing, attribution and analytics. 

Prior to joining Zartico, Katie was a Digital Strategist at Simpleview where she advised destination marketing organizations' clients of all sizes on their digital marketing as well as built and managed integrated campaigns. Prior to Simpleview, Katie Cook was on the marketing team at Visit Austin for more than 18 years. 

Katie holds a BA in Mass Communications - Public Relations from Texas State University and is currently pursuing her MBA from Texas State University. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Texas Travel Alliance Board of Directors.