SUMMER 2008 SCHEDULE

Dear Chapter Leader:

HSMAI University is proud to announce its summer programs for 2008, including a full schedule of webinars and public venue executive trainings. 

As you know, webinars are viewed on your computer.  Sessions are 60 minutes in length and usually take place from 2:00 – 3:00 Eastern time on the scheduled dates.  The cost per computer log-on is $99 per session for HSMAI members and $159 for non-members, with discounts for registering for an entire series.  You can register for one or for an entire series, and if you are unable to attend one session live, you’ll receive a link to watch a recording of it at your convenience any time in the next 30 days.
 
Many chapters register and offer the HSMAI University programs to their local members or community.  Simply set up a meeting room, an LCD, high-speed Internet access, and a screen, and pay for only one registration.  It's a great opportunity to arrange group discussions, luncheons, and networking. 

 

Summer 2008 Webinars:  Register at www.hsmaiuniversity.org

 

New 4-Part Internet Marketing Webinar Series
Gordon Liametz, President, Revenue Performance

Session 1 – How To Manage and Respond To Travel Review Websites – presented July 1, 2008 (recording available for purchase)
A recent study has indicated that consumers were willing to pay at least 20% more for services receiving an "Excellent", or 5-star, rating than for the same service receiving a "Good", or 4-star, rating.
In this informative webinar you will learn how to strategize and implement programs to manage the online review websites.

We will also cover the OTA websites and how your hotel ratings can impact your placement. Additionally, we will take a more in depth look at those OTA websites that allow you to respond to guest comments.

You will also learn about the various options in software that will monitor the review websites for you and we will take a glance at how those work.

Session 2 - Measuring the Success of Your Website Analytics  - July 10, 2008

How do you know if you are successful with the search engines? Analytics are a gold mind of information just waiting to be discovered!  The results of your campaign and effectiveness of your website can all be measures with free analytics software.

Changes to your website must be based on facts and you need to have a clear understanding of your visitor behavior each month.

With this webinar you will learn the basic metrics you should be tracking for your SEO campaigns.  Armed with this information, you can better understand your website visitor and what is and is not working on your website.

  • What reports do you look at?
  • What do you do with the information?
  • What reports are critical to look at each month?

Google Analytics vs. other Analytic software 
 
Search engine marketing is not about driving clicks to your website, it is about making money. You need to take the website data and learn from it because it helps you understand what happens beyond your website.

By the end of this webinar, you will have a basic understanding of what to look at each month with your website analytics and how to use this information to make more money from your website and increase conversions.

Session 3 - What Should My SEO/SEM Company Be Doing for Me?  - July 24, 2008
Are you getting the most out of your SEO/SEM Company?  In this informative webinar you will learn how to maximize the online marketing efforts of your SEO/SEM Company.

  • How much should you pay your SEO/SEM Company?
  • How often should you be speaking with your SEO/SEM Company and what questions should you be asking them?
  • What expectations should you have of them?
  • How do you hold them accountable for your results?
  • Can they  really offer a guarantee to get you first page listing on Google?
  • What should they be doing for you on a monthly basis? 
  • What should they be doing for you with your paid search campaigns? 
  • How do they balance what they are doing for your natural ranking vs. paid rankings?

A good SEO/SEM Company will tell you what is realistic and what's not for your budget and the resources they can deploy to meet your aims.  Price quotes from multiple SEO/SEM Companies can vary from $6,000 to over $100,000 per year, so you need to know how to determine if you are getting value from your SEO/SEM Company.

In this webinar you will learn what expectations you should have of your SEO/SEM Company. If they do not meet these expectations, find someone who will!

BONUS
The first 20 registrants will receive a complimentary evaluation of your monthly reports from your SEO/SEM Company.

Session 4 - Site Clinic – We will take volunteers and give a free evaluation and recommendations of your website live! – July 31, 2008    
This interactive webinar will take volunteers from the audience and examine their live websites to provide general feedback about improving them in order to gain more traffic and conversions.
 Requests can be made to examine:

  • Your current website
  • Landing Pages
  • Paid Search Campaigns

Volunteers will need to submit their websites, landing pages, or paid search campaigns 2 weeks prior to the webinar to ktindell@hsmai.org.

BONUS
The first 20 registrants will receive a complimentary one-on-one evaluation of your website, landing pages or paid search campaign after the webinar.

