Randy Dean, MBA, who is an expert at time and email management, delivered a highenergy presentation for HSMAI University on "Taming the Email Beast."

In our "need it now" society, where access to email is accessible 24/7, Dean encourages participants to take control of how and how often they check and respond to emails.

According to Dean, the average travel-related professional spends 4 to 6 hours a day reading, responding and administering emails; yet only 1 to 3% have had strategic email management training.

He admits taming the email beast is difficult but offers several strategies to make the job easier.

"People are afraid that if they delete the emails they'll need them or if they file them they won't be able to find them," he says. "Cleaning out your email is a secondary goal. The key is to figure out what's important and needs to be acted on quickly and what's not."

Strategy 1: Divide and conquer. Dean suggests multiple email accounts to manage the different types of mail-a professional email for work only, a personal email (which should never be used at work) and an Internet account for any web-based transactions. Doing so will help keep work and personal life separate and cut down on spam infiltration. "Your work and personal emails should almost act like unlisted phone numbers," he said.

Strategy 2: Establish a three-minute, one-touch rule. Dean has followed this rule for 20 years and says it's a great clutter buster. Each email you receive, he says, you should touch one time. "Decide what you're going to do with it. It doesn't mean you have to do it then but you are deciding what will be done." He walked participants through a primer on efficient use of Microsoft Outlook's calendar, contacts and tasks folders to help manage the appropriate responses to email.

Strategy 3: Don't be a "blinger." Like Pavlov's dogs, people are conditioned to check email as soon as they hear their new mail alert. Dean encourages people to not be constantly connected, instead checking at set points throughout the day. "If you are attending to email in real?time, you are in a state of never?ending distraction and will be spinning your wheels all day," he says. "Resist that temptation by turning off sound notifications. You need some blocks of time to actually get work done while still responding appropriately to clients, co?workers and your boss. Learn to balance productivity with responsiveness."

Strategy 4: Build a sensible file structure. It's easier to manage email, Dean says, if you have a file structure that is easy to manage and organize. The more complicated you make it, the harder time you'll have finding things when you need them.

Strategy 5: Empty your inbox every day. "Do it, task it, delete it," he says.

Strategy 6: Manage CCs, forwards and replies. Save yourself and the recipient of your email time and energy by being precise and specific about the action you are expecting. "At the top of every email you forward, tell the person why they are getting, it, what they need to do and when they need to do it."

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HSMAI President & CEO Bob Gilbert interviewed Kelly Wood, Vice President, Global Sales Organization, North America for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company on business acumen for sales people, technology, and more.

BG: What trends have you seen in the past year that is changing the roles and responsibilities of hotel sales people?

KW: The best salespeople are those that have become very business savvy and understand the hotel model, its costs and the impact a sale of either a group contract or the negotiation of a business travel RFP will have on the hotel. The best sales people are also not transaction based and consider long term implications when working with their customers. The ability to effectively balance the long and short term needs of their customer and that of their own hotel, and company, allows for a dialogue with their customer that is much more consultative allowing both the customer and salesperson to move focus away from the basic rates, dates and space. Technology would be the second big trend and it has the ability to replace a human, face-to-face sales model which is what this business was built on.

BG: Which one do you think has had the biggest impact on how your company sells and does business with your various customer stakeholders - and why?

KW: It's a draw. Being able to engage in real time, personal conversation will never be replaced by technology. Tools are critical to effective decision making and often provide the data to have intelligent and thoughtful conversations with customers. I also think being able to understand the big picture of the hotel business model. The model has changed. The recent economic crisis fundamentally changed the ability for many hotels to be profitable, end the year with positive NOI/cash flow and for owners to be able to pay their bills. The ability of a hotel sales person to understand this and make good business decisions without simply being dictated to by revenue management personnel and tools changes the conversations and thought process sales people will have with customers.

BG: How has measuring sales person productivity changed today from how it was done five years ago?

KW: It used to be simply a function of exceeding room nights or revenue, but sales people are held much more accountable for F&B and ancillary revenues, shop scores, sales training, overall hotel RevPar or YOY revenue growth, future bookings/cross over goals and ADR growth.

BG: Do you think social media can be leveraged as an effective sales tool?

KW: I think it is a great way to converse/engage with customers and provides one more way to create meaningful and dynamic relationships with customers. Some are better than others and if not managed correctly actually can damage the image and reputation of the hotel, brand and sales person.

BG: What trend are you predicting for the upcoming year that could have the highest positive impact on your sales people?

KW: Increasing technology and e-channels as a way of transacting group business

The HSMAI Adrian Awards 2011 judges' panel shared a variety of key trends and themes amongst the winning entries that distinguished them from the rest of the field. Some of the trends were as follows:

· Very authentic and told a story of the places, properties and brands they advertised

· Tailored to a particular niche market

· Aspirational

· An extension of the brand promise

· Effective curation

· Mobile as part of integrated campaigns

Winning Public Relations trends included:

· Programs with a strategic objective

· Impressive multichannel marketing campaigns that are integrated on multiple platforms

· Coming up with a creative angle and executing it well; not just relying on the amount of money or celebrity tie-in

Gold Adrian Award winners become finalists for Platinum Adrian Awards, and the coveted "Best of Show" award. Both awards will be announced at the 55th Annual Adrian Awards Dinner Reception and Gala, a black-tie event taking place Feb. 27, 2012, at the New York Marriott Marquis.