Print this agenda DAY ONE

9.30am Presentations and Panel

Channel Management and eDistribution - the right product in the right place at the right time

• How can individual hotel properties expect to achieve direct sales, when competing with massive global marketing budgets from the likes of Expedia and booking.com?
• Reach new international markets - Where should Middle Eastern hotels be focusing their attentions now that the traditional inbound markets like Germany and the UK are drying up?
• During low seasons wide reaching online channels are an economical way to keep your product in the public eye. So what channels will work best for you?
• Channel management - identify the best channels to promote your property in the right way, and grow your business through these channels
• How much is too much distribution through electronic channels - is there an optimal mix between on-and-offline channels?
• Is revenue generated through online bookings truly measurable? What are the best methods of this measurement?

• Michael Marshal, VP Sales and Marketing, Rotana Hotels & Resorts
• Anita Markiewicz, Director of Revenue Management, Movenpick Hotels & Resorts

10.30 Standalone presentation

The case for accurate forecasting in the Middle East

Accurate forecasts are crucial to the revenue management process, yet forecasting for travel industry revenue management systems is inherently difficult. Competitive actions, seasonal factors, and the economic environment are only a few of the hurdles that must be overcome to forecast successfully. But to what extent can forecasting really be relied upon, and how can you evaluate the performance of your forecasts?

Hear why Rishikant Singh of Air India believes that in the increasingly competitive travel environment, it has never been more important to integrate forecasting into your revenue management strategy.

• Rishikant Singh, AGM, Revenue Management, Air India

11.00Coffee

11.30Presentations and Panel

Flexible pricing in the rapidly evolving M.E hotel sector

Responding to changes in the market - particularly with an uncertain economic climate in traditional feeder markets Germany and the U.K - with pricing flexibility is paramount for M.E hotels. With the role of revenue managers and distribution managers becoming increasingly complex, applying flexible pricing strategies may not be so simple.

• From flat to dynamic - will flexible pricing work for everyone?
• Hear why rate flexibility is essential in markets impacted by seasonality and economic uncertainties
• Can a flexible rate structure easily include all of your distribution channels?
• The M.E already suffers from short forecasting lead times. What new ways will your forecasting be impacted by a flexible pricing structure?
• What measures can be taken to ensure your negotiated accounts don´t find your rates cheaper by searching through other channels?

• Soha Zahar, Director of Revenue Management, Rotana Hotels & Resorts

12.00pmStandalone presentation

Customer and Business Information Tools

Can revenue managers set prices that take attitudes and behaviour of customers into account? How can you integrate CRM and RM to tailor pricing methods to match the usage profiles and preferences of each customer segment in order to obtain positive effects on customers´ price perception?

• Rania El Haddad, PhD Researcher, University of Surrey

12.30Lunch

14.00Standalone presentation

Pricing for the corporate segment

Where are Middle Eastern hotels going wrong with the corporate segment? What concessions do hotels have to make to succeed in this lucrative market?

• Hennie Strauss, Business Services Head: Middle East, CitiGroup

14.30Presentations and Panel

Grabbing a hold of the corporate segment opportunity

The corporate travel segment is a largely untapped market for Middle Eastern hotels. Most corporates are happy to rely on traditional means of booking their accommodation, which means a missed opportunity for most regional hotels. Discover the changes that need to occur, before the real revenue generation from M.E corporate segment can truly flourish

• Wholesalers are currently satisfying the needs of the corporate traveller. What incentives can be used to entice business away from these channels?
• Clearly defining your demand - what should you consider corporate demand and what should you consider wholesale demand?
• What customer relationship management strategies are necessary to entice repeat corporate bookers?
• Without rate parity, can a working corporate travel management industry really exist in the Middle East?
• Blocking rooms for corporate clients does not guarantee corporate bookings. How can you manage this inventory to ensure none of your corporate blocks are left unoccupied?

• Margaret Bowler, Director, Global Hotel Relations, HRG

15.00Coffee

15.30Standalone presentation

Talent - Attracting, Development, Maintaining

In a fast changing world of technology, innovation, values and population changes, hotels need to look at how they recruit, train and develop their talent. In this session we will review some of the changes that are happening which are impacting our human capital strategies, and how, as an industry, we need to shift our mindsets into a new way of doing business to keep ahead of the competition.

