77th CHART Hospitality Training Conference

Promises High-impact, Actionable Training for Turbulent Economic Times

. October 31, 2008

OCTOBER 29, 2008. Despite the turbulent economy, or rather because of it, members and guests of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART) will gather in Portland, Oregon, March 7-10, 2009 to share and learn effective training and development practices that can quickly improve operational performance and increase support for training programs. This 77th semi-annual CHART conference will be held at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower. The full agenda can be viewed at www.chart.org/conference.php.

This is the premier event where hotel trainers, restaurant trainers and human resource professionals gather to learn from inspiring keynote speakers, participate in interactive educational break-out sessions, network together, and share best practices. Each conference and one pre-conference day is specifically designed to include relevant and timely industry workforce learning topics, such as recruitment, retention, employment branding, return on investment, e-learning, coaching, digital training media, transfer of training, engaging facilitation, and customer service/loyalty.

'The Portland conference again offers attendees access to top-notch speakers and ideas that are shaping the future of the competitive hospitality industry,' commented John Isbell, CHART president and director of operations services and training for IHOP Restaurants. He continues, 'In difficult economic times, the role of training is even more critical. We have again planned a winning line-up of sessions with important practical advice that can be put into action immediately.'

Pre-conference Workshops - Saturday, March 7

These free, four-hour Certificate Workshops are based on the Blueprint for Trainer Development: A Customized Competency Model for the Hospitality Industry. This landmark study by CHART and Batrus Hollweg International identified the competencies necessary for success across four roles in hospitality training:

o Executive/Leader - Dr. Mike Hampton, Ed.D., Dean, College of Hospitality Management, Lynn University, 'Strategic Planning, Executive/Leader Role'

o Trainer/Manager - Kim Rivera Beattie, Owner and President, Catapult People Solutions, LLC, 'Coaching and Development, Manager Role'

o Instructional Designer - Monique Donahue, CHT, Vice President, Research & Development, American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute, 'Process Improvement, Instructional Designer Role'

In addition, first time attendees will have the chance to be part of an orientation to get them connected and show how they can make the most of their experience at the conference.

Keynote Speakers:

Sunday, March 8

---| Tim Kirkland, Founder, Renegade Hospitality Group

'Renegade Server'

Tim Kirkland, author of the best-selling book Renegade Server, will focus on ways to engage a firm's frontline teams and enlist them in the crucial tasks of growing sales, developing loyal customers and creating genuine, personal and repeatable connections and experiences for guests. Attendees will walk away with usable tactics to intensify team member engagement and buy-in, improve service, and keep guests coming back again and again.

Monday, March 9

---| Jim Knight, Senior Director of Training and Development, Hard Rock International

'Employee Branding that Rocks'

Back by popular demand, and on the main stage, Jim Knight will share the concept of an employee's 'Life Cycle,' which involves everything from proper selection, orientation, training, development, coaching, and internal promotion. Jim is a dynamic speaker who will energize and inspire.

Tuesday, March 10

---| Dick Finnegan, Esq., President, Finnegan Mackenzie, The Retention Firm

'Retention '

Dick Finnegan, recognized by executives across people management professions as a leading thinker and advisor on employee retention, will bring original, research-based solutions to a vexing and pervasive problem that robs organizations of their most valuable assets...their best workers. This retention guru will look at this critical issue through the lens of the Retention GPS model, featured in his recent book, Rethinking Retention.

Breakout Sessions:

Throughout the three day conference, CHART will offer breakouts which will provide intimate working sessions with practical, useable takeaways. Topics are again based on the Blueprint for Trainer Development: A Customized Competency Model for the Hospitality Industry.

Manager Track

---| Alie Gaffan, Director of Training and Development, Pacifica Hotel Company

'Coaching for Success'

Instructional Designer Track

---| Jeff Tenut, E-Learning Instructional Design, DiscoverLink

'E-Learning in the Right Place, at the Right Time, at the Right Price'

---| Todd Horchner, President, Legacy Solutions

'Digital Photography, Print Material and Video Training Made Simple'

Trainer Track

---| Calvin J. Banks, CHT, Sr. Training Manager, Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, Gaylord Entertainment Company

'The Invisible Learning Leader: Creating Engaging Facilitation'

---| Terrence Donahue, Vice President of Instructor Quality, NRA Solutions

'The Case for the Teflon(R) Trainee: Overcoming Obstacles to Make Training Stick'

Executive/Leader Track

---| Cheryl Tyler, Human Resource and Training Consultant, Tyler Training and Development Solutions

'Leading Change: Reducing Resistance and Increasing Buy In'

---| Jeffery Elsworth, Associate Professor of Hospitality Business Entrepreneurship, The School of Hospitality Business, Michigan State University

'Getting Your Associates to 'Think like an Owner''

Special Conference Sessions:

---| James Carter, RePario Ltd.

'Building a Dream Organization through Experiential Learning'

This unique session is part learning, part community service (participants will build bicycles for a Portland charity), part teambuilding, and all directly applicable to one's company and achieving better performance.

---| John Isbell, Director of Operations Services and Training, IHOP Restaurants, CHART President

'State of Training and Development in the Hospitality Industry'

CHART, in partnership with Maritz Research, will be presenting the results of the State of Training and Development in the Hospitality Industry study. For the first time, learning professionals and business leaders will be able to benchmark their training and development practices against substantial data in the areas of learning investments, learning hours per employee type, delivery methods, instructional design, content areas, and internal versus external resources. John will share a summary of this groundbreaking report.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to visit one-on-one with top training resource vendors during the Resource Gallery trade show, where only CHART member-recommended solutions suppliers exhibit.

To download the CHART Portland Conference brochure or to view the full agenda with descriptions as well as register visit http://www.chart.org/conference.php.

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