9am - 5.15pm Day One: Tuesday March 10

Chairman: John Burns, President, Hospitality Technology Consulting

9.15 - 10.45Session 1: Presentations and Panel:

Case Studies on Social Media: How to Measure - and Monetize - Your Campaigns

Profit from the experiences of companies that have used trial - and error - to discover what works best… and what pays best

• Which social media strategies really drive revenue?
• What data do you need to understand how well your social media strategy is working?
• How can you use surveys, embedded tracking tags and social media monitoring tools to monitor your social media initiatives?
• Are your efforts generating ROI - or only brand awareness?
• Intercontinental Hotels use the number of room nights attributed to social media as their metric. What should you measure? Are you misaligning your goals with your metrics?
• How can you incorporate UGC, mapping and videos into your website design - and increase conversions?
• Hayes and Jarvis doubled conversions on their website by integrating TripAdvisor reviews. How easily can you create a one-stop-shop for your own customers - and how profitable could this be?
• In tough economic times, how do you argue the value of social media over traditional, proven channels?

• Cassandra Jeyaram, PhD, Social Marketing Manager, InterContinental Hotels Group
• Richard Bonds, Executive Director, visitPA.com
• Beatrice Tarka, CEO, Mobissimo
• Lisa Demoney, Director of Online Marketing, Joie de Vivre Hospitality

10.45 - 11.15Networking Coffee Break

11.15 - 12.00 Keynote Presentation:

Who is Really Making Money from Social Media - and How?

Benefit from listening to an expert speaker from the fastest growing global online travel agency

• What constitutes a social media company?
• What is the “right” revenue model for social media companies and which travel industry companies will pay?
• Why does TripAdvisor dominate the landscape? And why is there so little traction in travel-specific social media companies?
• Will the intersection of social media and long-tail economics ultimately render the brand obsolete?
• Should an intermediary take the role as editor to combat the avalanche of information? Would it be paid for giving such value?
• In the context of social media which theory rings true, “The Wisdom of Crowds” or the “Madness of Crowds”?
• Will the large OTAs continue to buy social media companies? What are they actually buying? Traffic? Brand? User-Generated Content?

• Glenn Fogel, Managing Director Corporate Development and International, Priceline

12.00 - 1.00Roundtable Lunch Break

1.00 - 2.30Session 2: Presentations and Panel:

Social Media Marketing: Why a Holistic Approach Pays Dividends

Southwest Airlines is a heavy user of LinkedIn. The company also has its own blog “Nuts about Southwest” - which has attracted 1 million visitors - plus they have a presence on major social networking sites, Faceboook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

• What can you learn from travel companies that have taken a holistic approach to social media?
• How can blogs, photo sharing and social network pages work together to leverage your own brand´s online presence?
• Should you single out one social network, such as Facebook, or do you need to work with all the major social networking sites simultaneously to get results?
• Is it better to set separate goals for each portion of your social media campaign? Or should you also take a holistic approach when it comes to setting targets?
• Should social media be built around one portion of the trip, such as the flight, or the whole travel experience?
• What is the right combination of trip-planning tools, user-generated content and blogs? Do you need to provide all of them to achieve maximum results?

• Jeff Hanson, Regional Director of Marketing & eCommerce - Western Region, Marriott Intenational
• Jeremy Jameson, Corporate Strategist - Strategic Planning, Southwest Airlines
• Juston Parker, President, Parker Hospitality Group
• Fiona Ashley, Director of Marketing, TravelMuse

2.30 - 3.00 Networking Coffee Break

3.00 - 3.30 Presentation:

Combine Search and Social Media to Drive Traffic to Your Site

Search is probably your biggest online channel. This session shows you how to realize the massive potential of aligning your search strategy with user-generated reviews and social networks.

