MAICON brings collectively prime visionaries and consultants within the subject of AI throughout a three-day convention full of actionable periods and networking occasions—all to place you because the change agent your group (and profession) wants. On this ongoing speaker sequence, we’re that includes these extraordinary leaders, with forward-looking predictions, actionable ideas you need to use at this time, and a preview of their MAICON 2025 periods.
Janette Roush is the SVP of Innovation and Chief AI Officer at Model USA, the nation’s vacation spot advertising group. At present, she leads the group’s AI technique and all innovation to advertise U.S. tourism.
However Janette’s curiosity in rising expertise lengthy predates the AI increase. Previous to her work in tourism promotion, she spent twenty years selling Broadway the place she linked media spend to real-time gross sales information, adapting Broadway’s advertising playbook as smartphones remodeled how audiences found and acquired tickets.
“I noticed nothing however alternative,” she recalled.
Janette took full benefit of the technological shift and noticed massive success in her position. When AI started gaining traction, she noticed an analogous inflection level, and as soon as once more, she leaned in.
“I used to be drawn into AI as a result of it provides you the superpower of not solely realizing what to do, however easy methods to do it.”
She started experimenting with AI instruments in 2023 and rapidly realized that no roadmap existed. So, she created one, sharing her learnings in actual time by dwell blogs on LinkedIn. Her posts resonated, constructing a devoted following and incomes her recognition as a LinkedIn High Voice.
In her present position as Chief AI Officer, she treats AI as her thought associate, leveraging instruments similar to Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude, amongst others, to assist her analysis and ideation.
Session Preview: Create a Motion to Surprise
On this MAICON session, uncover easy methods to transfer even probably the most AI-resistant groups from skepticism to curiosity—and finally, adoption. As Janette places it: “We have to pierce the veil of indifference,” particularly when groups are nonetheless slowed down by handbook duties AI can simply deal with.
Her technique? Lead with curiosity.
“You’ll be able to assist somebody have that a-ha second about what makes AI totally different,” she says. “That you must create that motion to marvel in order for you folks to lean in.”
On this session, Janette shares:
- Actual-world examples of how she’s launched AI in surprising, approachable methods
- Techniques for sparking curiosity in groups that really feel overwhelmed or uninterested
- Tricks to preserve experimentation lighthearted and enjoyable with out sacrificing outcomes
You’ll stroll away with sensible concepts to spark curiosity, construct momentum, and assist your groups expertise their very own AI a-ha second.
Lesson Discovered: Utilizing AI Is Not Dishonest
Janette says, “It’s not dishonest to make use of AI at work.”
Many professionals, particularly ladies, nonetheless hesitate to make use of these instruments at work. Harvard Business Review even reported a 25% lag in AI adoption, particularly by ladies. She feels that is immediately associated to a “good woman” mindset: the idea that utilizing shortcuts or tech assist by some means diminishes the worth of your work.
It’s time to reframe that narrative.
“There are not any rewards for doing issues the laborious, sluggish method,” Janette added. “It’s your obligation to find out easy methods to spend cash properly, and that features accountable AI adoption. It’s time to undertake or be left behind, utterly.”
Wanting Forward: Mannequin Context Protocol Disruption
At present, we depend on private AI instruments that “know” us—our preferences, historical past, and communication type. That familiarity has made AI really feel frictionless. However the subsequent massive leap is coming.
Janette factors to Mannequin Context Protocol (MCP) as a serious disruptor on the horizon. This rising commonplace will permit AI fashions to entry exterior instruments, databases, and information with out the necessity for customized API integrations or developer assist.
“It’s going to take a while, however will probably be a serious unlock for the ability of AI.”
Hyperlinks We Like
On this episode of the Hospitality Each day Podcast, Janette shares her insights on embracing AI at work, plus the way it’s driving tourism innovation.
The AI Advantage: How Destination Marketing Must Evolve [Skift]
Skift hosts a panel of selling consultants to debate how AI is reshaping vacation spot advertising.
2025 Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference Melvin Tennant / Janette Roush Keynote
See what you missed on the 2025 Discover Minnesota Tourism Convention. Janette took the primary stage to cowl what AI will imply for tourism, together with case research, pitfalls and the trail ahead.
Janette’s Session at MAICON
Main with Surprise: Turning Organizational Readiness into AI Readiness
Learn the way Model USA’s Chief AI Officer, Janette Roush, harnesses curiosity as a change administration superpower to assist entice the world’s vacationers, who spent $213 billion visiting the US in 2023. By way of real-world examples, uncover easy methods to harness pure human curiosity to remodel organizational resistance into enthusiastic experimentation.
Whether or not you are making an attempt to get buy-in from risk-averse executives or encourage change-fatigued groups, this session will present you easy methods to faucet into curiosity as your secret weapon for driving AI transformation. The longer term belongs to organizations that may preserve childlike marvel whereas executing like adults.
Maintain Up with Janette (and AI)
For extra from Janette, join along with her on social media and discover extra of her work.
Be a part of Us at MAICON 2025
Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference (MAICON) was created for advertising leaders and practitioners looking for to drive the subsequent frontier of digital advertising transformation inside their organizations.
We’re excited to host our fifth annual MAICON—Advertising and marketing AI Convention—at this pivotal level for our trade. Be a part of us from October 14 to 16, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio, and use the particular code SPEAKERSERIES100 at checkout to obtain $100 off your registration!
