San Francisco HEDNA Members Meet for Local Learning Session
September 6, 2005, Falls Church, Va. - The Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA) joined together over fifty electronic distribution professionals in the San Francisco area on August 11 to discuss a variety of current trends and emerging industry technology topics. This Local Learning Session was the most recent meeting designed to provide networking and educational opportunities to HEDNA members in cities worldwide. Other cities that have hosted HEDNA Local Learning Sessions include Chicago, Toronto, and New York City - upcoming fall sessions are scheduled for London, Dallas, and Washington, D.C.
Participants at the San Francisco meeting comprised a spectrum of functions on the distribution chain: suppliers from both the corporate and property levels, Internet and agency distributors, GDS, technology providers, and sales & marketing professionals. Jenny Thomassian, Global Account Manager at Travelocity commented, "It was just like a smaller version of a HEDNA Conference - highly interactive, packed with useful content, and busy with networking. The best part was that the meeting was held in my own city and was conveniently scheduled into my working day."
Presentations included a GDS tutorial with screen-shot descriptions (by Sabre Travel Network), the rise of TravelSearch (by SideStep), supplier strategies for using Opaque Sites (by Hotwire), and the latest in IDS Trends (by Travelocity). As with all other Local Learning Sessions, the attendees were provided with current local and industry-wide statistics, courtesy of Smith Travel Research and TravelCLICK. Each presentation is now posted on www.HEDNA.org, available for download for all HEDNA members.
About HEDNA
The Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA) is a not-for-profit trade association whose worldwide membership includes executives and managers from over 200 of the most influential companies in the hotel distribution industry. Founded in 1991, all of HEDNA's activities are intended to stimulate the booking of hotel rooms through the use of GDS, the Internet and other electronic means. HEDNA brings all segments of the hotel industry together to evolve systems and services into electronic distribution that is easy and efficient. Additional information on HEDNA is available by calling +1 703 970-2070 or by visiting www.hedna.org.
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