Ignite Your Event with a Dynamic Public Speaker
Our passion for all things
sustainability and tourism
is contagious.
JoAnna Haugen with panel members, including G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip, at GX Peru 2023. | G Adventures + Planeterra
JoAnna Haugen, the founder of Rooted, is an engaging and thoughtful award-winning speaker who is not afraid to challenge the status quo.
She has spoken on responsible travel and tourism storytelling, sustainability, social impact, community tourism, women's empowerment, and radical transparency to thousands of audience members at conferences and events in countries on five continents and virtually.
A Tourism Expert and Speaker Destined to “Shake Some Trees”
JoAnna's early competitive public speaking days as a high school state champion.
JoAnna’s passion for speaking from the stage goes back 25+ years as a competitive public speaker, yielding dozens of awards and several scholarships. She has nearly 20 years of professional experience related to sustainable development, travel writing and content creation, tourism marketing and communications, and thought leadership development. And as an intrepid traveler, global citizen, and life-long learner, JoAnna carries a sense of curiosity, responsibility, and rebellion into her work.
Recognizing the influence she yields within her spheres of influence, JoAnna encourages audiences to think deeply, ask questions, and challenge themselves. They walk away reflecting about the experience and eager to continue the conversation — and ready to take action long after her words have faded away.
How Event Organizers and Participants Describe JoAnna’s Presentations...
“Engaging speaker sure to ‘shake some trees’”
“Dynamic and educated”
“Many ‘mic-drop’ moments”
“Articulate and creative”
“Professional in her approach”
“Captivated with her high level of engagement and ability to connect”
“Incredibly knowledgeable”
“Thoughtful, provocative, and hopeful”
“Inspiring”
“Impressed by her passion and commitment”
“Reflective”
“Clear, simple language”
{ When You Want More Than “Just a Speech” }
The stakes are high for travel and sustainability event organizers: With thousands of events every year, yours needs to stand out. You need reliable, memorable, and impactful speakers that draw audiences.
If you’re looking for a warm body to fill a 30-minute public speaking slot, that’s an easy ask.
But if you’re looking for a keynote presentation, plenary session, workshop, or panel conversation that truly captivates audiences and gets people thinking, you are definitely in the right place.
When you book a presentation, you and your audience can expect:
- Customization based on audience needs and skill capacity.
- Transparency about global challenges and problems with a solutions focus.
- Case studies and concrete examples.
- An empowering, hopeful environment.
- Revelations of hidden potential, ideation, and “aha moments.”
- Accessible language and approach.
- Opportunities for reflection and action.
- Encouragement to challenge the status quo.
- Professionalism, clear communication, and reliability throughout the entire process.
JoAnna Haugen speaking on a panel at Podkarpackie Tourism Forum 2023. | Photo credit: Podkarpackie.Travel
Speaking Appearances Include:
Keynote Presentation? Panel Discussion? Podcast?
Check, Check, and Check!
JoAnna Haugen presenting at WITS Travel Creator Summit by Wanderful in Gdansk, Poland. | Photo credit: Piotr Zagiell
JoAnna has given keynote presentations, led numerous guided conversations, participated in panel discussions, and held workshops in professional and academic settings.
She also offers expertise as a guest on podcasts and radio shows, and has worked with live translators.
Keynote presentations:
Gather everyone around! These “main stage” speeches are meant to seed inspiration, invigoration, and ideation.
Plenary or breakout sessions:
Getting beyond the “why” with case studies, proven tips, and suggestions on how to turn big ideas into action beyond the session.
Interactive, hands-on workshops:
Get even deeper into content with guided support for participants on how to apply learnings to their specific situations. These sessions often involve more two-way discussion, facilitated activities, and time for reflection.
Panels or roundtable discussions:
Facilitated conversations with two or more people, all of whom offer a different perspective on a topic. These discussions can be highly structured with questions and prompts provided ahead of time, or more organic with few guiding questions and natural back-and-forth among participants.
Virtual gatherings:
Anything ranging from a keynote speech to a panel discussion but held in an online atmosphere on a platform like Zoom or Demio.
Podcasts:
Audio or video interviews published on platforms like Spotify. Conversations range from Q&As about a general topic, expert opinion into timely news, or insight on a highly specific issue for a niche audience.
The A La Carte Menu of Public Speaking Topics from Rooted
JoAnna Haugen presenting at ABVP Travel Fest 2023. | Photo credit: Marília Maia e Moura
JoAnna is an award-winning public speaker who believes in the collective power of those working within the tourism ecosystem. Her intention when speaking to groups of any size is to inspire and motivate — as well as challenge the status quo and seed a sense of curiosity, agency, and empowerment.
She has spoken about — or is qualified to speak on — the following topics:
The tourism model and approach the industry has been working under is one that has caused harm to the planet, people, and the places travelers visit. Recognizing that people will continue to travel, it’s time for professionals across all sectors of the tourism industry to consider their work from a new approach — and not be afraid to shake things up along the way.
Specific topics include:
> Sustainable and responsible travel (trade or consumer focus)
> Empowering women and marginalized communities
> Tourism challenges and innovative social solutions
> Radical transparency and accountability
> Community tourism, slow tourism, and trail tourism
> Adopting a solutions-focused mindset
> Approaching tourism with a regenerative perspective
> The importance of collaboration
Related past speaking engagements include:
- The “Regenerative Tourism” Mindset Shift (Podkarpackie Tourism Forum)
- The Transformative Power of Community Tourism (GX Peru Community Tourism Forum)
- Women Changing Travel and Tourism: Entrepreneurs, Social Impact, and Local Communities (International Women in Travel & Tourism Forum)
- Regeneration and the Powerful Tourism Trifecta (X. Festival)
Storytelling is built into nearly every aspect of the tourism ecosystem. It is one of the most powerful tools professionals hold to connect with people and encourage them to engage meaningfully and appropriately with their travel experiences.
