LAWRENCE, KS – eXplore Lawrence hosted its 2026 Annual Tourism Summit on Friday, September 11, 2026.
Titled Behind the Scenes, the Summit hosted nearly 70 members of Lawrence's hospitality and service sectors, along with art, civic, and business leaders at Maceli's. The day was a recap of our World Cup summer and early numbers of its impact on Lawrence.
Kim Anspach, Executive Director of Explore Lawrence, emceed the afternoon. She opened the Summit with a recap of World Cup preparations and the ensuing media storm Lawrence experienced. In summary, Lawrence achieved almost 12,000 media mentions and 28.5 billion impressions across global outlets, Anspach announced.
Three panels comprised the program:
Behind the Pitch: Stories from Hosting Team Algeria
- Moderator: Ruth DeWitt, Director of Community Relations at eXplore Lawrence
- Jason Booker, Deputy Athletics Director, Chief Revenue Officer, KU Athletics
- Lt. David Ernst, Lawrence Police Department
- Heather Shull, General Manager, DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton
Behind the Lens: Favorite Images from the Summer
- Moderator: Marlo Angell, Lawrence Arts Center
- Fally Afani, On the Town Photo
- Taylor Mah, City of Lawrence
- Seth Sanchez, Drone Lawrence
Behind the Desk: A Conversation with Majex Al-Ghafry, City Manager
- Moderator: Cori Wallace, Director of Communications, City of Lawrence
- Majed Al-Ghafry, City Manager, City of Lawrence
Anspach then led the third annual awards. The winners of the 2026 eXplore Lawrence Hospitality Awards are the following:
- Red Lyon Tavern, Hospitality Partner of the Year
- The Entire DoubleTree Staff, Hotel Employees of the Year
- Buskerfest, Inc and The Granada shared Events of the Year for the Score Lawrence Watch Parties
- Tommee Sherwood and Patty Martella and Sajedah Andalsi received Tourism Champions of the Year Awards
- Ruth DeWitt received a 2026 Special Recognition for Community Impact Award
Award winners pictured above: First row - Partner of the Year, Red Lyon Tavern: Ted and Sue Neverve. Hotel Employees of the Year, the Staff of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel: Kim Anspach, Heather Shull, Rhiannon Isenberg, Serena Rhoades, Ruth DeWitt. Second row - Event of the Year, The Granada Score Lawrence Watch Parties: Kim Anspach, Emily Taylor, Ruth DeWitt. Tourism Champion of the Year, Sajedah Andalsi. Community Impact Award: Kim Anspach, Ruth DeWitt. Third row - Tourism Champions of the Year, Tommee Sherwood and Patty Martella. Event of the Year, Buskerfest Score Lawrence Watch Parties: Richard Renner.
###
About eXplore Lawrence
eXplore Lawrence represents travel and tourism in Lawrence and Douglas County. We are dedicated to creating economic development by attracting visitors, events, and conventions to our city.