One of the hottest topics facing our industry today will be discussed and debated when the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) holds the first HSMAI Hotel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference in Miami…
One of the hottest topics facing our industry today will be discussed and debated when the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) holds the first HSMAI Hotel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference in Miami at the Hotel InterContinental on Dec. 12, 2003 from 8am to 2pm – the day following the HEDNA fall conference.
Designed as a highly interactive, intensive and strategic session, it will address the most pressing issues and opportunities, as well as trends and recommendations, as they relate to hotel Internet marketing.
The conference opens with a keynote address and state of the industry update, followed by sessions on two key issues: Keyword Bidding and Pop up and Pop Under Marketing.
Each topic will kick-off with an expert speaker presenting the consumer’s view on the issue. Then a panel will delve further, discussing issues, trends, solutions, and legal rights associated with brands and hotels maintaining control of the use of their name. Both panels will consist of representatives from two leading search engines, two hotel brands and two intermediaries, and will be moderated by Dr. William Carroll from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.
Additionally, there will be a Supplier Showcase as well as a networking lunch.
“Internet marketing has a tremendous impact on the overall marketing and sales process, and now is the time to pay close and careful attention to its progression and be proactive in the way we influence its development,” says Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI.
“The formation of the HSMAI Hotel Internet Marketing Committee and the upcoming Strategy Conference, which has the participation and expertise of the hospitality industry’s major players, are huge steps in that direction and will ensure we forge forward with the appropriate strategies and solutions,” he adds.
Jens Thraenhart, director of Internet strategy, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, as well as chair and initiator of the HSMAI Hotel Internet Marketing Committee explains: “We have seen a need to bring together Internet marketing executives in the hospitality industry to increase awareness of issues, opportunities and trends as it relates to Internet marketing and distribution in the hospitality industry, as well as develop and recommend standards and ethical guidelines for the Internet as a hospitality marketing medium.”
Earlier in the year, Internet marketing specialists from leading hotel companies united under the auspices of HSMAI to form a committee dedicated to the most pressing and topical issues facing the industry as it relates to Internet marketing. Prior to the upcoming Strategy Conference, the committee held monthly phone forums to debate and address pertinent issues.
The committee’s Advisory Board members are Jens Thraenhart, director of Internet strategy, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts; Michael Davis, director of interactive strategy & development, Ian Schrager Hotels; Michael B. Wylie, vice president eCommerce, Wyndham International; Michael Hayward, director, marketing planning and automation, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; Mark Koehler, vice president of interactive marketing, Starwood Hotels & Resorts; James Zito, manager, interactive marketing & development, Affinia Hospitality (formerly Manhattan East Suite Hotels); Gino Giovannelli, senior director, e-Business strategy, Carlson Hospitality Worldwide; and Bill Carroll, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor, School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
