Conference Agenda

Online Distribution Agenda

 

DAY 1

 

09.00-10.30 Opening Keynote: Proven Strategies to Predict, Prepare and Profit Through Adversity

The constant evolution of the online travel landscape creates as much evolutionary opportunity as it does threat. Unprecedented competition, innovation and all-too frequent global disasters mean that it is now more vital than ever to intelligently anticipate and adapt your strategy to continue to grow and thrive in any climate.

We gather the most enduring, admired and profitable brands in travel to reveal the secrets of their success and what they foresee on the horizon.

• What are the foremost challenges our industry faces, and how can they be overcome?
• Learn from mistakes: Hear (and avoid!) the most common reasons for travel companies failing
• Shock-proof your company: How can you galvanize your business and build advantage through adversity? How do these differ from ‘fair weather strategies?'
• Low cost vs Luxury: Assess the pros and cons of discounting and brand unbundling. Do the short-term benefits outweigh the long-term risks?
• Understand and proactively prepare for predictions on the next phases of the evolutions of online travel
• Discover the 5 secret ingredients of long-term growth and prosperity

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO, Air Asia X

Fritz Demopoulos, Founder and Former CEO, Qunar.com
John Guscic, MD, Webjet
Adrian Currie, Group Management Board member at Priceline.com

 

10.30 – 11.15 Networking Coffee Break

 

11.15 – 12.30 Know Where to Invest: Predictions and Emerging Mega-Trends

The past 12 months has seen dramatic turns of natural, political and economic events, both regionally and internationally. In our information economy, we ask key knowledge leaders for their insights and predictions for the year ahead.

• Understand how macro-economic factors are driving change across the APAC markets in 2012 and beyond
• Discover which industry sectors and regions are leading growth rates in the Year of the Dragon?
• Which new tourism trends will explode... and which will fizzle? Capitalize on the latest business, MICE and leisure travel trends
• Anticipate the hottest travel destinations in 2012 and beyond, plus tap into niche tourism trends and lucrative new emerging markets

Robert Bailey, CEO, Abacus International
Joe Nguyen, VP APAC, comScore Inc 
Kelly Kuhn, President APAC, Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Ivy Chee, Regional Director, PATA

12.30 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 – 15.30 Eye on Innovation: Meet the New Young Guns of Online Travel
Business as usual was never a cliché that applied to the hyper-competitive online travel industry. EyeforTravel and Travelmole Asia have conducted an extensive survey across APAC to discover the most disruptive new contenders for the online travel throne. We gather the shortlist of innovators to explain how they plan to take on the big guns and fend question from our seasoned travel gurus.

What lessons can we learn from these young, versatile and hungry pioneers and who will be crowned the ‘One to Watch' in 2012?

Steven Gong, Founder & CEO, ImpulseFlyer
Tudor Coman, Co-Founder, Flocations 
Vinay Gupta, CEO, Via.com 
Anshuman Bapna, CEO, Co-Founder, Mygola
Robert Albert, Founder & CEO, Routehappy

 

The Innovation Session will be moderated by our Travel Industry Gurus and the 'One to Watch' will be announced during networking drinks

 

15.30 – 16.00 Networking Coffee Break
16.00 – 17.20 Capture Asia's Rising Stars
China and India's online travel markets boasted the greatest overall travel market growth and hotel bookings in 2011. Spending by Chinese travellers on travel accommodation domestically and abroad is expected to increase by 20% over 2010 -2015 to reach US$67 billion - So how can you carve out a slice of this $15B pie?

• How should you customize your business model, brand and product offerings to capture the vast Chinese & Indian outbound & domestic consumer base?
• Leverage strategic partnerships to increase your domestic foothold – But at what price?
• Understand the ins and outs of local business regulations, cultures and profit hurdles

Team India – Jerome Thil, CEO, Sprice and Himanshu Singh, CEO, Travelocity India and Amit Saberwal, SVP & Head APAC, makemytrip.com

Team China – Jens Thraenhart,  Co-Founder & President,  Dragons' Trail & China Travel Trends and Roy Graff, Managing Director,ChinaContact 

 

17.30 Networking Drinks Party!
DAY 2
09.00 – 10.30 Keynote: Continue to Understand, Influence and Delight the Ever-Evolving Online Travel Consumer

Giant leaps in communication technology coupled with the unstoppable rise of social media and mobile are all radically changing the way travel brands can engage, influence, sell to and foster trust with consumers online.  Learn how to proactively adapt your online strategies to meet changing consumer demands and behaviours before your competitors do!

