(McLean, VA, January 9, 2018) The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is pleased to announce that the 2018 HSMAI Digital Marketing Strategy Conference will take place February 21 at the New York Marriott Marquis. Focusing on strategy and innovative solutions, the event will bring together senior leaders in hotel marketing and their partners for thought-provoking conversations, presentations with practical applications, and the latest tools and insights to drive revenue and engage guests. HSMAI’s 2018 Digital Marketing Strategy Conference will be held the day after the HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala.
The theme of this year’s Digital Marketing Strategy Conference is “It starts with strategy.” Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, president and CEO, HSMAI, explains, “Digital marketing is too important to a hotel’s business outcomes to be poorly planned or just a series of uncoordinated efforts; strategy should be front and center. That’s why this conference is so important.” He continued, “Key stakeholders and thought leaders in the industry will identify and examine digital marketing trends and hospitality marketing professionals will learn how to incorporate them strategically to optimize revenue.”
The conference will deliver educational insights to help attendees optimize their digital marketing efforts, including but not limited to SEO strategy, web presence, mobile, and social media.
The HSMAI Digital Marketing Strategy Conference will feature compelling speakers who are industry experts on topics that include the following:
Opening General Session with Heath Slawner, Start With Why To kick off the conference, the highly engaging Heath Slawner will challenge attendees to examine and articulate the “why”—or inspiration—behind guests picking your hotel or travel destination. Explore why what individuals do becomes more powerful and relevant when we know why they do it.
Executive Insights: It Start With … Owners A panel of industry leaders, each with a keen eye for the digital side of the business, will bring their ownership perspectives to bear on the hotel digital marketing landscape and beyond. They will share their insights into how they take the whole ecosystem surrounding their investments into account as they evaluate marketing plans and activities. It is a candid conversation with actionable insights.
Digital Insights: Ideas Worth Sharing Through a new twist on a conference tradition, 6 marketing executives will share their interesting ideas and case studies for driving revenue and profit. In 7 minutes, each will share:
- best practices with practical takeaways that attendees can use to sharpen their everyday skills and boost property performance, or
- strategic insights that broaden attendees’ perspectives and help them better understand key issues and concepts that impact the strategic and leadership aspects of the digital marketing discipline.
Closing General Session with Michael Tchong, Founder, Ubercool Innovation Michael Tchong is an expert on disruptions that reinvent markets, particularly social media, technology, and marketing trends and innovations that are reshaping our world. He will inspire attendees with insights into changing consumer and business trends, and challenge their creativity and inventiveness.
In addition, breakout sessions will be presented in two targeted tracks. The Leadership Track is ideally suited to team leaders who wish to broaden their perspectives and better understand emerging issues and concepts that impact the financial and leadership aspects of the marketing discipline. The Best Practices Track will provide attendees with practical takeaways that can be used by digital marketing practitioners to sharpen their everyday skills and boost property performance.
Thank you to HSMAI’s conference partners: Platinum: BCV Silver: Booking.com, Cendyn, Milestone Internet Marketing, Pegasus, Tambourine, TravelClick, Wpromote Bronze: DerbySoft, IDeaS – A SAS Company, Infor, Expedia Media Solutions, Knowland, Screen Pilot, Stackla, Triptease Media: HotelNewsNow.com, Hospitality Upgrade
View the full agenda for additional information and to register for the event. Media passes are available by contacting Andrea Bomar at abomar@hsmai.org.
