Texian Rally 2023
NOVEMBER 8 - 9, 2023
Steven & Mary Birch Texas Theatre
425 N Austin Street
SEGUIN, TEXAS
The Texian Rally Workshop is for anyone interested in creating advocacy, boosting attendance, and promoting their heritage and cultural tourism resources.
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WEDNESDAY
November 8
Afternoon Educational Tours & Networking Event - only Workshop attendees may attend
1:55 p.m. HISTORIC WALKING TOUR - start at new Visitors Center, 200 S Austin Street
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Historic restored 1850s Magnolia Hotel (on 2023 Most Endangered Places in Texas list) which also features ghost tours, as well as overnight stays.
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Heritage Village featuring five of the first buildings in Seguin: Los Nogales, Dietz Doll House, Texas' Oldest Protestant Church, Campbell-Hoerman Log Cabin, and the Calaboose.
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4:00 p.m. FREE TIME to walk and visit shops of the Central Park area of Seguin
6:00 p.m. NETWORKING DINNER - Powerplant Texas Grill, 2006 Stockdale Hwy (Dutch Treat)
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November 9
Texian Rally Workshop
8:30 a.m. Registration (coffee and snacks)
9:00 a.m. WELCOME from Seguin officials and TITR Executive Director Seneca McAdams
9:15 a.m. "Harness the Power of AI" (C-3P0 & R2D2 are at your beck and call!)
Daryl Whitworth, Senior Director of Destination Strategies, Madden Media
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10:00 a.m. "Big Happenings Update"
Mark Wolfe, Texas Historical Commission Executive Director
10:45 a.m. BREAK to visit Raffle and Vendor Tables
11:00 a.m. Texas Independence Trail Region Awards Ceremony
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11:30 a.m. LUNCH
12:30 p.m. "Working with your Texas Heritage: Museums on Main Street Project aka Smithsonian + Texas = INCREDIBLE!"
Mallory Laurel, Special Projects Coordinator, and Sarah Page, Texas Heritage Tourism Team Lead, Texas Historical Commission.
1:30 p.m. LOCATION TOUR - Texas Theatre "Reinvention of Beauty"
2:15 p.m. SNACK BREAK & RAFFLE
2:45 p.m. "Ridin' the Unicorn! How to Capitalize on Fame Coming to Town"
Kyle Kramm, Director, Seguin Main Street & CVB
3:45 p.m. CLOSING REMARKS
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MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS
Daryl Whitworth, CTE
Senior Director of Destination Strategies
Madden Media
Daryl Whitworth, CTE, has spent the last two and a half decades working to make destinations better through tourism marketing. He combines an MBA in Marketing Management along with fifteen years of real destination growth at the Fredericksburg CVB to truly understand tourism marketing.
With Madden Media since 2012, Daryl works with destinations of all sizes across multiple states to help them grow their tourism base and enhance their communities through positive visitor growth.
Daryl serves as Senior Director of Destination Strategies and is currently on the Texas Travel Alliance Board and Executive Committee.
Mark Wolfe
Executive Director, Texas Historical Commission
Mark Wolfe practiced law in Oregon for several years before moving to Vermont to get a Masters Degree in Historic Preservation. He worked for the City of Deadwood, South Dakota as City Planner and Historic Preservation Officer for six years, and then moved to Colorado where he spent 12 years managing the State Historical Fund, the nation’s largest state-based general grants program for historic preservation. For nine of those years he also served as Colorado’s Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer.
He relocated to Austin in August of 2008 to work for the Texas Historical Commission, and became the agency’s Executive Director and State Historic Preservation Officer in September of 2009. He served as President of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO), the professional association of State government officials who carry out the national historic preservation program as delegates of the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. In that capacity he sat as a member of the board of directors of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the federal agency that advises the President and Congress on matters related to historic preservation. He continues to serve on the NCSHPO executive committee, and teaches historic preservation law at the University of Texas.
Mallory Laurel
Special Projects Coordinator for Heritage Tourism
Texas Historical Commission
Mallory Laurel is a Special Projects Coordinator for Heritage Tourism at the Texas Historical Commission and oversees the Texas Treasure Business Award program, which honors historic businesses across Texas. Her work has married interpretation, experience design, and marketing in a variety of capacities for over twelve years at institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois Humanities, and the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing from The Ohio State University. Her expertise is in interpretation, storytelling, and public programs.
Sarah Page
Heritage Tourism Program Coordinator
Texas Historical Commission
Sarah Page is a seeker of experiences; a people connector, and a 32-year Texas tourism industry professional. She got her start in 1990 with a degree in Tourism from Texas A&M University. From there, she embarked on a career based on public service in her many tourism roles along the way. Currently, Sarah is the Heritage Tourism Program Coordinator for the Texas Historical Commission where she leads the team’s capacity-building and experience development efforts and the award-winning Texas Heritage Trails Program.
Sarah is very active in tourism and economic development efforts and has served on several boards, commissions, and committees. Her professional memberships include the Texas Travel Alliance and the Texas Downtown Association.
Sarah is a new empty-nester with two kids in college and is enjoying testing new recipes, trying out local restaurants and watering holes, and finding creative ways to annoy her husband now that her kids aren’t around to annoy.
Kyle Kramm
Director, Seguin TX Main Street Program and CVB
Kyle Kramm was named Director of the combined Main Street Program and Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) for the City of Seguin in June 2016. He served as the Main Street Program Director for Seguin since June 2014. In his role, Kramm markets downtown Seguin as a premier destination for business, works to preserve the architecture and cultural heritage of the community, and plans a variety of community festivals and events. He also works to promote the city as a destination to visitors by marketing area attractions through print, online and other media advertising.
Kramm has held a number of positions within the City of Seguin, beginning as an intern in 2009 while attending Texas Lutheran University where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a specialization in Public Administration. He was hired on as an Economic Development Specialist in 2010, and was promoted to Assistant Director of Economic Development in 2013.
He went on to complete his Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. The focus of his research in his master’s program was the effect economic development has had on Texas communities.
Kramm has served on several boards and committees, including the Texas Downtown Association, Guadalupe County Historical Commission, Guadalupe County United Way, and the Central Texas I-10 Community Alliance.