Hoteliers: Gear up for HSMAI Digital Marketing Strategy Conference

HSMAI’s Digital Marketing Strategy Conference is back this year and taking place in Marriott Marquis, New York on February 24, 2015. The conference will house industry leaders from various backgrounds, subject experts and key decision makers who will talk about the recent advancements in digital marketing. The unique one-day interactive program will hold informative and engaging sessions on hotel guest lifecycle marketing strategies through data-rich content, search and resource allocation strategies that drive revenue and profit. This is the best platform to connect with the right people and engage in meaningful conversations about strategic issues facing hotel marketers.

“Millennials love social media — about 75 percent have at least one profile on a social networking site. Forty-eight percent of Millennials check Facebook right when they wake up.”(Source: Hotelmanagement)

Digital marketing is the fastest growing channel among the technology-driven guests who expect the brand to engage with them through all channels throughout their pre-stay, stay and post-stay. Notable speakers from the digital marketing background will talk about the latest trends with hoteliers who can discuss and share their concerns.

Knowledge of digital marketing is vital for a hotelier to succeed especially when it comes to planning a company’s marketing strategy. If the marketing is not planned strategically, hoteliers will not be able to acquire new guests, enhance their brand visibility or generate revenue. Therefore, it becomes important for hoteliers to learn and understand the latest digital trends in the industry. The conference will help hoteliers learn the art of engaging their guests through social media, data-rich content, revenue and profit.

“By 2020, 320 million international trips are expected to be made by youth travelers each year, a staggering 47 percent increase from 217 million in 2013.” (Source: Hotelmanagement)

What hoteliers can look forward to at the HSMAI Digital Conference:

1. Experience Marketing Matters: The session will emphasize on experience marketing which is becoming important for sectors dealing with guests. The speakers will share tips with hoteliers about garnering information on potential guests through their mobile and social accounts and utilizing the information to offer a tailor-made online experience.

Presented by: Mark Floisand, Vice President Product Marketing, Sitecore

2. Hotel Marketing to Engage the Multi-Channel Traveler: eMarketer estimates that mobile devices have replaced the travel sales from desktop PCs. Travelers are spending more time multi-tasking across a range of devices and digital media for booking their hotel rooms. Hoteliers need to plan their marketing strategies in a way to better engage with them and also understand the best practices and marketing tactics that will best work for their guests

Presented by: Jeremy Kressmann, Travel Industry Analyst, eMarketer

Engaging the Connected Traveler in the Pre-Stay/Travel Planning Phase: Hotel marketers can play a big role in impacting the travelers’ decisions during their journey planning starting right from awareness to consideration to booking. The speakers will share tips with hoteliers on bettering the travel making experience for those who are researching for hotels in the marketplace and are close to make a booking.

Speakers:

On Inspiration:  Tiffany Miller, Head of Industry, Travel – Travel, Google

On Consideration:  Dr. Chris K. Anderson, Professor, Cornell University

On Conversion:  Jason W. Thielbahr, CRME, SVP, Rev Opt & Distribution Services, Red Lion Hotels

Engaging the traveler on property during their stay: The session will help hoteliers understand the blend of marketing, operations and customer service in order to communicate with their connected guests, effectively. Hotels can utilize the chances of boosting loyalty, garnering reviews, capturing ancillary spending and increasing future direct bookings when the guest is present in the property.  The speakers will share examples of the various brands, independents and casinos which deliver extraordinary and personalized on-property experiences for their guests to turn them into a recurrent visitor.

Presenters: 

– Jon Elliot, Director, Strategic Marketing, Mohegan Sun Casino

– Shawn Paley, Director, Global eCommerce & Digital Services, Marriott International

– James Zito, Executive VP/Chief Revenue Officer, Chelsea Hotels

– Moderated by Loren Gray, Standing Dog Interactive, and a member of HSMAI Digital Marketing Council

Engaging the Connected Traveler Post Stay: The session emphasizes on the experience a hotelier should provide to the guest post their stay. The guest lifecycle marketing strategy will emphasize on engaging, retaining and ultimately making the guest a recurrent visitor. Senior level speakers from notable backgrounds representing independent, small and large brand hotels will talk about leveraging CRM, loyalty and lifetime guest value, data analytics, guest feedback and reviews, social media, and behavioral targeting to engage guests with personalized and relevant communications at the right time and through the right channel.

Presented by

– Michael Bennett, Vice President, Marketing, White Lodging Services

– Heather Richer, Vice President, Revenue Management and Distribution, Kimpton Hotels

– Vanessa Sain-Dieguez, Director, Social Media Planning & Integration, Hilton Worldwide

– Moderated by Tim Sullivan, President, Cendyn, and a member of HSMAI Digital Marketing Council

At the closing keynote, there will be a session held on The Engaged Traveler’s Perspective by Laura Begley, Executive Editor, Yahoo Travel. The session will emphasize on how to connect and engage with the modern guest at all the stages of the travel cycle.