Day One - 2 April

09.25 - 11.10Session 1

Distributing, Pricing and Marketing Travel in Latin America & the Caribbean

Introduction from Chairman, Rubén Wertheimer & Introduction Welcome speech by Joe Miranda

09.30 Welcome speech by the Honourable Rodolfo Elizondo Torres, Minister of Tourism, México

• Discover the size and future growth rates of the regions key markets. Which countries are growing and how fast?
• Evolution of the internet in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina. How are fast growing rates of internet penetration promoting e-travel and who are the leading players?
• Multi-channel distribution: Balancing your distribution channels - Direct vs. Intermediaries - is the role of Latin American Travel agents growing?
• What does the future of online travel in Latin America hold? What are the key trends and predictions to watch? How is this affecting the Latin American Travel Agent?
• How does the Latin American online travel market differ from other countries? What challenges does e-commerce in Latin America present?
• The new Latin American and Caribbean travel consumer: Find out how new technology is changing consumer behaviour across the region
• How is the global market affecting Latin American travel companies? What restrictions is the industry currently facing and how can these be overcome?

• 09.40 - 09.55Grupo Transhotel , Pedro Valadés , IT Director
• 09.55 - 10.10despegar.com , Martin Rastellino, Co Founder & Chief Operating Officer
• 10.10 - 10.25Expedia, Pablo J Castro, Director, Latin America
• 10.25 - 10.40Travelocity, Bryan Estep, Vice President Mexico - Latin America

10.40 - 11.10 Panel Discussion

11.10 - 11.40 Coffee Break

11.40 - 13.30 Session 2

Online Sales & Marketing Techniques - Search Marketing, Destination Marketing, Email, Affiliate Marketing

• Which online marketing strategies work in a fragmented, and diverse market, and why?
• Online vs. Offline - How to allocate your marketing spend
• Affi liate Marketing- how it works and why it is becoming the preferred choice for many travel companies on the web
• Search enginge optimization vs,. PPC (Pay per click): which is more cost effective in driving customers to your site?
• How are the online travel companies adapting to Web 2.0. What new marketing solutions do you need in a web 2.0 environment?
• Travel Agents: How are they evolving and developing new business models that are fi ghting off other online travel companies?
• Market tendencies in a multicultural and multinational region: language, market and social challanges

• 11.40 - 11.55Hoteldo.com, Pablo Schiselman, Director México
• 11.55 - 12.10.travel - Tralliance, Edward Cespedes , CEO
• 12.10 - 12.25Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Trip Barrett, Vice President Marketing Latin American Division
• 12.25 - 12.40Hyatt International Corporation, Rhett Hirko, Director of Revenue Management Analytics

12.40 - 13.30Panel Discussion

13.30 - 14.00Workshop

"Demystifying the customer - how to understand, develop and keep your (best) customers"

• Daemon Quest

14.00 - 14.50Lunch

14.50 - 16.15Session 3

A step by step guide to understanding Travel 2.0 - How to take advantage of UGC, social networking, rich media and blogs

• How is user-generated content (UGC) transforming travel resources, travel research, and travel distribution?
• Evaluate the potential of social networking sites as a distribution and marketing channel for your travel products
• Understand how to communicate your brand through social media sites and how much it will cost you
• How can you monitor and track what is being said about your company online? And how do you deal with negative user reviews on 3rd party sites?
• Many travel websites feature photos, videos and virtual tours, but what is the real value gained from adding rich media to your web content? Do such features really increase conversion rates?

• 14.50 - 15.05Diario del Viajero , Albert Barra, Blogger
• 15.05 - 15.20Google , Esteban Walther , Head of Vertical Markets Group, Latin America
• 15.20 - 15.35Mobissimo, Beatrice Tarka, CEO
• Boletín Turístico, Carlos Ulibarri O, CEO (panellist)

15.30 - 16.15Panel Discussion

16.15 - 16.45Coffee Break

16.45 - 18.30Session 4

How is CRM in Latin America and the Caribbean evolving into Customer Experience Management?

As more and more start-ups enter the marketplace, competition is hotting up. Whilst online travel is growing fast, there is still only a fi nite number of customers out there. This session will look at the relative merits of the online and offl ine customer experience and how you can appeal to your target group and keep them coming back to your company again and again. Questions to be addressed include:

• What is the real meaning of CRM? And how does it work in Latin America?
• Is Customer Experience Management (CEM) an evolution of CRM or should they be treated as separate and distinct departments? What works and how?
• How do you measure the impact of providing an "experience" compared to simply providing a service?
• How do you ensure ROI before embarking on potentially expensive CRM and loyalty programs? Are there any economic implications?
• What are the best payment methods available, and which ones are in use? Is the security and use of credit cards still in its infancy in this region?
• How important is your brand and how do you measure this?
• Pre-, during and post customer care. How do you maintain service and satisfaction throughout the customer life-cycle?
• Is there a CRM competitive advantage that is only found in the Latin American "human factor" market? How is this evolving into a worldwide champion?