 

The RFP Process – August 5, 2008
Panelists: Tiffany Topcik, SVP, Lanyon and President, HEDNA; Patricia Locke, SVP, Radius Travel; Alice McQuade, Senior Director, Travel Agency Sales & Marketing, InterContinental Hotels Group; Kim Maschoff, Senior Consultant, TCG Consulting

The RFP ‘season’ is something that engages every hotel, agency and corporate travel manager.  With the 2009 season commencing, it is imperative that each company review their strategy to maximize the ROI on the available programs, organization of and response to proposals, the negotiation process and program implementation.  This compelling seminar will provide insight into each step of the process so that your company can effectively position itself to increase revenues and decrease costs.  Agencies, hoteliers and corporate travel managers are certain to glean new ideas from this panel of industry experts.

Revenue Management Webinar Series
August 7, 14, and 21, 2008
Presenters: Kimberly A. Tranter, Johnson & Wales University, and Trevor Stuart-Hill, VP, Accounts & Revenue, Synxis

Sponsor:  IDeaS Revenue Optimization

Session #1 - Internal Assessment and Strategic Planning - August 7, 2008
In part one of this three part series, the lead authors of the first college textbook ever written on hospitality revenue management, An Introduction to Revenue Management for the Hospitality Industry: Principles and Practices for the Real World, Kim and Trevor, present their roadmap to successful revenue management. They will introduce their RevMAP, which provides the 8 critical steps and 4 building blocks leading to strategic revenue management. They will also introduce the concepts of total customer value and total customer worth and review displacement analysis using a mathematic example. The RevMAP is a valuable tool for both entry level and seasoned revenue management professionals to use in their annual strategic planning sessions.

Session #2 - Distribution and Pricing - August 14, 2008
In the second webinars in this series, Kim and Trevor continue their analysis with a review of the key elements of distribution and pricing. This will include two additional analytic tools for revenue professionals to use: a price positioning grid and the magic pricing formula. This session will also help revenue professionals determine the costs of displacement of different types of business.

Session #3 - Channel and Inventory Management: Practical Applications and A Glimpse Into The Future - August 21, 2008
In the final webinar of this series, Kim and Trevor provide an overview of the inventory management process per channel including the most common inventory controls and when best to apply each control effectively. Measurements of success will also be examined. What steps should revenue management professionals take now to be proactive in a declining economy? Contextually, how does revenue management currently fit into an organization’s management structure and strategy? And finally, we will take a glimpse into our crystal ball to view how the profession may develop in the near future.

 

The Next Gen Traveler – August 26, 2008
Peter Yesawich, President & CEO, Ypartnership, and Lorraine Sileo, VP, Research, PhoCusWright



This webinar will feature Peter Yesawich and Lorraine Sileo discussing the results of The NextGen Traveler™, an important new study produced by PhoCusWright and Ypartnership (formerly YPB&R).  The study, and webinar, examine the attitudes and behavior of “Gen Next” consumer travelers and how they integrate technology into their travel, profiling the lifestyles, travel habits, and travel intentions of this emerging group of travelers who are defined more by their attitudes than by their demographics.

And, don’t forget, in September 2008…

Plan now to attend the two unique, outstanding public venue training sessions in Boca Raton, Florida.  HSMAI University will present, for the fourth time:

Business Acumen for Business Results, September 22, 23, and 24, 2008
And
Revenue Management for Business Results, September 25 and 26, 2008

Presenter:
Peter Starks, MSC, MBA, CHE, FHCIMA, is the Managing Director of Training Technology International, which conducts some 25 computer-based management development programs per year around the globe using the preeminent HOTS simulation.

Business Acumen for Business Results

This seminar, presented by HSMAI University and Lynn University, is designed around the renowned hotel management course called HOTS (Hotel Operation Tactics and Strategy).  “Business Acumen for Business Results” is an extraordinary and unique computer simulation learning experience for the hospitality executive.  In the past, it has been offered only as a core management course to major hotel chains and as upper level courses at noted hotel schools such as Cornell, UNLV, UMass, and Penn State.  HSMAI is the only professional association to have the privilege of presenting this course to the general public.

Widely recognized as the world-wide standard for management development in the hospitality and leisure time industries, the course is designed around dynamic, state-of-the-art, hands-on techniques.  Course lessons are immediately applied to a computer-based virtual hotel, in real time, and in a head-to-head competitive environment.  Participants will take over the management of a failing property and devise and implement a business plan that returns the hotel to full market contention.