• Your consumers have evolved, have you? Re-assess how today's ‘always connected' travellers dream, research, plan, book and share their trips
• Which are the most effective channels to profitably engage relevant customer markets?
• Social media, search and location-based services are commanding more consumer attention than ever before, how can they be leveraged to attract, influence and delight at every touch point and stage of the travel consumption journey?
• Direct vs. Social commerce: Understand the benefits and risks involved in encouraging customers to book indirectly
• Create real love and long-term loyalty for your brand in an increasingly promiscuous online world
• What lessons can we learn from the most popular and profitable consumer brands in the world?

Ali Yilmaz, Head of Travel APAC, Google
Doug Stotland, Monetization Manager, Facebook
Severine Philardeau, Vice-President Global Partnerships, TripAdvisor 
Steven Greenway, Head of Commercial, Fly Scoot

 

10.30 – 11.15 Networking Coffee Break

 

11.15 – 12.30 Thrive in the New Search Playing Field
The launch of Google's Hotel Finder and Flight Search is once again changing the rules for how travellers find and book your products online. In addition, the emergence of ‘maximum ecstasy, minimum agony' vertical search sites are making search quicker, more transparent and more social. So how should you react to efficiently increase your marketing reach and really stand out from the crowd?

• Get to grips with how new forces and players are redefining the SEO & SEM landscape and what this means for travel marketers
• Leverage social media, semantic search and user reviews to galvanize direct traffic, build trust, higher conversions and steal market share
• Understand how Google's game-changers will impact your search strategy – and what can you do to capitalize?
• How are Metasearches fighting back and aggregating inventory from daily deals sites?
• What will travel search look and feel like beyond 2012?  Get ready for advanced predictive technology, voice search and last minute mobile ‘look n book'

Ewan Gray, Director APAC, Skyscanner
Matthew Varley, Executive GM Asia, Wotif Group
Ross Veitch, CEO, Wego
Ali Yilmaz, Head of Travel APAC, Google 
Kei Shibata CEO & Founder, Venture Republic Inc, Travel.jp and Hotel.jp

 

12.30 – 14.00 Lunch (and SimpliFlying Social Media Masterclass)

 

14.00 – 15.15 Keep Pace with the Evolution of Online Marketing
Ready or not, the rules of online marketing are changing forever. Consumers are becoming ever more fickle, savvy and resistant to digital marketing techniques – Making it ever more crucial for marketers to be able to effectively (and profitably!) engage, seduce and retain customers online

• Get to grips with how consumer preferences, loyalties and buying behaviours are evolving in this hyper-competitive economy. How have the rules of engagement changed?
• Over 1 in 5 customers abandon travel websites before buying. Discover how to maximize reach, direct traffic and then convert elusive lookers into bookers with proven website optimization tips and tricks
• What content sells? Should you open your website to user reviews?
• Understand what works and what doesn't with social marketing – Plus measure and drive ROI like never before to maximize bang for your buck
• Leverage location-specific marketing to effectively target disparate consumer sets
• Discover the latest customer analytics, tools and technologies to help you work smarter, not harder and turn the dark art of marketing into ROI science!

Dr Mathew McDougall | 赵马修 , CEO, Digital Jungle
Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying
Darren Fifield, General Manager APAC, e-Dialog
Brad Gurrie, GM Australia, Travelzoo (Expert Panelist)
Dan O'Sullivan, VP International Sales, Translations.com

 

15.30 – 16.30 Cross Fire Debate:  Can the Deal/Flash Sales Model Survive?
In 2011, flash buying was reported to account for 11% of leisure product sales, but after their stratospheric rise and popularity within the travel vertical, it seems that demand has dampened for the flash deals model.  Loved by consumers, berated by travel suppliers – We gather experts from both sides of the fence for a vigorous debate to set the record straight and expose the pros and cons of this contentious dilemma; not to be missed!

Frank Lin, CEO & Co-Founder, Affordable Luxury Network 遨乐网 
Ricky Ang, VP Sales & Marketing, Hotel Equatorial Corporation
Adrian Tan, Head of APAC Travel, Groupon
Nazar Musa, GM of Travel Asia Pacific, LivingSocial

 

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Online Distribution Agenda | Mobile Agenda | Social Media Agenda | Revenue Management Conference Track | Back To Top

 

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Mobile Agenda

Day 1
11.15 – 12.45 Keep Pace and Capitalize on Mobile Consumer Behaviour & Technology
Asia Pacific has the largest number of mobile subscribers in the world with over 2.1 billion phone subscriptions in 2010, coupled with a forecasted growth of 50% by 2020. Hear how mobile consumers' demands, decisions and buying behaviour differs from the desktop – What opportunities and benefits do mobile devices offer over traditional touch points and channels?

