HSMAI University Presents 2009 Winter Webinar Series

Schedule Highlights Include Revenue Management Strategies for Challenging Economy

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. February 03, 2009

FEBRUARY 3, 2009 - Maintaining and keeping revenue up in this challenging market is a top priority for hospitality sales and marketing professionals. The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and HSMAI University will address this topic, along with forecasting tips, consumer insights and internet marketing in the 2009 winter webinar series.

'We tailor our webinar series to concentrate on topics relevant to our industry,' said Fran Brasseux, Executive Vice President, HSMAI. 'Our participants seek skills and advice from industry leaders to apply to their own business practices.'

Each webinar incorporates a 60-minute presentation conducted live via the internet with audio conference linkage. The 2009 winter agenda includes:

o Forecasting in a Windstorm

February 03, 2009 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST

Panelists: Jan Freitag, VP, International Operations, Smith Travel Research, Mark Woodworth, Exec. VP, PKF Consulting Inc. - Take a look ahead at 2009 and investigate where the industry is and where it is going. Is it going to be as difficult as you think? What will you need to do to stay ahead? How will you invest your marketing dollars?

o Driving Business Revenue Through Successful Public Relations

February 10, 2009 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Panelists: Florence Quinn, President & CEO, Quinn & Company, Laura Davidson, President & CEO, Laura Davidson Public Relations, Rene Mack, President, Travel Marketing, Weber Shandwick, Peggy Bendel, Senior VP, DCI - This webinar features the winners of the HSMAI Lifetime Achievement Award, the Winthrop W. Grice Award in Public Relations, and offers practical advice on how to craft your public relations strategy in this challenging market.

o Evolving Travel Intentions

February 17, 2009 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST

Speaker: Peter Yesawich, Ph.D., President & CEO, Y Partnership

This webinar will provide the most current and relevant insights on consumers' evolving travel intentions. It will also offer observations on the promotional incentives most likely to stimulate demand from consumers who are considering an overnight trip during the next 6 months and discuss implications for future marketing practice.

o Two-Part Internet Marketing Series

February 26, 2009 and March 03, 2009 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Speaker: Kimberly Ehrlich, Director of Business Development, Milestone Internet Marketing

-- Session 1- Organic Search Engine Optimization, Feb. 26, 2009

Using the latest Internet Marketing tools and tricks, this webinar will provide specific items that will drive more traffic to your website and ultimately to confirmed reservations. With real life case studies, this workshop will cover everything you need to know to be highly competitive in your market.

--Session 2- Social Media/Networking and Web 2.0, March 3, 2009

By discussing universal search as a major driver of these channels, this webinar will show what hotels need to do in order to get ahead. This session will break down into 7 categories that all contain strong action items.

o The View from The Top: Trends in Sales Strategies in a Buyer's Market

March 5, 2009 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST

Panelists: Bob Gilbert, President & CEO of HSMAI, Cindy Novotny, Managing Partner, Master Connection Associates, George Brennan, Executive VP, Sales & Marketing, Interstate Hotels & Resorts - This session will feature perspectives of senior sales specialists and will explore what they and their teams are encountering with customers today and what they are doing to respond to the market conditions.

o Driving Ancillary Revenue with The Experts

March 10, 2009 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST

Panelists: Kim Schaller, VP & Chief Marketing Officer, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, Randy Garfield, President, Walt Disney Travel Company, Inc., and EVP, Worldwide Sales & Travel Operations for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts - A decline in 2009 is forecast in both hotel room rates and occupancy. What new ideas or best practices can you find to help drive ancillary revenues to improve your own business top and bottom lines?

o Two-Part Revenue Management Series

March 19, 2009 and March 26, 2009 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST

Speaker/Moderator: Bill Carroll, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University

--Session 1 - Revenue Management in This Environment, March 19, 2009

How do we think about Revenue Management in this environment? Should we plan for potential recovery in the fall, and rebounding in 2010? You haven't seen a time like this before...so all the forecasting you've done in the past is out the window!

--Session 2 - Total Hotel RM, March 26, 2009

A panel of revenue management professionals, including Greg Moon, Director of Revenue Management, Wilshire Grand Los Angeles, Angie Belknap, Director of Revenue Management, Aramark Parks & Destinations, and Jennifer Jodoin, Director of Revenue Management, The Breakers, will discuss tracking and impacting ancillary revenue streams by market segment and tracking and collecting group cancellation and attrition

For general inquiries regarding registration and program development ideas, please contact Kathleen Tindell, CHSC, Program Manager, HSMAI/HSMAI University, at [email protected] or 703-506-2010.

Launched in 1996, HSMAI University is the organization's most comprehensive and ambitious initiative in the realm of education for sales and marketers of hospitality and travel to-date, entailing a wide-ranging schedule of course offerings and learning experiences in public venue, private label and online formats.