Participants will strengthen management skills in:

  • Targeting and implementing priorities that drive business results;
  • Using financial statements for critical decision making;
  • Driving revenue by aligning the hotel to the market positioning statement;
  • Implementing strong revenue management fundamentals;
  • Creating timely and cost-effective sales programs;
  • Analyzing the market and financial feasibility of revenue-producing investments;
  • Using a “total hotel-cross functional” lens to more effectively implement business decisions.

Endorsements

Previous attendees have offered the following endorsements of Business Acumen:

  • “As a CVB employee, this program was extremely helpful for me in more fully understanding and appreciating the many factors that affect the hotel business, from daily business decisions to long-term property re-investment strategies.  I definitely believe others in my niche of the industry will gain the same appreciation from this course.”   -- Mark Thompson, Assistant Executive Director, Irving TX CVB
  • “This was an outstanding course and I wouldn’t change a thing.”  -- Holly Browder, VP of Operations, Axar Hotels
  • “The take-aways were 100% excellent.  This program helped me to present ideas through a more focused approach!” – Lara Stabell, Corporate Operations Manager, Ocean Properties
  • “Peter Starks’ Business Acumen program is an outstanding opportunity for any individual who wants or needs to get a broader view of the overall hospitality chess board.  The program drives core concepts and best practices in all management level operational disciplines, allowing for an immediate impact on how to approach day-to-day responsibilities.  Most important, the delivery is non-lecture-based, making it fun and interactive with your fellow teammates.” – Jason Thielbahr, Corporate Director of Distribution and Revenue Management, Red Lion Hotels Corporation
  • “It’s like a year of hotel school packed into a three-day course!”  -- Bob Gilbert, President and CEO, HSMAI

Who Should Attend:
The program is ideally suited for General Managers, Department Heads, Hotel Directors of Sales & Marketing, Directors of Revenue and Revenue Management, Hotel Real Estate Managers, and Owners Representatives.
Registration Fees:
Early registration:
Member:  $995; Non-member: $1,155 (non-member price includes one year HSMAI membership)
Late registration (2 weeks out):
Member: $1,095; Non-member: $1,255 (incl. one year HSMAI membership)
Each additional registrant(s) from the same company or property:
Member: $795; non-member: $955 (incl. one year HSMAI membership)                                                         

Revenue Management for Business Results

This seminar, presented by HSMAI University and Lynn University, is a new and exciting computer simulation learning experience for the revenue management professional or any hospitality executive with revenue responsibility. 

Built for professionals who watch, or help drive, hotel revenue, this workshop provides a roadmap to solid, sensible, and successful revenue management decisions.  This long awaited breakthrough approach to strengthening Revenue Management skills is offered for open enrollment exclusively through the HSMAI University.

The program focuses on:

  • 20/20 vision of market conditions and opportunities.
  • Targeting useful data and information.
  • Reaching sound conclusions.
  • Delivering concise recommendations to leaders and colleagues.

This is a roll-up-your-sleeves, hands-on workshop in which you and your team will manage the revenue decisions of a real-to-life computer simulated hotel.  Your team will research, decide, implement, and critique targeted revenue management strategies and tactics. 

By competing with other teams, and comparing your results to theirs, the workshop leverages and shares the professional experience of all of the workshop participants.  The course also includes roundtable time during which participants exchange views on the ever-developing opportunities and techniques on the revenue management horizon.

The centerpiece of the workshop is REV®, the new standard in simulation training for hotel operations and hotel investment professionals.

Who Should Attend:
Revenue managers, hotel managing committee members, and executives.

Registration Fees:
Early registration:

Member:  $625; Non-member: $785 (non-member price includes one year HSMAI membership)

Late registration (2 weeks out):
Member: $725; Non-member: $885 (incl. one year HSMAI membership)

Each additional registrant(s) from the same company or property:
Member: $525; non-member: $685 (incl. one year HSMAI membership)

Don’t miss this opportunity.  If you have specific questions about the seminars, please email us at hsmaiu@hsmai.org.  If you’re ready to register yourself or register one or more professionals on your staff (discounts for additional attendees and early registration), please go to http://www.hsmai.org/Events/hsmaiuniversity.cfm.