STATE COLLEGE — The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB) and the Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance (HVSEA) are set to announce an exciting new marketing partnership that will further position Centre County as a premier gravel riding destination while elevating the local outdoor recreation and cycling ecosystem.

The announcement will be made at the HVAB’s annual Marketing Summit, to be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25 at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center.

Originally created to help Tourism Grant applicants develop marketing plans that are better aligned with local visitation metrics and trends, the event has evolved into an engaging morning of marketing strategy from industry experts and tourism leaders, peer-to-peer insights and helpful data from the HVAB’s various research partners — all designed to help hospitality businesses, event organizers and museum and attraction operators elevate their marketing and their offerings.

This year’s Keynote speaker is Joe Veneto, chief experience officer for the Veneto Collaboratory, a management consulting and training company in Greater Boston. Veneto collaborates with destination marketing organizations, hospitality companies, travel attractions and service-related companies to create results that generate economic development, drive customer engagement and loyalty.

The summit will conclude with the reveal of the new marketing partnership, an agreement that will bring national attention to the region’s incredible outdoor recreation assets.

Following a brief presentation on current visitation demographics, the HVAB will moderate a panel discussion with event organizers and hospitality business owners who frequently use HVAB data to make marketing and operating decisions. The panelists are:

— Liz Grove, proprietor, Flour & Stone and Pine Grove Hall

— Pam Etters, executive director, Central PA Festival of the Arts

— Tom Range, co-founder, Happy Valley Comic Book & Collectibles Convention

— Phil Breidenbaugh, Bellefonte Victorian Christmas

In addition, the HVAB will reveal elements of its 2026 spring and summer destination marketing campaign.