HSMAI Announces Online Hospitality Business Acumen Certification
Four-week Program Offers a Fast Track to Hospitality Business Expertise
MCLEAN, VA - April 26, 2011 - The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), the travel and hospitality industry's leading professional association, expands its HSMAI University offerings to include an online Certification in Hospitality Business Acumen (CHBA) program. Three, four-week online sessions scheduled this year will provide managers within the hospitality industry a big picture understanding of their businesses and the industry as a whole.
“Business acumen is the protocol and language that professionals need to utilize to meet the overall goal of increasing the business' value,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “Professionals with CHBA training possess a greater ability to create opportunities for themselves as well as their employers by helping to grow revenues and their businesses.” The course leverages the best in new generation learning using a flexi-time blend of internet, web-class, and state-of-art lodging simulation.
Since its initial launch in 2006, the CHBA course content has met criteria for over 4,000 professionals at events in 40 countries. The new HSMAI program, taking place online in May, August and October, requires applicants to commit to a minimum of four hours per week with an examination during the fifth week. The material, which includes eLearning, simulation, and web conferencing, is self-paced so it can fit conveniently into the attendee's schedule. The curriculum was developed by REDGLOBAL, a highly regarded international training group with a private label portfolio of large and independent hotel brands.
Professionals who might be interested in enrolling in the program include positions across a range of hospitality careers, such as Managing Director, Asset Manager, General Manager, Vice President or Director of Sales, Director of Marketing, Department Head, Sales Manager, Convention Services Manager, Account Executive, Director of Revenue Management or Revenue Manager.
“Managers today tend to focus on their own departments and job functions and don't easily make the link between their actions and the company's success; these courses will help managers see a bird's eye view of the business, which will allow them to make more informed business decisions, and really drive sales and optimize revenue. We are very excited about taking REDGlobal's well established and successful training program online in a very interactive new format for the industry. It fits today's busy executives,” said Fran Brasseux, Executive Vice President, HSMAI.
For additional information or to register, please visit the HSMAI website. The CHBA program costs $695 for HSMAI members and $795 for non-members. In order to receive a discount for multiple registrants from the same company, please contact Kathy Tindell at ktindell@hsmai.org.




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