• Sarah Allen, Area Director of Revenue Strategy Middle East & Africa, Marriott International

16.00Presentations and Panel

The Online Travel Agency impact on hotel revenues

• Managing your inventory across many online channels can be problematic. What analysis should you be undertaking to ensure optimal profitability?
• Online Travel Agencies (OTA) can take as much as 25% commission from your bookings. It´s a hefty cost to absorb, so is it possible to incentivise your agencies to sell your inventory without increasing their commission?
• Are OTA commissions actually stifling the parity of your rates?
• How can internet bookings make it easier for you to profile your customer, and understand their behaviour?
• What advantages can OTA´s provide to attract longer staying guests?
• Increase your weekend business by utilising online travel agencies more wisely
• Packaging products on the web - can OTA´s be used to package more effectively?
• REVPAR versus 100% occupancy - how much of your inventory should you allocate to OTA´s, and what variables can impact this amount?

• Walter Lo Faro, Director of Market Management, Expedia
• Arun Kumar, Director of Revenue Management & Reservation Services, Jebel Ali International Hotels
• Jitendra Jain, eCommerce Manager, Starwood Hotels and Resorts

17.00Networking reception

DAY TWO

9.30amStandalone presentation

Integrated Revenue Management - A case study

Revenue Managers are a crucial link in the hotel organizational chain. Revenue Managers can often be viewed as troublesome sticklers for percentages, impacting on the sales teams´ ability to perform their role most effectively. But times are changing!

Hear why Hans Olbertz, GM for Emirates Palace, believes that an integrated approach to revenue management and sales is hugely important to the success and longevity of Middle Eastern hotels. What can we learn from the Emirates Palace experience, how can an integrated RM team contribute to a hotels prolonged success?

• Hans Olbertz, General Manager, Emirates Palace

10.00Presentations and Panel

Pricing inventory and the perception of your brand

• The BIG debate - are your customers loyal to your brand, or loyal to the lowest price? Can you really know either way?
• The cost of lowering your rates - When does lowering rates to attract price sensitive guests begin to deter your loyal (less price-sensitive) guests?
• Added value versus cheaper rooms - Why a complimentary breakfast is better for bottom line (and the perception of your property) than lowering your room rate
• With Middle Eastern supply and demand levels balancing out, will guests still perceive higher prices as meaning better service?
• Is it possible to ensure your brand is considered first by loyalists, even when it is not the cheapest room available?
• What threats to traditional hotels is the emergence of apartments and executive residences presenting?
• Hear the possible brand implications of claiming a ‘Best Rate Guarantee’

• Laurent Barelier, Revenue Manager, Novotel & Ibis World Trade Centre Dubai

10.30Coffee

11.00Standalone presentation

(30 mins) An essential look at Total Revenue Management

Why is a total approach to revenue management fundamental to Middle Eastern hotel revenue systems? Hear revenue management expert Sharad Kapur from Hyatt South West Asia, lend his experience on the following key points:

• What is TRM and why should it be practiced?
• What strategic shifts are necessary before TRM can be implemented?
• What does Spa, F &anp; B revenue management entail? - hear some specifics and metrics

• Binu Varghese, Grand Hyatt Dubai

12.00pmPresentations and Panel

Dissecting Total Revenue Management strategy

A sole focus on REVPAR is too simplistic. Learn how a Total Revenue Management strategy can greatly increase your hotel´s revenue generating potential.

• Increased competition will create a need for alternative revenues. What opportunities is your hotel overlooking?
• Which revenue streams should fall under the TRM umbrella, and should these be considered separately from ancillary revenues?
• Identify the touch points throughout your property that can be used as tools for facilitating extra/higher yielding spending
• Seasonality is a major Middle East hotel challenge - how can total revenue management be used to ease the inevitable summer strain?
• TRM sounds great, but what is the cost of integrating total revenue management technologies?

• Ahmed Rasmy, Revenue Manager, Millennium Hotel Abu Dhabi
• Stefan Wolf, Jumeirah

13.00Lunch

14.00Presentations and Panel

Revenue Management for Independent Hotels, Executives Residences and Apartments

• Independent hotels executive residences, suites, and apartments... a large Middle Eastern growth segment - what are the unique RM challenges that these accommodations will face as their popularity grows?
• Don´t be lured by the prestige of 100% occupancy - hear why REVPAR must remain your hotels primary focus
• How can independent hotels remain competitive with the chains, without compromising revenue?
• What channels do guests of independent hotels typically book through?
• Corporate choosing executive residences and apartments - how can these properties manage the late bookings, cancellations and booking alterations that are typical of the corporate market?

• Tiina-Maija Bergman, Partner, Duncan Bramwell & Co.
• Dennis Penalosa, Cluster Revenue Manager - Jumeirah Living, Jumeirah Group
• Richard Haddad, General Manager, Vision Hotels Management

15.30Conference ends