Hotel Sales Professionals Find Resources To Navigate Economy

MCLEAN, VA | Tough economic times call for ingenuity, creativity and strong leadership. On Tuesday, March 31, 2009, hotel sales professionals will convene for a full-day of discussion at the Third Annual HSMAI Hotel Sales Strategy Conference at the Swissôtel, Chicago.

Leadership is one key to success in 2009 as outlined by Henry Givray, chairman & CEO of SmithBucklin Corporation in the morning session. Givray will identify opportunities for attendees to grow as leaders, providing a working framework to help professionals learn effective leadership skills and principles.

"HSMAI is an association full of talented leaders, who are facing tremendous competition and reduced budgets in today’s economic environment," said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. "With the outlook continuing into 2010, HSMAI wants to provide hotel sales staff with the needed frameworks, resources and contacts to help them continue to succeed and grow professionally."

Other sessions include:

• “Making Tough Business Decisions in Tough Times” with Sergio Asensio, managing director, Topline Group LLC
  Making decisions is tough, but the task is made easier if you have a framework to help guide you. Attendees will not walk away from this presentation with specific answers, but will walk away with a framework that will guide them to the right answers.
  
  
• “One-on-One with Smith Travel Research” with Jan Freitag, vice president, Smith Travel Research
  After an exclusive up-to-the minute snapshot of where the industry stands and where it’s headed from STR's perspective, the audience will have the chance to ask their toughest questions in this “town hall” session.
  
  
• “The Voice of the Customer”
  This session will be a spirited discussion with customers representing the association, government, corporate, and leisure sectors.
  
  
• “Driving Online Reservations through Internet Marketing” with Kimberly Ehrlich, director of business development, Milestone Internet Marketing
  Presented with real life case studies, this workshop will cover everything hotel sales professionals will need to know to be highly competitive in their market. Included will be a walk through the evolution of search engine technology and specific tactics to leverage your Internet Marketing efforts.
  
  
• “Make Yourself Indispensable and Unforgettable!” with John Parke, president & CEO, Leadership Synergies, LLC
  Now is the time to learn the strategies and tactics needed to prove your professionalism, position yourself as a better strategic thinker, and develop a personal action plan. This fast-paced, informative session that will help attendees take their image to the next level.

Past conference attendees have found the content extremely valuable for their roles. “I attend the Hotel Sales Strategy Conference every year because it features an impressive line-up of top notch, dynamite speakers on relevant topics, said Cheryl Street, Hampton Inn & Suites. “At each conference I've taken away valuable insights that I could put to immediate use to help me and my business be more successful. If you want to be a leader in your field, this conference is a must.”

This conference is being held in conjunction with HSMAI's Affordable Meetings Mid-America, April 1-2, at Chicago's Navy Pier.

Conference partners include American Express, Cendyn, Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau, Incite Response and Leadership Synergies. For more information on the Third Annual Hotel Sales Strategy Conference, or to view a full schedule, visit www.hdosm.org.