1pm - 5pm Pre-Conference Day: Tuesday, September 15

OpenTravel Pre-Conference Workshop (at The Westin, Chicago)

5pm - 7pmPre-Conference Drinks Reception

9am - 7pm Day One: Wednesday 16th September

Chairperson

• Susan Black, Managing Partner, Susan Black Associates

9.00 - 10.30: Session One: Presentations & Panel

The Distribution Landscape: Who's Running the Show Now - Suppliers or OTAs?

To what extent has the recession changed the balance of power between suppliers and OTAs? The big online agencies are responding to the downturn by getting themselves locked into a price war. Meanwhile, many suppliers are discounting prices on their own websites and pushing the benefits of buying direct to everyone who visits. What's planned for the future? And how's the landscape likely to pan out?

• Given the recession and changes in customer behavior, who's got more leverage now -intermediaries or suppliers? Who will win? And why?
• How can suppliers lessen their dependence on OTAs by optimizing their websites and building a robust direct online distribution strategy?
• Why do customers frequently prefer a supplier's direct website over an OTA? What are the pre and post-booking customer benefits?
• Why are opaque channels, such as Priceline and Hotwire, thriving? What is their unique value proposition for suppliers and consumers?
• Why does one OTA succeed over another? How will the balance of power shift over the next 12 months? And how long will the Big Four last?
• What new tools and services are the OTAs about to launch to capture market share?
• When Priceline dropped their air fees, their airline business soared, prompting Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz to follow suit. How do the OTAs rationalize this decision? And what impact is this strategy having on suppliers' direct channels?
• Will the major OTAs' decision to cut fees and refund promotions pay off? Or are they risking profitability in a futile attempt to steal market share?

• Jake Stein, Director of Global Strategic Accounts, Expedia
• Melanie Ryan, Sr. Director, Global Strategic Accounts, Orbitz Worldwide & HEDNA President
• Julie Atkinson, Sr. Director Global Online Sales and Distribution, Starwood Hotels & Resorts
• Ashwin Kamlani, CEO, AboutAnywhere.com

10.30-11.00: Networking Coffee Break

11.00-11.50: Session Two: Presentations & Panel

Expert Industry Analysis: How to Survive the Recession and Position Yourself for Future Success

• Hear the latest news on key economic trends
• Survive or thrive: Understanding the new value in this new economy
• How is the economy affecting travelers' attitudes and behaviors? How can you benefit?
• Where does travelers' brand loyalty fit into this new economy?
• How well is the online channel delivering on the customer experience?
• Are the OTA fee cuts likely to prove a short-term strategy or a permanent fixture?
• Consolidation: Why is it now a time for consolidation in the travel industry?
• What opportunities does the downturn present - and how do you capitalize?

• Diane Clarkson, Travel Industry Analyst, Forrester Research
• Mark Mahaney, Director, Internet Research, Citigroup Investment Research

11.50-12.10: Presentation

Maximizing and Monetizing Your Online Programs

Over the next two years, the players that will survive and thrive are those with cohesive and customer-focused online strategies. Although innovation is still key, the travel industry must focus on retaining brand traction with streamlined budgets. This session will provide real-world examples on how to ensure profitability from your online programs.

• Maximize the performance of your paid search and SEO programs by conquering seasonality and restructuring campaigns
• Monetize your online elements - from photo and video assets to mash-up applications
• Eliminate budget waste by successfully geo- and re-targeting your ideal customer
• Learn which onsite elements are worthwhile, and which will not recoup your investment
• Determine how to stretch your budget to secure and build your brand strength

• Blake Suggs, Account Director, Range Online Media

12.10 - 1.10: Roundtable Lunch Break

1.10-2.30: Session Three: Presentations & Panel

How Can You Deploy Social Media to Improve Distribution?

• How do travel suppliers harness the breadth of social networks? Is it about brand building? Or are measurable transactions more important?
• Do people really use social networks to improve their travel planning? How can travel players insert themselves into conversations without turning off potential customers?
• What are the benefits of Twitter over Facebook? What's the most powerful way to use Twitter to promote marketing messages and build brand identity?
• Is 2009 the Year of Twitter? What are the rules of engagement? How do you attract followers? How do you identify the right topics to cover and create a two-way dialogue?
• How can you use differences in behavioural patterns to customize social media campaigns, and reach specific segments at optimal times?
• How can you manage TripAdvisor to your advantage? And what new tools are available, especially for independent hotels?
• How can you demonstrate the ROI and tangible benefits of social media marketing to key stakeholders?
• TripAdvisor, Kayak, Travelpost... Who's best positioned to win big in exploiting social media? And will the advertising model supersede the transactional model?

