“Has the Internet Reached Puberty? Foresights for 2004 and Beyond” is the theme of the Fifth Annual E-Tourism Summit, which will take place Sept. 28-29 at the Westgate Hotel in San Diego, Calif.

Sponsored by North American Journeys (NAJ), operator of the tour operate website, TheTourOperator.Com, and publisher of the travel industry trade newsletters, Inbound and Travel America, the E-Tourism Summit annually brings together experts in online and wireless sales and marketing to share their insights with DMOs, travel suppliers and travel trade journalists.

“This year’s theme acknowledges that, after a little more than a decade of experience with e-commerce, the travel industry has shaken off some of the growing pains associated with childhood and is looking at tools and techniques that reflect the first steps toward adulthood,” explained Jake Steinman, NAJ’s president, publisher and editor-in-chief. “Speakers, presenters and panelists this year will explain where we are now and explore where we can expect to go in the near and long-term future.”

Dr. Noah Elkin, senior analyst, E-Marketer Inc., will lead off the summit with an overview of the latest Internet and travel industry trends.

Speakers, Presentations Listed

Other presentations include: “The Topsy-Turvy World of the Domestic Airline Industry,” “E-Mail Marketing in the Future,” “Using E-Bay to Auction Vacation Packages,” “How ‘Best Rate’ Guarantee Policies Will Affects Hotels’ Relationships with Online Agencies in the Future,” “Found Money – How Suppliers and Destinations Can Profit from Affiliate Relationships,” “A Futuristic Look at the Latest and Coolest in future Technology that Can Be Used for Tourism Marketing in the Future,” “Combining Search Engine Marketing with Pay-Per-Call Services to Create the Best of Both Worlds,” “What’s Ahead in Packaging,” “The Future of Wireless Test Messaging and Its Application for the Travel Industry,” “Taking Guerilla Marketing to the Next Level,” “New Frontiers in Search Engine Services – Personalized Searches,” “The Internet Travel Industry from an International Perspective,” “The Future of ROI Measurement – The Next Generation of Customer Relationship Management (CRM),” and “The Market Makers,” featuring a panel from key online travel agencies.

Speakers and presenters also include:

Jim Foster, president and CEO, Group Travel Systems; Loren MacDonald, vice president, marketing, Emaillabs.com; Janine Popick, CEO, Vertical Response*; Diane DeRose, vice president, marketing, San Francisco CVB; Steve Morris, president and CEO, Seattle CVB; Elizabeth Volkman, Minneapolis CVB; Jeffrey DeKorte, travel director, AOL; Chris Soder, executive vice president, lodging and vacation products, Priceline*; Cheryl Rosner, CEO, Hotels.com*; Gene Harden, Expedia*; Tom Botts, vice president, revenue management, Starwood Hotels and Resorts; Bobby Bowers, Smith Travel Research*; Tom Callahan, PKF Consulting*; Louise Garner, revenue management director, Argent Hotel, San Francisco*; Chip Conners, president, Joie De Vivre Hospitality*; Tom Ogg, partner, co-author, How to Start a Home Based Travel Agency*; David West, senior research fellow, National Laboratory of Tourism and E-Commerce, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.; Hillary Bressler, CEO, .Com Marketing; Heath Kane, director, Pegasus Solutions; Cher Carr, director of business development, Accovia; Lance Podell, general manager, Kanoodle; Jennifer O’Neal, director of marketing, Subhub.com; Dan Ballister, Findwhat.com; Scott Howe, general manager, DrivePM; Jim Brady, Earthcomber.com*; Ed Dilworth, president, Kadium; Jake Steinman, president, publisher and editor-in-chief, North American Journeys; and Jennifer Barbee, director of client services, USDM.NET. * - Invited

Rotating Roundtable Discussion with Experts

Back again will be a special feature of the E-Tourism Summit, the “Ask the Experts Rotating Roundtable,” on the morning of Sept. 29, in which a dozen leading industry experts will rotate from table to table with summit delegates answering questions and sharing ideas in a one-on-one format.