Specific topics include:
> The impact of communication
> Tourism myths and the tourism marketing trap
> Ethical communications and marketing strategies for tourism professionals
> Developing the travel-related brand story
> Resolving pain points with communication
> Key features of an impactful story
Related past speaking engagements include:
- The Greatest Story Never Told (Scotland Adventure Tourism Week)
- Why Storytelling Matters in Tourism (London Travel Week - WTM)
- Breakthrough Brand Storytelling (Washington State University Edward R. Murrow Symposium)
Harmful tourism practices have been supported by harmful marketing and communications practices. Understanding how and why these practices have been put into place is vital for crafting travel-related stories that are more accessible, appropriate, honest, and empowering in the future.
Specific topics include:
> Decolonizing tourism storytelling practices
> Understanding the dominant narrative
> Sharing stories about people and places
> Asset and deficiency framing
Related past speaking engagements include:
- Decolonization and Rewriting Tourism’s Narrative (Purposeful Travel Summit)
- Responsible Marketing & Communications (IMPACT 2023)
- Rethinking Destination Marketing: Leveraging the Power of Community-Centered Storytelling (CREST World Tourism Day Forum)
Travel media, content creators, writers, and influencers are an essential sector of the tourism industry, but their importance has not been fully appreciated by the wider industry. Developing the right relationships with travel content creators of all sorts helps bridge the gap between a travel company’s or destination’s stories and potential travelers.
Specific topics include:
> Connecting with content creators
> Pitching travel media
> How to work with media in the "new era" of tourism
Related past speaking engagements include:
- Media’s Role in Driving Sustainable Travel (BRIDGES by Rare India)
- The Perfect Pitch: How to Make Your Press Release Stand Out (Rural Roundup)
- An Insider’s Look at a Writer’s Life for PR Professionals (Kirvin Doak Communications Lunch Panel)
Sustainable tourism and regenerative tourism are all the rage today, and conscious consumers expect brands to care about more than just making money.. Tour operators, destinations, and other travel-related companies must find ways to communicate their sustainability initiatives and CSR commitments, but it’s not always easy.
Specific topics include:
> Strategies for sharing the sustainability story
> Communicating about the climate crisis
> Using challenges as storytelling tools
> Understanding the connection between storytelling and sustainability
Related past speaking engagements include:
- Beyond Greenwashing (Regenerative Tourism By Design Summit)
- Communicating Regenerative Tourism in Your Marketing Strategy Campaigns (Tourism CoLab)
- Climate Stories: From Storytelling to Action (Flight Free UK Panel)
Calling all travel media, travel writers, travel influencers, and travel content creators: Your work matters — especially in the “new era” of tourism. As powerful influences over travel decisions, extra effort is needed to create content that appropriately shapes expectations, avoids romanticizing and commodifying cultures, and is transparent and accurate.
Specific topics include:
> Mindfulness as a global citizen
> The writing and publishing process
> Ethical considerations
> Responsible strategies for approaching travel writing and travel content creation work
Related past speaking engagements include:
- Once Upon a Travel Story: Are You the Problem or the Solution? (ABVP Travel Fest)
- The Three Pillars of Responsible Travel Writing (American Society of Journalists and Authors Annual Conference)
- Content Creators’ Guide to Building Back Better (She’s Wanderful)
- Honesty is the Best Policy: How Travel Creators & Companies Can Embrace Radical Transparency (WITS Conference)
Once travelers have their feet on the ground, they are fully prepared to engage in a travel experience. This is the time when industry professionals can help people move from being passive travelers to active global citizens — if they understand how to do this.
Specific topics include:
> Shaping trips into narratives
> Traveler engagement and action
> Using challenges as story starters
Language and imagery matter. The messaging used to convey meaning in travel-related work carries weight and connotation. When chosen with care, the way we shape and deliver travel-related stories and content can be empowering, bring dynamic places and experiences to life, and encourage people to take mindful action.
Specific topics include:
> Navigating content choices
> Responsible content creation and story sharing
> Perspective and point of view
> Understanding how identity and privilege impact communication choices
All presentations and topics can be customized depending
on your specific event and audience needs.
Kudos and Testimonials
Podcast Appearances Focused on
° Responsible Tourism ° Sustainability ° Strategic Storytelling °
In today’s busy world, people appreciate listening and learning at their leisure. Enter the podcast – perfect for on-the-go inspiration and education.
Whether they’re walking the dog or out for a run, your podcast listeners will be captivated by what JoAnna has to say about responsible travel, sustainability issues, tourism-focused marketing and PR, and innovation and creativity.
With vivid details from her own travels and work experience, JoAnna invites listeners in with a balanced mix of personal warmth and professional insight.
When you invite JoAnna as a guest on your podcast, you can expect:
- The ability to work within strict show formats or via organic conversation.
- A wealth of life experiences as a curious storyteller, intrepid world traveler, and serial expatriate that add depth to any conversation.
- Professional-grade audio and video recording equipment.
- Examples, actionable tips, and resource suggestions for listeners.
Elevate your tourism event with the Rooted expertise.
Captivate your audience, encourage critical thinking, and catalyze action around sustainability, storytelling, and a radically new vision of tourism.
Now more than ever, people are eager to become more informed professionals and better global citizens. To make your event or podcast stand out, you need someone who masterfully weaves information, inspiration, and ideation into speaking engagements. We deliver that magic formula at Rooted.
Whether you’re organizing a massive global tourism industry conference, facilitating a highly focused in-house retreat, putting together a panel for a virtual event, or looking for your next podcast guest, let’s have a conversation about working together. We would love to offer our expertise for the experience your audience seeks.