• Roseanne Landay, Director of Strategy and Business Development, Pleasant Holidays
• Anil Aggarwal, CEO, Milestone Internet Marketing
• Virginia Suliman, VP Web Design and Development, Hilton Hotels Corporation

2.30-3.40: Session Four: Presentations & Panel

Spotlight on Trip Planning Tools: What Role do They Play in the Customer Buying Cycle?

• How can you utilize trip-planning tools in electronic distribution?
• How can offline distribution take advantage of consumers using online trip planning and trip inspiration services?
• What value do they bring to the consumer?
• How can trip planning tools be used to broaden the appeal of your travel product?
• What is the future for these sites?

• Gregg Brockway, Co-Founder & CEO, TripIt
• John Peters, CEO, Tripology
• Josh Steinitz, CEO, NileGuide
• Kevin Fliess, CEO, TravelMuse
• Jim Hornthal, CEO, Triporati

3.40-4.10: Networking Coffee Break

4.10-5.40: Session Five: Presentations & Panel

Airlines, GDSs & Ancillary Revenue

• How are the OTAs and GDSs accommodating airlines as they continue to drive ancillary revenues? Are the GDSs actually capable of unbundling?
• Is GDS technology flexible enough for complex fare structures like those of Air Canada? And are fare-families here to stay?
• How can your ancillary revenue program benefit your direct distribution strategy?
• Merchandising and upselling via a GDS: What new opportunities are in the pipeline?
• What strategies can help airlines maximize revenue from ground ancillaries?
• What new technology developments are poised to facilitate ancillary revenue in the leisure and corporate environment?
• Now the OTAs have cut their fees, how else can they generate revenues?
• How can you track and measure your ancillary revenue strategy?
• Settlement of ancillary revenues: How can the fee collection process be simplified?

• Cory Garner, Director of Merchandising Strategy, American Airlines
• Kyle Moore, VP Air and Ground Content and Shopping, Sabre Travel Network
• John Lambe, CTO, OpenJaw Technologies, & Board Member, OpenTravel Alliance
• Chris Amenechi, Senior Director International eCommerce and Distribution Planning, Continental Airlines

9am - 4pm Day Two: Thursday 17th September

9.00-9.30: Keynote Presentation:

Expert Insight on Crucial Distribution Trends

• Will the traditional online travel transaction revenue model wither away? With self-imposed transaction fee cuts on the one hand, and suppliers wanting to cut commissions on the other, can the OTA transaction model survive long-term? And does this shift provide opportunities for smaller firms to better compete against the giants?
• How should online travel companies position themselves to take maximum advantage of rocketing social media usage? Traditional travel agencies used to be the information gate-keepers. Then OTAs displaced them. And now, social networks are bypassing OTAs to deliver travel information peer-to-peer. How do you provide value in a way that can actually be monetized?
• Travel information overload is becoming the norm - potentially making it harder for customers to plan and purchase travel. How do you ensure authentic reviews? Who will be the winners in sorting, filtering, and ranking the information to guide customers through data overload forest?
• Radical changes: Is this the right moment? In the travel business, is it better for a company to pull back during recessionary times or to boldly move forward? Is now the time to take risks? If not now, when?

• Glenn Fogel, EVP Corporate Development, Priceline.com

9.30-10.45: Session Six: Presentations & Panel

How to Take Advantage of Travel Comparison Sites: Optimizing Meta-Search in Your Distribution Strategy

With Kayak re-launching Travelpost.com and TripAdvisor introducing a flight search tool, the two companies are now at loggerheads. What impact will this have on suppliers? And will meta-search continue to grow?

