2026 People’s Coast Summit

By Arica Sears, Deputy Director, OCVA Follow Chinook’s Seafood Grill Lincoln City, OR Tuesday, October 13-Wednesday, October 14 • 8:30 AM-1:30 PM Overview Our annual end-of-season tourism industry gathering features delicious food, great company, helpful workshops, and inspiring talks. Read more Good to know. Highlights • 1 day 5 hours • In person • Refund Policy Refunds up to 7 days before event Highlights • 1 day 5 hours • In person • Refund Policy Refunds up to 7 days before event Location. Chinook’s Seafood Grill. 1501 Northwest 40th Place Lincoln City, OR 97367 How do you want to get there?. • Driving • Public transport • Biking • Walking Show map Agenda. 08:30 AM – 10:15 AM Oct. 13 Breakfast + Morning Keynote . Chanel Hason, Elahka Alliance, Robert Kentta, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Registration opens and breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. Our morning keynote, “Honoring the Past, Restoring the Future: The Siletz Tribe and the Return of the Elakha,” begins at 9 a.m. Join Robert Kentta of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians for a conversation about the history, people, and lands of western Oregon and the enduring relationship between Indigenous communities and the natural world. Chanel Hason, Director of Outreach & Community Relations for the Elakha Alliance, will then connect this history to efforts to restore sea otters to the Oregon coast. Once abundant and culturally significant to coastal Tribes, sea otters were driven to local extinction by the maritime fur trade. Their return could help restore nearshore ecosystems while creating new eco-tourism opportunities that connect visitors with this culturally and ecologically significant species and support coastal communities and businesses. 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Session 1 Workshop Breakouts . 12:20 PM – 01:30 PM Networking + Lunch Keynote . Steve Halasz, Blue Room Research Join Steve Halasz from Blue Room Research for a high-level look at the current state of the tourism industry, from macro trends shaping travel and consumer behavior to year-to-date performance across the Oregon Coast