• What can you learn about search from UGC and social networking sites?
• What can you do to ensure your social media choices generate significant - and valuable - incremental website traffic?
• Find out how the web is becoming more intelligent as we move into the new, semantic era. How can you use the semantic web to deliver even better results from your social media campaigns?
• Carnival´s blog has attracted 3 million visits. Are you doing everything possible to drive relevant traffic from blogs to your website - and increase your search engine rankings?
• How do blogs drive traffic from users who may not have found you via keywords?
• Podcasting News reports that the average American watches at least two videos online every day. How can photos and videos help your business climb higher in the search engine rankings?

• Scott McNeely, Director of Consumer & Affiliate Web, Viator Inc.

3.30 - 4.10 Joint Presentation:

Spotlight on the Semantic Web: How - and When - Will Your Business be Affected?

A glimpse into the next phase of the internet… will it be as important as social media?

• What is the semantic web? How does it work?
• How does the semantic web structure content and give it a real meaning?
• Find out how to use the semantic web to deliver even better results from your social media campaigns
• Does the semantic web herald the next phase of the internet?
• How should you be preparing?
• Will social media be replaced by the semantic web?

• Yen Lee, President, Uptake
• Ken Leeder, CEO, RealTravel

4.10 - 4.30 Presentation:

Semantic Ads: Hear How Dynamic, Intent-Driven Ads Are Driving Bookings Through the Roof for Your Competitors

Case Study: See how Walt Disney World is deploying separate social media ventures to drive sales

• See how ads can "speak" to the publisher's content to bring offers that are based on semantic cues such as city name, origin IP, etc.
• See how this major leap in relevance is bringing sustainable 2-5x CTR to ads to Travel companies (hotels, OTAs, etc.)
• Find out how this can all be done quickly and scalably, without your IT department being involved

• Jon Aizen, COO, Dapper.net

4.30 - 5.20 Keynote Presentation:

Leverage Brand Advocates in a World Where Consumers Select Which Brands they Choose to Engage With

Case Study: See how Walt Disney World is deploying separate social media ventures to drive sales

• How does Disney leverage brand advocates to convert new audiences?
• What creative vehicles have been most successful?
• How is each campaign measured?
• What influence will co-creation have on future marketing and sales initiatives?

• Duncan Wardle, VP Global PR Integration & Walt Disney World Public Relations, Disney Parks and Resorts

5.20 - 7.30Networking Drinks Reception

9am - 3pm Day Two: Wednesday March 11

Chairman: Susan Black, President, Susan Black Consulting

9.00 - 9.30Keynote Presentation:

What Exactly is Social Media… and Can it Help You Sell Travel Online?

Experiences, observations and predictions from one of the largest global online travel companies

• Hear how Orbitz has used innovative techniques to acquire and retain customers online
• What role will social media play in the future growth of online travel?
• Moving outside the dorm room - which demographic actually uses social media?
• Find out how to use mobile technology to reach out to your customers
• How can you reward customers and create incentives for them to contribute content?

• Frank Petito, SVP Corporate Development, Orbitz Worldwide

9.30 - 10.00Keynote Presentation:

How Valuable is Social Media to the Airline Industry?

WestJet Airlines supports around 70% of guest bookings through a very powerful web tool. WestJet is on the verge…and is asking itself the question…what does a social media presence mean to us?

• How do you decide what social media can do for you commercially, culturally and from a brand perspective?
• Where do you "play" in this arena?
• How do you get into this space and what do you hope to accomplish?
• What are the guest expectations in this space?
• Are their any right or wrong answers?
• Listen to WestJet´s plan; musings and conclusions on how we approach this space

• Catherine Dyer, VP Distribution, WestJet
• Richard Bartrem, VP Culture and Communication, WestJet

10.00 - 11.00Session 3: Presentations and Panel

Profit from Social Networking Sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Bebo and Twitter

The social media landscape is currently dominated by just a handful of mega-sites; for instance, MySpace was the destination for 76% of US social networking visits in 2008. In this session you will learn what the major players have to offer, in terms of creating a receptive - and responsive - travel market.

