Livingston/Overton County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Zach Stephens and Tourism and Main Street Director Morgan White represented Livingston and Overton County this past week at the Tennessee Governor's Conference on Hospitality and Tourism, the state's premier annual gathering of travel and tourism professionals.

Produced by the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, the conference brings together attractions, hoteliers, restaurateurs, destination marketing organizations, tour operators, educational institutions, tourism-related government agencies, and industry suppliers from across Tennessee for several days of programming focused on growing the state's visitor economy. The Chamber joined a strong delegation of tourism leaders from communities across the Upper Cumberland, reflecting the region's growing presence in the statewide tourism conversation.

Stephens was also invited to serve as a panelist for a breakout session titled "It All Starts with Funding: Best Practices for Securing, Sustaining, and Protecting Tourism Funding," where he joined Josh Gibson of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Tony Funderburg of the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce, Alicia Phelps of the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association, and Maureen Haley Thornton of Visit Franklin. The session brought together destination marketing organizations of every size to share firsthand experiences securing tourism funding for the first time, defending existing budgets, and overcoming funding challenges, with the goal of giving attendees practical strategies to build and sustain tourism programs for the long term.

"It was an honor to be asked to share Overton County's story alongside some of the most established tourism programs in the state, and it was a reminder that a community of our size has just as much to contribute to these conversations as anyone," Stephens said. "Tourism is one of the most important pieces of our local economy, because every visitor who comes to Dale Hollow Lake, Standing Stone State Park, or the Livingston square is spending money in local restaurants and shops and generating tax revenue that supports services every resident depends on. For a rural county, those are dollars coming in from the outside that support real jobs, and that is why the Chamber has made tourism a priority."

White said the conference offered valuable perspective as the Chamber prepares to launch its new tourism brand, Visit Historic Livingston Square, with support from a recent $30,000 tourism marketing award from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. "Being in the room with tourism professionals from across Tennessee gave us new ideas, new relationships, and a clearer picture of what is possible for a community like ours," White said. "We came home more committed than ever to telling Overton County's story to the rest of Tennessee and beyond."

About the Livingston/Overton County Chamber of Commerce: The Livingston/Overton County Chamber of Commerce serves as the lead organization for economic development, tourism, workforce development, and small business support in Overton County, Tennessee, working to strengthen the local economy and improve quality of life for residents and visitors alike.