• 16.45 - 17.05Ciudades.com, Mariano Soler, CEO
• 17.05 - 17.20Kroupensky & Associates, Mac Kroupensky, CEO
• 17.15 - 17.30LAN Chile, Sergio Mendoza, VP Distribution Revenue Management
• Accor Hospitality Latin America., Roland de Bonadona, CEO (panellist)
• Quaxar, Leonel Azuela, Founder & Managing Director (panellist)

17.30 - 18.30Panel Dicussion

18.30 - 20.30Cocktail Party

Day 2 - 3 April 2008

09.15 - 11.00Session 5

How are traditional and low cost airlines marketing in Latin America? Will Latin American LCA to take over North America's market?

• How fast can Latin American low cost airlines (LCA) grow in the region? Are the governments aiding this growth?
• How do purchasing behaviours differ from country to country
• Are (LCC) marketing Mexico and the Caribbean only? Or will Chile and Brazil take over with new routes and better prices? How will this benefi t the industry as a whole?
• How are airports changing to adapt to LCAs? Will Latin American LCAs follow the European or the Asian trends?
• Will Low Cost Airlines in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and other countries work as they lower their comfort and service? Or will they keep functioning with outstanding service and more legroom?
• Issues like training, e-commerce systems, call centers, security in the aircraft, and catering are making the LCA change for good. Find out what else will change, and how will it affect you directly.
• What is the growth of traditional airlines? Will oligarchy be the final answer?

• 09.15 - 09.30Iberia, Silvia Cairo, Directora de Ventas Internacional de Iberia
• 09.30 - 09.45Aladia, Andrés Engels, CEO
• 09.45 - 10.00Alma de Mexico, Guillermo Heredia, CEO

10.00 - 11.00Panel Discussion

11.00 - 11.30Coffee Break

11.30 - 13.30Session 6

Hotel Distribution Experts: Independent, chain hotels and investing in condos: Identify the top regional distribution and marketing trends

• Will the budget hotel be launched and take over the traditional hotel in Latin America?
• Is competition in the online travel space benefiting the consumer? How are the key players differentiating themselves and establishing brands that resonate with Latin American travellers?
• Some hotels offer only Face-to-face interaction. Having different cultural trends, and different meanings with the same words as well as accents, can this experience be recreated in the online world for the hotel websites, or is it pointless even trying?
• Which major chains dominate, and where? Will boutique hotels pose a threat to chain hotels? How are they growing in the region?
• Can medium chains small hotels maintain a strong web presence from large chains?
• How many languages are needed to succeed in this region and globally?
• How do you balance selling direct with distributing through intermediaries. How do you choose the right distribution channels?
• How useful are best rate guarantees in encouraging the consumer to go direct?

• 11.30 - 11.45Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Gretchen E. Minick, Director of Online Marketing, Mexico & Latin America
• 11.45 - 12.00Accor Hotels, Emanuel Baudart , Senior Director of Distribution & Relationship Marketing Accor Hotels South America
• 12.00 - 12.15Grupo Posadas, Javier Barrera, Vicepresidente de Franquicia / EVP franchise, Grupo Posadas ,
• 12.15 - 12.30Hoteles Turísticos Unidos S.A. (HOTUSA), Albert Barra, Director of Marketing
• 12.30 - 12.45Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Sandy Ramon Tarbet, Senior Director, Global Sales and Marketing, Latin America

12.45 - 13.30Panel Discussion

13.30 - 14.05Workshop

• Google Workshop: Integrated Marketing Solutions from Google

14:05 – 15:00Lunch

15.00 - 17.15Session 7 - Closing Session

The GDS and Distribution Technology

• How will the Internet evolve: the future of blogs, social media, search and online marketing
• Possible restrictions of use of Skype - MSN or other free internet service providers in some Latin American countries. How could this impact the travel industry and will such restrictions be extended to other free web services?
• What will the future of GDSs be? Where will the next move be and how will it affect your company? Are there alternatives to the GDSs working and making an impact in the region?
• Will airlines and hotels still recognize the GDSs as a viable distribution channel in the future? Will the GDSs need to make more concessions to compete with other low-cost distribution channels
• Evolution in the payment services. Is it safe to use a credit card in the Latin American market? What are the risks and problems using a creidt card against other payment options in this region?

• 15.00 - 15.15 Priceline, Romina Rozensztajn, Director-Regional Revenue Management-Eastern Division
• 15.15 - 15.30Amadeus, Felipe González Abad, Amadeus Europe, MEA & LATAM
• 15.30 - 15.45Sabre, Rodrigo Cobo, General Manager, Sabre, Mexico
• 15.45 - 16.00AMIPCI Asociación Mexicana de Internet, Ing Enrique Bustamante Rodriguez, Director General
• 16.00 - 16.15Visa Inc, Jurgen Wassmann, Vice President - eCommerce and New Channels

16.15 - 17.15Panel Discussion

End of Conference