August 21, 2025 - August 21, 2025
Webinar Date: Thursday, August 21, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM Eastern Time
Location: Online (Free Registration Required)
Using Data in Disaster Response
The PR team has their Disaster Playbook with how they will respond to any number of scenarios. How about the Research team? Hear from two industry leaders on how they have used data in responding to recent disasters in their states.
Heather Huckeba, Director of Research & Strategic Insights at Visit California, walks through research that measured consumer misperceptions about the scale of the impact of the LA Fires on tourism infrastructure, and how Visit California mobilized a crisis response to support recovery.
Marlise Taylor, Director of Tourism Research at Visit North Carolina, shares how the state made marketing investment and creative revisions following Hurricane Helene given what they heard from their target audience.
🗓️ Date: Thursday, August 21, 2025
🕒 Time: 2:00pm ET
🎤 Presenters: Kenton Barello, Vice President, YouGov and Bilal Akbar, Senior Manager, Data Products, YouGov
PRESENTERS:
Heather Huckeba
Director of Research and Strategic Insights, Visit California
Heather has spent her career in market research helping companies better understand their brand, their customers, and how to grow their business. She loves to help the non-research-inclined to understand insights from research and how those insights can drive better decisions.
Marlise Taylor
Director of Tourism Research, Visit North Carolina
Dedicated to quality research and statistical analysis through proven methods, while keeping abreast of new techniques and methodology, I strive to provide relevant information to my colleagues, partners and clients to support research-based marketing strategy.
About SMARInsights
SMARInsights is a leading tourism research and strategic consulting firm specializing in actionable insights for destination marketing organizations, state tourism offices, and industry partners. With decades of experience, SMARInsights delivers robust, custom research—ranging from visitor profiles to economic impact and ROI analyses—helping travel leaders make informed, data-driven decisions. As a trusted TTRA partner, SMARInsights empowers the tourism industry with innovative methodologies and practical intelligence, supporting growth, effective marketing, and community impact across the travel landscape.