Why Events Can Make or Break 2026 for Travel Marketers

In this episode of Field Notes: Insights & Observations for the Travel Marketer, Rachel Normansell from Yodel joins Eric to dig into why events are becoming one of the most important levers for destinations heading into 2026. From shifting traveler behavior to the rise of AI-assisted trip planning, Rachel unpacks why events can no longer sit at the edges of your marketing strategy—they are the strategy. What We Cover in This Episode  Why Events Matter More Than Ever in 2026 Rachel explains why events are no longer “nice to have” add-ons for DMOs, but critical decision-drivers for weekend travelers, regional visitors, and shoulder-season demand. She shares how events are influencing booking windows, content needs, and traveler expectations more than most destinations realize. The AI Factor: How Trip Planning Has Changed Overnight With consumers increasingly asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and other tools to “plan my weekend,” event listings become data inputs—whether DMOs realize it or not. If events aren’t findable, structured, and current, they’re invisible. If they’re invisible, those travelers go somewhere else. Rachel talks about how DMO event strategy now sits directly inside search, AI, and itinerary generation. The “Aperture Problem” You Don’t Know You Have Rachel and Eric explore how most destinations underestimate their true event landscape. From apple orchards to lilac farms to niche seasonal gatherings, travelers are motivated by things destinations aren’t even counting. A wider aperture means more discoverability, more reasons to visit, and more reasons to stay longer. Rethinking ROI: What DMOs Should Measure in 2026 Beyond attendance and hotel nights, Rachel outlines additional metrics destinations should track to understand the full impact of their event strategy, including: Spillover spend Content performance Search visibility Year-over-year lift tied to event categories Community participation and sentiment Event-driven itinerary creation She also shares one overlooked ROI metric most DMOs miss entirely. Events as Community Identity Builders Rachel discusses how strong event ecosystems elevate both visitor and local experiences—and why DMOs should treat community stakeholders as part of the event ROI equation, not just tourism.  2026 Trends DMOs Should Prepare For As we head into a pivotal year, Rachel highlights the trends she’s seeing across the country: Intelligent chatbots guiding trip planning AI-generated itineraries driven by event data Traveler demand for niche or micro-experiences Year-round “evergreen events” gaining traction Higher expectations around accuracy and freshness of event listings Increasing operational complexity as event calendars grow