Fall doesn’t just mean beautiful foliage – with the TBEX Summit 2026 in Fargo, North Dakota, it also now means meaningful conversations, actionable insight, quality networking opportunities, and ample opportunities to explore North Dakota’s most populous city.
Many people recognize Fargo thanks to the hit 1996 film or the hit FX series, but those who choose to venture there and explore what it’s really all about find a city ripe for exploration and content creation. Fargo itself loves to talk about how it’s home to the “completely unexpected,” and so it makes sense that they call Fargo home to all things “North of Normal.”
One thing that’s not unexpected? A lineup of speakers who are ready to bring their A game to the conference to empower attendees to take their game to the next level. Let’s see who is on the docket for the first round!
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A 1995 Auburn University graduate, Melea Hames has been a social media manager in the tourism industry since 2010 at Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. At AMLA, Melea is responsible for creating content on Visit North Alabama’s social media platforms, writing blog posts on the website, coordinating the North Alabama Ambassador Program, and speaking at various events and meetings about social media. Melea is also the host of Unexpected Adventures in North Alabama, AMLA’s new podcast, produced by Relic Agency. The podcast won a 2022 Muse Award – Silver in the Audio/Podcast category. Melea was honored in October 2023 with the Tourism Promoter of the Year Award from the Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Association for her work on the podcast.
Prior to working for AMLA, Melea received her Masters at UNA in Secondary Education and taught middle school English and coached middle school cheerleaders for three years. She also taught English at Calhoun Community College for 8 1/2 half years. Before that she worked in public relations for an advertising agency in Atlanta, a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia, and for Auburn University in the development office. In 2020, Melea created her very own social media marketing agency called M and M Social. She loves to write, travel, walk in the park (she walked over 600 miles in 2020), go to Auburn games, and read.
Melea will be focusing on how to turn itineraries into podcast episodes, and the power of podcasting when it comes to creator campaigns.
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Terry Abromitis is the travel content creator behind Traveling Terry, a solo female travel brand built for women over 40. A former elementary school teacher of 13 years, she left the classroom in 2020 to go full time with her education business. In 2021 she started making travel content, and has since turned Traveling Terry into a full-time business.
She has spent the last few years figuring out a content style that makes a destination partnership feel like one complete story instead of a stack of separate deliverables. She has built partnerships this way with tourism boards across the country, including Visit Wichita, Destination Québec Cité, and Visit Fargo-Moorhead.
Terry will focus in on the “Story Arc Method,” and showcase why every deliverable should have a job, not just a deadline.
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Paul Gowder is the founder PowWows.com. He currently wears many hats as a business coach, photographer, and collector of quirky shirts. Paul started PowWows.com in 1996 while pursuing his graduate degree. With a passion for travel, he and his family have traveled the world, capturing unforgettable memories and photos. When he’s not coaching or clicking, he’s indulging in the magic of Disney.
Paul Gowder lives in South Carolina, where he worked as an Information Technology Project Manager for the State of South Carolina. After 25+ years in state government, Paul retired to work on PowWows.com full-time. Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Public Administration. He has been an active member of the pow wow community since the early 90s, as a dancer, organizer, committee member, and judge. Gowder is a descendant of Native American relatives on his father’s side.
Paul will focus on how to stop building on “rented land,” and turn social followers into a real community.
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Andrew Wilder is the founder and CEO of NerdPress, a Certified B Corporation that provides human-centered WordPress support, optimization, and maintenance for independent publishers and small businesses.
He’s been building (and occasionally breaking—and then fixing!) websites since 1998 and is known for making technical topics easy to understand—without jargon or ego. Andrew’s been a featured speaker at conferences like Tastemaker, MV Con, TBEX, and WordCamp and is a regular contributor to the popular “SEO for Bloggers” webinar.
A magna cum laude graduate from Northwestern University’s Theater program, Andrew now leverages the experience gained in his previous career as a lighting designer to bring a unique emphasis on collaboration to NerdPress. He lives in Santa Monica, CA with his husband, Matty, and their rescue dog, Harry, and volunteers his time with civic and service organizations in their community.
Andrew will clearly demonstrate how to get your travel blog ready for the age of AI Search.
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Jeremy Joyce is a Chicago-based creator and cultural storyteller who began his journey with Black People Eats, a platform dedicated to uniting people through food, travel, and culture while uplifting underserved restaurants and communities. What started as a mission to spotlight hidden culinary gems has evolved into something even greater.
Jeremy will dive into how to evolve your brand, without losing your identity in the process.
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Andy Austin is an adventure photographer, storyteller, and author who has spent the past decade documenting wild places and the people who explore them. He has built an audience of more than 300,000 followers across social media while working with tourism boards and destinations around the world. His work focuses on authentic outdoor storytelling, public lands, and conservation.
Andy will talk about how print, personality, and community can help creators thrive in the age of AI.
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Emily Krause is a mom of 4 and the travel content creator behind A Mom Explores and the Travel with Kids Podcast. Her goal is to make travel easier and more attainable for the average parent by providing destination ideas, travel itineraries, and packing tips for families.
Emily will focus in on how to build out a travel creator content ecosystem, and how to publish both short and longform content without Burnout.
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If you would like to hear these and more incredible speakers to come, you can register for the TBEX Summit 2026 in Fargo, North Dakota, and grow leaps and bounds right alongside your peers!
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