• 1 in 5 hotel searches are now coming from mobile devices. Analyse how travel brands are successfully leveraging this unstoppable force to engage, influence, market and sell at every stage of the travel consumption journey
• Understand which devices & platforms are most popular amongst your target markets and how this will develop as the battle for mindshare heats up
• Take advantage of geo-located mobile merchandising to target and up-sell mobile users at every stage of the travel consumption journey
• Adapt your mobile offerings to Business vs. Leisure mobile travellers – How do their needs differ?
• Plant the seeds for profit: Hear expert predictions on which future mobile trends and technologies will dominate and provide the greatest opportunity for growth

Stephen, Burke, MD Europe, Pelican Hotel Solutions
Jerome Van Velzen, CEO, Sound of Data
Kei Shibata CEO & Founder, Venture Republic Inc, Travel.jp and Hotel.jp

12.45 – 14.00 Lunch (and SimpliFlying Social Media Masterclass)
14.00 – 15.15 The Rules of Engagement: A Practical Guide to Build a Winning Mobile Strategy
With 15% of mobile users projected to book travel from their smartphone in 2013, the case for mobile investment couldn't be stronger. However, 57% of APAC travel brands admit confusion over launching, tracking and achieving success. Learn how to navigate the mobile minefield and learn the secrets of mobile success with these awe-inspiring industry case-studies:

• Where to start? Hear top tips on planning and executing proven mobile roadmaps that suit your particular goals, resources and wider commercial strategy
• Choose your goals: Leverage mobile as a customer engagement tool vs. marketing and distribution channel or customer service enhancer: How do mobile goals and strategies differ for travel suppliers vs. OTA's?
• Over 67% of travel companies aren't tracking campaigns: Know how to define, measure and prove ROI for mobile initiatives
• Learn best-practice mobile merchandizing strategies to boost traffic, engagement, loyalty and ancillary revenues

Hisham Saleh, Head of Social Media, Innovation & eBusiness, Malaysian Airlines 
Janice Chan, APAC Director of Digital Marketing, Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Beyond Mobile 2.0: Develop Closer, More Profitable Relationships

• Discover what strategic plans device manufacturers and operating systems have for the travel vertical and its consumers
• M-websites, native apps, HTML 5 and tablets: Make sense of the mobile diaspora and know when and where to invest limited resources for maximum traction and ROI
• How to develop the perfect app for each operating system and will the App economy continue to explode..or burn out?
• What are the most effective marketing methods to get people to download and actively use your apps?
• Tap into the exploding popularity of tablets and Geo Located services with today's mobile travel demographic
• Reap the early adoption benefits of nascent NFC, QR codes and surface table technologies
• What will be the ‘Next Big Thing' in mobile and how will this impact the way we engage, market and distribute and up-sell travel in the future?

Brett Henry, VP Marketing and VP India, Abacus International
Andreas Behrens, Director Mobile Partnerships, TripAdvisor

 

17.30 Conference Close – Networking Drinks Party in Exhibition

 

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Online Distribution Agenda | Mobile Agenda | Social Media Agenda | Revenue Management Conference Track | Back To Top

 

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Social Media Agenda

Day 2
11.15 – 12.15 Understand and Prepare for How Social Media is Transforming your Customers
Like it or not, Social media is irreversibly changing how we interact with travel consumers and vice-versa. Social recommendations and reviews were recently voted the 2nd most important factor (behind price) in making travel decisions. So the question is no longer; Should we socially engage?  but instead;  How can we effectively connect with customers in social spaces to further inspire, engage, convert  and add more value?

• What's keeping social marketers awake at night?
• Hear the latest social trends and innovative campaigns from our industry and beyond
• How do social goals and strategies differ for travel suppliers vs. OTAs?
• Information Overload: Which are the most relevant and effective channels for your brand and target audience?
• Top tips to effectively recruit, train and nurture social talent within your company
• Is Google+ here to stay?  How can travel brands tap into Google's vast network?
• As the growth of social giants such as Facebook and TripAdvisor starts to slow, what does the future hold for social media?  How will consumer interactions change and progress? 