• Even with 40 million searches a month, can Kayak continue to dominate? Does their business model need to change?
• What are the benefits for suppliers of meta-search? How can you maintain control over your inventory and lower your distribution costs?
• How much business is actually generated by sites like Kayak? What's the potential share for this type of traffic given the low level of consumer awareness?
• What's the real cost of meta-search transactions for suppliers? And what about the risk that they deliver a distorted picture?
• TripAdvisor versus Kayak in terms of brand, traffic, search and technology: What are the strengths and vulnerabilities of the two companies? How are they encroaching on one another's space? Who's most likely to win?
• Are suppliers correct to be worried about commoditization? Can the meta-search sites overcome this with rich media and UGC?
• How do consumers benefit with vertical search rather than general search?

• Noreen Courtney-Wilds, VP Sales, JetBlue Airlines
• Sam Shank, CEO, Dealbase
• Tammy Peter, VP Channel Management, Wyndham Hotel Group

10.45-11.15: Networking Coffee Break

11.15-12.45: Session Seven: Presentations & Panel

Innovations in Search: How is Online Travel Evolving to Meet the Demands of Increasingly Sophisticated Web Users?

• How can you build a keyword list that's based on consumer behaviour and purchasing habits - and accurately measure ROI?
• EyeforTravel research shows the number of keywords used in the travel search phrase is increasing - sometimes to five words or more. How can you embrace this opportunity and provide more relevant ads for long tail keywords?
• What really impacts how Google sees your site; Maps, videos, mash-up applications, keyword-rich content, inbound links, UGC, long-tail content...? Which of these components will make your SEO strategy more successful? And how do you monetize these various online elements?
• How do you engage customers on your websites for the best conversion rates?
• What do travel companies need to do now to prepare for the Semantic Web? How does your website need to change to ensure optimized results in semantic search?
• Mobile search: How is search evolving for the mobile channel? How does mobile search differ from internet search?
• Search and the Geospacial Web: How many people now search by maps as opposed to text? Which travel products are right for geosearch?

• Krista Pappas, Head of Business Development, Bing Travel
• Gary Jackson, Head of Industry, Travel - Southeast, Google
• Anne Payne, CEO, BeDynamic
• Yen Lee, President, Uptake

12.45-1.45: Roundtable Lunch Break

1.45-3.15: Session Eight: Presentations & Panel

The Holistic Approach: How Do You Deliver a Consistent Message Across all Your Channels, Maximize Sales and Cut Costs?

• Practical advice on measuring your performance across all distribution channels and ensuring all parts of your marketing campaign are delivering a return on investment
• How do you avoid commoditization, differentiate your products and brands, identify your strengths and selling points - and then translate this uniqueness into all your marketing messages?
• How can travel content converge to provide a better service to consumers?
• The demographic of online travellers is becoming increasingly diverse. How can you ensure your web marketing engages all potential customers?
• Get a complete view into self-service functionality and enhanced customer service delivery across all self-service channels: Mobile, Kiosk & Web
• How can individual technologies come together to improve your business?
• Is online advertising failing? Does today's customer respond to advertising or will social media replace traditional marketing?
• Standardization: Which tools will help you overcome obstacles currently inhibiting the aggregation of content, and streamline the transaction process?

• Paula Twidale, EVP, Collette Vacations
• Doug Miller, VP Global Media Solutions, Expedia
• Jan Wood, Senior Industry Consultant, Teradata Corporation
• Sharon McAuliffe, Senior Director of eCommerce, Aston Hotels & Resorts

3.15-3.45: Networking Coffee Break

3.45 - 5.15: Session Nine: Presentations & Panel

Vacation Rental Market: Can You Cash In On a Booming Sector?

Times are changing in the vacation rental market. Previously hampered by lack of brand awareness, minimum stay restrictions and hefty deposits, they are now becoming a true force in the online travel arena, and the sector is predicted to be worth $4.1 billion by next year.

• What key factors are driving - and inhibiting growth - in the vacation rental market?
• How are stay restrictions responding to economic factors and changes in customer booking patterns?
• How can OTAs and airlines partner with vacation rental distributors?
• Tips on aggregating content across owners and appealing to an online audience
• Who has ownership of the booking and payment processes? How can you make this more efficient?
• How can the vacation rental industry use social media to grow their business?
• Who rents properties? Who's looking for a rental? And how do you profit from a better understanding of the marketplace?

• Jessica Kornacki, VP Marketing, Endless Vacation Rentals
• Julian Castelli, CEO, VacationRoost
• Park Brady, CEO, ResortQUEST
• Carl Shepherd, Co Founder and Chief Strategy and Development Officer, HomeAway