• Should you concentrate on your own social networking community or should you partner with generic social networking sites?
• Which social networking sites are the best match for your brand and your online objectives?
• What are the secrets of driving high calibre traffic from horizontal social networks to your own website?
• What is the cost of establishing a useful presence on sites like Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Twitter and Bebo?
• What about photo and video-sharing sites like Flickr and Bebo - isn´t it even harder to make a profitable impact?
• Social networking page management: What are the golden rules of communicating promotions, driving web traffic and generating qualified leads? And what should you avoid at all costs?
• Should you concentrate only on the major players? Or do emerging and start-up social networks offer value, too? How do various sites compare in terms of ROI? Who has critical mass so far as travel is concerned?
• Which networks best enable you to target your audience with streamlined demographic data?

• Kristen Celko, VP Marketing, STA Travel
• Debra Meyer, VP Sales US, Bebo
• Kara Williams, Freelance Writer/Editor & Co-owner of TravelingMamas.com (panel only)
• Anil Aggarwal, CEO, Milestone Internet Marketing

11.00 - 11.30 Networking Coffee Break

11.30 - 12.00Presentation:

How Can Traditionally Offline Brands Take Advantage of the Social Media Revolution?

Find out how Lonely Planet are transforming a predominantly offline brand into a multi-media offering with a dynamic online social networking community

• How are Lonely Planet inspiring and enabling travelers to connect with the world and each other, every day?
• Find out how to combine authoritative content, community insights and the best content from the web
• How can you build a vibrant discussion forum into a dynamic online community?

• Matthew Cashmore, Innovation Ecosystem Manager, Lonely Planet

12.00 - 12.40 Joint Presentation:

Find out how Business Travelers are Using Social Media and Online Travel Tools

LinkedIn is the largest online professional network in the world. TripIt powers the My Travel application on LinkedIn, which is one of the first social travel tools targeted at business travellers. In this presentation you will learn from these two companies how business travelers are utilizing Web 2.0 services at work.

• Find out how business travelers can productively use social travel services at work
• See how social content, advertising and applications each offer different benefits for business travellers
• Discuss the future of business travel, social media and Web 2.0 with expert speakers, directly involved in this movement

• Lucian Beebe, Director Product Management, LinkedIn
• Scott Hintz, Co-Founder and VP Business Development, TripIt

12.40 - 1.40Roundtable Lunch Break

1.40 - 2.10Presentation

Boost Your Conversion Rates: The Importance of Niche Marketing

It's easier than ever before for like minded people to connect on the internet.   And as a marketer, it is easier than ever before to reach these vertical audience segments.   Whether its wine enthusiasts, gays and lesbians,  foodies, luxury travel or pet friendly travel there's an audience looking for you.

• How many niche sites are out there for you to work with - and how do you select the ones that should be top of your hit list?
• Discover how advertising on niche and destination blogs drive high quality leads to your website
• How can you use social media to reach specific customer segments that are unavailable to you via traditional channels?
• What are the most practical ways to exploit nice social networking sites and blogs - and ensure you get motivational messages across to specific groups of potential customers?
• Can you ever be too niche? How targeted should your message be to get the best ROI?

• Scott Gatz, Founder & CEO, GayCities

2.10 - 2.40Presentation:

Does Cruise Chatter Matter?

• What role does user generated content play in cruise line popularity, bookings and marketing?
• Does cruise chatter matter? Understand why users want to share their cruise experiences, and what they expect to gain in return after investing their time in contributing.
• Hear what the cruise line executives and on-line community managers agree and disagree on. Embrace the concept and reach out to your brand influencers!

• Carolyn Spencer Brown, Editor-in-Chief, Cruise Critic

2.40 - 3.10Presentation:

How Much Is Enough?: What The Social Web Budget Should Look Like, In Terms of Spend and ROI

• What percentage of the marketing budget should be allocated to the social web?
• Where should the spend be drawn from?
• How do you evaluate the performance of social web conversations and the revenue they drive?
• What are key differences between small brands ($1M-$100M and big brands $1B+)

• Adam Metz, Principal, METZ