Edward Perry, Global Senior Director of Social Media, OTA Partnerships and Innovation Projects, World Hotels 

Sam Flemming, Founder & Chairman, CiC (China Social Media Intelligence) 

12.20 – 14.00 Lunch and SimpliFlying Social Media Masterclass part 2
14.00 – 15.00 Strategic Social Media – A Practical Guide to Social Success
Navigate the social media minefield and learn how to launch a winning strategy for your particular brand, budget and goals

• Identify which social channels, regions and audiences are most relevant and valuable to your brand
• Set clear, focused and achievable objectives: Customer engagement tool, marketing and distribution channel, social CRM or customer service device?
• Determine how much time, money and labour to invest
• Integrate and cross-promote your initiatives with other channels and marketing campaigns for maximum impact
• Deploy a social campaign from the drawing board to the trenches! What steps, risks, pitfalls and potential benefits are involved?
• Hear top tips to ensure campaign success from this awe-inspiring panel of experts

Shashank Nigam, CEO & Founder, SimpliFlying

Jurik Auer, Online Sales, Marketing and Mobile Services Manager APAC, Lufthansa German Airlines

15.00 – 15.30 Use Social Media to Capitalize on ‘Big Events' VisitBritain's Royal Wedding and London Olympics Case-Study 
Discover how VisitBritain leveraged the hype and influx of tourists to double their Facebook followers and quadruple engagement levels in a matter of days. Seeing as 90% of this new interest came from abroad, learn how to engage and lure in massive new target markets.

Philip Taylor, Head of Digital, VisitBritain

Closing Keynote 15.30- 16.30 Successfully Drive and Measure Real Social Media ROI – Yes it's Possible!
Despite 67% of APAC travel brands claiming to have deployed social campaigns in 2011, a huge 55% admitted confusion and/or inability to effectively track and measure their ROI! This session will close the knowledge gap and show you how to prove real, measurable and abundant ROI for your social media initiatives.

• Know which KPI's are most relevant and meaningful to measure and prove success for social initiatives
• What analytical tools, services and technologies are at your disposal?
• Take advantage of social CRM for powerful customer analytics, reputation management and brand intelligence
• Justify and prove concrete ROI to gain more credibility, support and resources from the boardroom and budget controllers!

Barbara Pezzi, Director of Analytics & Search Optimization, Fairmont Rafflles Hotels International
Josiah Mackenzie, Partnerships & Business Development, Review Pro and Publisher at Hotel Marketing Strategies
Morris Sim, Co-Founder, Circos Brand Karma

 

Summit close

 

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Online Distribution Agenda | Mobile Agenda | Social Media Agenda | Revenue Management Conference Track | Back To Top

 

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Revenue Management Conference Track

Day 1
11.15 – 12.30 Earn your Place at The Table: How to be a Better Revenue Manager

• What keeps you awake at night?
• Capitalize on the latest RM forecasts and pricing trends and confront the real issues our industry faces in 2012
• Effectively manage threat and opportunity: Separate the hype from critical areas for improvement
• Adopt a ‘All Weather' RM approach - Develop a focused, long term strategy to combat all economic and competitive scenarios
• Nurture, train and retain RM talent and culture across your organisation:  What does the modern RM career path look like? Where should you invest resources?
• Prepare for change, plan for profit: What lies ahead for the future of RM and how can you proactively adapt?

Jonas Ogren, Director of Asia Pacific, STR Global 
Ben George, Vice President RM APAC, Hilton Worldwide
Prashanth Radhakrishnan, Senior Director RM APAC, Starwood Hotels & Resorts 
Douglas Hesley, Director APAC RM, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts 
Jagdish Sandhu, Director RM & Distribution, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts

 

12.30 – 14.00 Lunch (and SimpliFlying Social Media Masterclass)

 

14.00 – 15.30 How to Find Your Perfect Partner (for Profit!) Discover the Secrets of Lucrative Long-Term Partnerships

• Anticipate how shifts in online distribution & marketing will impact the role of revenue managers in years to come
• Learn how to measure, track and clearly attribute ROI from 3rd party partnerships
• OTA Contracting; What terms and conditions should revenue managers' demand from the ‘Parity Police / Big Bad Wolves'?
• Strike the most profitable balance between direct and 3rd party inventory to ensure maximum exposure AND best rate revenues
• How does this dynamic change for medium-to-small tier suppliers? Is there a case for cartel-style pricing and distribution?
• Achieve a win-win, long-term relationships with 3rd party intermediaries: Top tips for negotiating mutually profitable contracts

