“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. Those words have been Roger Brooks’ motto for nearly 30 years, which helps explain why his enthusiasm remains boundless as a consistently top-rated motivational speaker at local, regional, and international conferences around the world. As CEO of Destination Development International (DDI), Roger’s expertise comes from having assisted nearly a thousand communities in their efforts to become better places to live, invest, establish a business, or visit. His reward comes from seeing places that were struggling come to life with thousands of people having a great time, enjoying a magical setting, spending money, and making it their destination of choice. Roger possesses a rare talent: His enthusiasm – and his steadfast sense of purpose – is contagious. As a keynote/general session speaker, he gets people excited, laughing and scribbling notes as fast as they can, fired up to go home and make something happen. That’s the enthusiasm. Why it works is because the information is clear and it sticks. Known for telling engaging stories, Roger uses real-life examples shown in photos and video clips, some of them hilarious, all of them poignant. His bottom-line rules, tips and ingredients leave attendees with rock solid action items they can implement today to make a difference tomorrow. Co-author of a “Your Town: A Destination - The 25 Immutable Rules of Successful Tourism,” Roger started his career providing large-venue tour management services for international recording artists. Moving from the concert industry, he then helped brand and market several very popular destination resorts, including Harbour Town on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and Whistler Resort in British Columbia, a host site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Recruited to help struggling Ocean Shores, Washington, Roger transformed the sleepy oceanfront town to a thriving resort community with the highest per-capital spending of any city in the state. With many successes like this, Roger, with his talented crew, has now worked in 42 states, across Canada and in Europe – so far. Over the years he and DDI have recruited more than $2.8 billion in new tourism development projects to resorts and destination communities throughout North America. Roger Brooks readily admits that it took working with well over 100 communities before he determined exactly what works and what doesn’t. In the process of working with states, provinces, regions, counties, cities, towns, and other places dear to us, Roger Brooks uses his experience and energy to cut through the politics, empower champions and ignite communities to work together – “getting on the same page and pulling in the same direction,” as he likes to say, which makes the process fun and inclusive. Titles The New Age of Tourism: Is It Working For You? Jettison the Generic™ The 20 Ingredients of an Outstanding Destination The Art of Branding a Destination Things You Can Do Today to Make a Difference Tomorrow But Does It Make You Want To Go There? Power Lines, Tag Lines and Logos. Oh My! Absurd Meets Reality - And Wins! Seven Immutable Rules of a Successful Destination More Rules of a Successful Destination Topics Business, Performance Click topic above to see more speakers on that topic Speaker's Asking Fee Range $10,000 - $14,999 Click on fee range to see more speakers. This is the starting keynote fee range - other programs may be higher. State WA Click on state above to see more speakers from that state. Fees The fee range quoted means the speaker's fee starts somewhere within that range. Note that speaker's fees are subject to change and some speakers may have special fee quotes.

TESTIMONIALS " Everyone – and I mean everyone – in attendance enjoyed Roger’s presentation. Many, many of the Main Street managers came up afterward to express to me their enjoyment of the presentation and their appreciation for the state coordinating program providing them with this opportunity. Our e-mail group has been filled with comments about how great Roger was. I could go on and on, but the best way to sum it up is that the presentation was a complete success – not only from the enjoyment aspect but also from the learning aspect.” - Louisiana Main Street "Today’s event was awesome! Roger does a fantastic job, and the reviews from the attendees were excellent! This was our third summit and everyone said was by far the best yet and the best speaker we have had so far!” - Coeur d’Alene Dept. of Labor "The feedback regarding Roger’s presentations at our summit far exceeded my expectations! I knew he would be popular but he went above and beyond.” - Terrace British Columbia Economic Development Authority "Awesome job, Roger! You were clearly our highest rated speaker at our Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Thanks for a super job!” - Iowa Tourism Office "The workshop was so well received. You cannot believe the number of things people are changing based on Roger’s workshop! I can’t tell you how often I hear "Roger said…” - California Visitors Bureau "Roger, you’re the man! Seriously your presentation was the best I’ve experienced in the last 10 years. Your passion gives us the confidence we can successfully create positive change.” - Starved Rock Lodge & Conference Center, Ottawa, Illinois "He was fantastic! Everyone loved Roger. We have to have him again at another conference – soon!” - Georgia Association of CVBs "I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation at the Nova Scotia Tourism Development Day conference. It was smart, quick, lively, humorous – I walked away with some great tips. Thanks!” - Halifax, Nova Scotia "Your presentation was great, and could be applied to any business – not just downtowns! It is so refreshing to hear big picture views and concepts!” - Reich Associates