The 2023 Going on Faith Conference will be held August 22-24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where faith-based tour planners can look forward to experiencing the city’s major attractions and enjoying exciting networking opportunities with fellow planners.
Green Bay was recently named the best place to live in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report, because of its affordability, its friendly community and the overall quality of life it offers to its residents. Attendees will get to see that for themselves as they enjoy a conference agenda that offers not only networking opportunities but also a chance to relish the city’s great amenities.
They’ll be staying at the Hyatt Regency Green Bay, the luxurious, 241-room hotel hosting the conference. The Hyatt, which features tastefully decorated, modern rooms and 80,000 square feet of flexible event space, is just steps away from the Fox River and buzzing downtown Green Bay. Downtown is notable for its walkability and its wide range of restaurants, shops and venues.
Exchanging Ideas
Above all, Going On Faith Conference provides an opportunity for faith-based travel planners to find new ideas for their organizations.
New attendees to the conference will find its marketplace sessions to be well organized and timed to the second. About two dozen six-minute appointments on average allow buyers and sellers an opportunity to exchange key questions and answers about faith-based destinations. An exchange of business cards is allowed, but beyond that, all follow-up takes place after the conference.
The Group Travel Family produces a conference app that has all delegates’ and sponsors’ contact information readily available. Conference attendees have all the information they need to build business relationships once the event in Green Bay concludes.
In addition to the marketplace sessions, delegates will enjoy a keynote presentation by David Price, president and senior consultant of DK Productions Group, a coaching and consulting business based in Decatur, Georgia. Price, a speaking coach who teaches leadership and communication skills, is also a minister. Price said he plans to take the audience on a journey of “rediscovering their passions, gifts and purpose.”
Exciting Events
Before and after business sessions, delegates will have several social gatherings together where they can network and enjoy host city highlights.
Attendees can look forward to a tailgating buffet dinner at Lambeau Field, the legendary home to the Green Bay Packers and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and Museum. Lambeau Field is an enormously popular attraction in Green Bay, drawing in thousands of visitors annually for tours of the stadium, from the field to the press boxes, and visits to the hall of fame and museum. Attendees will see Packers memorabilia, learn about the most famous players and the stadium itself, and hear more about this NFL team’s history and what it means to Green Bay.
“We’re really excited to have Going on Faith coming to Green Bay,” said Nick Meisner, vice president of digital marketing and communications at Discover Green Bay. “It’s an event that our team goes to every year, and it’s really generated a lot of excitement in our office and around the community. We adore showing off our community, and we hope they enjoy their time and find it to be a great experience they can share.”
Mealtimes at the conference are another great opportunity for networking and learning about faith-based travel destinations across the country. Breakfasts are being sponsored by the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, a museum duo in Northern Kentucky that present biblical accounts of Genesis and the story of the flood with a massive, biblically proportioned wooden ark; and Sight and Sound Theaters, which present Bible stories to audiences live on stage in Branson, Missouri, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The conference’s lunches will be sponsored by Plimoth and Patuxet Museums, a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, designed to let visitors glimpse life in the 17th century Colonies; and “His Story: The Musical” a musical theater production in The Colony, Texas, about the life of Jesus Christ. Attendees will enjoy both the delicious cuisine and learning about what makes these group travel attractions perfect for faith-based groups.
Exploring Green Bay
On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 23, attendees will get to venture out into Green Bay to explore the city’s exciting array of attractions. The first tour will visit the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, the first and only U.S. site approved by the Roman Catholic Church as an apparition site of the Virgin Mary. Attendees will tour the shrine, located just outside of Green Bay, and have light refreshments.
The second tour will go to the Automobile Gallery, a collection of interesting, rare and vintage automobiles. It will be accompanied by a wine sampling from Captain’s Walk Winery, with time to walk through the Broadway Farmer’s Market. The third tour will showcase the Herbal Experience at the Green Bay Botanical Garden, with an emphasis on touring the herb garden. Attendees will enjoy food prepared with herbs and even make a little something to take home with them.
The fourth tour will be a “rails and ales” tour, which entails a stop at the National Railroad Museum. This museum features exhibits detailing railroad history and an impressive selection of famous locomotives. It will be followed by a stop at Badger State Brewing Company for tasting of some local beers.
Looping the Lakes
Another exciting nearby opportunity awaits planners immediately following the conference. Loop the Lakes, a three-day familiarization trip for travel planners, will be hosted by Greater Fox Cities and Destination Lake Winnebago Region. This FAM will be held August 24-26, and will begin and end at the Hyatt Green Bay. Other overnight stays will include the Radisson Hotel Fond du Lac and Hilton Applteon Paper Valley Hotel.
Meals are included, and sightseeing will include stops at (and the opportunity for samples) at the LaClare Family Creamery, Ziegler Winery and Faris Gourmet Popcorn. It will also include visits to Kristmas Kringle, Berstorm Mahler Museum of Glass, Fox Cities River Tyme, Nanna’s Apothecary, and the History Museum and Castle. The group can also look forward to visiting Pullman’s Restaurant, where they will enjoy a world-famous Friday night fish fry.
Travel planners can contact Cassandra at 800-628-0993 or cblankenship@grouptravelfamily.com to register for the conference and the complimentary familiarization trip.