Roman Kesseli, Managing Director, Hotel Services, Asia, Orbitz Worldwide
Joseph Wang,  Senior Director Hotel Business, Qunar.com
Siv Forlie, Director of Corporate Revenue Management, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts 
Dhiraj Trivedi, Assistant Vice President of RM & eDistribution, Royal Orchid Hotels Ltd
Expedia expertspeaker TBA

 

15.30- 16.00 Networking Coffee Beak

 

16.00 – 17.20 Integrate Local, Social and Mobile strategies to maximize total revenues
The enormous and growing influence of mobile and social media on consumer behaviour has now begun to impact traditional pricing, demand and revenue management practices. Learn how to capitalize on today's inherently mobile, social consumer to create demand and lucrative new revenue streams.

• What is the impact of mobile distribution on traditional demand forecasting and pricing?
• Utilize mobile to maximize and internalize revenue across different parts of the property
• How personal is too personal?
• Hear inspired ideas and case-studies from suppliers who have successfully harnessed social media to stimulate demand
• The true impact of Flash / private sales on consumer behaviour, brand, loyalty and your bottom line

Sherri Kimes, Distinguished Professor Asian Hospitality Management, Cornell- Nanyang Institute of Hospitality
Maunik Thacker, VP Revenue Optimization, Marina Bay Sands
Kelly McGuire, PH.D Practice Director, Hospitality & Travel Global Practice, SAS Institute

17.30 Conference Close, Awards Ceremony and Networking Drinks Party
Day 2

 

11.15 – 12.30 Leverage Business Intelligence and CRM to Eliminate Guesswork and Boost Profits
The rules of customer centric RM have not changed, but the tools and technologies at our disposal make it possible to forge closer, more profitable and longer relationships with customers than ever before.

• Create a sophisticated RM framework to better understand, delight and retain customers in any competitive scenario and economic market
• How can customer behaviour intelligence, predictive analytics and data management be combined to optimize RM decision making in any competitive scenario and market?
• Advanced CRM and hyper-personalized segmentation: Ensure the right price at the right time to the right customers every time.
• What can we learn from each customer to cement their future loyalty?

Hannes Bos, Director, Revenue Strategy & Support, Greater China, IHG 
Jurgen Ortelee, VP Revenue Performance, Pan Pacific Hotel Group
Steven Pinchuk, VP CRM, Loyalty and Profit Optimization, Melco Crown Entertainment

Lunch (and SimpliFlying Social Media Masterclass)

14.00 – 15.15 Innovative Ancillary & Total RM Case Studies
Failing to differentiate your products and services means money left on the table and customers turning to rivals who can service them better. Intelligent brands are recognising that equal or superior revenue can be earned through non-core offering and strategic partnerships.

• Capitalize on F&B RM and new ancillary revenue streams. Know when (and when not to) to up-sell and cross sell relevant offerings to yield maximum profit per customer
• Learn how to optimize room types and differentiate product offerings across relevant brands to dramatically boost top line revenues
• Unbundle your brand to stimulate higher demand and revenue in tough economic times

Kathrin Artaker, Senior Manager Revenue Management Systems & Training, Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Duncan Bramwell, Managing Director, Revenue Performance Ltd
Stefan Wolf, Vice President, Revenue Management, Onyx Hospitality Group
John Poon, Regional Director APAC, Easy (Ez) Revenue Management Solution Ltd (Expert Panellist)

 

15.30 – 16.45 Are your Pricing Decisions Profitable? Evaluate Market-Based Pricing In A Price Elastic World
Determine the real short and longer term impact of promotions and pricing decisions

• Discounting doesn't work. Fact or Fable?
• Re-evaluate ‘Pricing Straight from The Gut' – Does a 10% drop in rate generate 10% increase in Revenue?
• Is Price Elasticity the next big thing in Revenue Management?
• How do we make Price Elasticity Evaluations Work?
• Re-assess the effect of Price Obscurity on demand and your bottom line

Fabian Bartnick, Senior Consultant, Hospitality, IDeaS Revenue Solutions
Puneet Mahindroo, Corporate Director of Revenue Management, Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces
Bonnie Spalding, VP of APAC Operations, The Rainmaker Group
Bhanu Chopra, CEO, RateGain (Expert Panellist)

 

16.45 Summit Closes