MCLEAN, VA (May 24, 2004) - Smith Travel Research's Brian Ferguson and High Country Hospitality's Scott Anderson will deliver keynote addresses at the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Revenue Management Strategy Conference on Monday, June 21, 2004. 

Designed for revenue and yield management professionals, the conference will address critical issues and offer viable solutions and strategies for this very specific industry segment.  Organized by HSMAI's new Revenue Management Advisory Board, it will take place at the Dallas Convention Center in conjunction with the HITEC 2004 conference.

"This strategy conference is designed to be a true working session of ideas generating take-action solutions that can be put to immediate use for revenue management professionals," states Robert A.  Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI.

With 70 percent of consumers today visiting three travel sites before booking and 35 percent visiting five, today's consumers have become vigilantes.  In The Consumer Understands Our Business Better Than Ever.... And That's BAD News!, Scott Anderson, president, High Country Hospitality, will talk about how to "calm the savage beast in hotel room buyers."

Feel like you've lost the forest from the trees?  In What's Happening with Occupancies and ADR's?, Brian Ferguson, vice president, Marketing, Smith Travel Research, will look at the underlying national trends that have been affecting markets throughout the U.S., as well as examine markets that have been winners and losers, and find out what type of hotels have been pulling in the guests. 

Following that, the "Ideas Fair" will be four concurrent 30-minute break-out sessions that address four of the industry's top issues of concern.  Each break-out session will be moderated by one of HSMAI's board members, who will later report-back to the general session on the "ideas" generated for each topic.  Participants can attend up to three of the four sessions, since each will be repeated three times.  (2:20pm - 2:50pm; 2:55pm - 3:25pm; 3:30pm - 4pm) 

The conference is sponsored by Supporters: Expedia and Hotwire, and Conference Partners:  Ideas and VIP International.  Companies interested in sponsorship opportunities can contact HSMAI Director of Development Marjorie Lane at [email protected].

The Revenue Management Advisory Board is a group of HSMAI members who advance the revenue management discipline through education, participation, resources and guidance, enabling leaders to optimize revenue and performance within their own organizations.  The group's strategic intentions are to: provide education on all levels; develop a sense of community and participation; create tangible resources for revenue management professionals; and give guidance on industry standards and practices. 

The founding members of the Advisory Board are:

Advisory Board Chair - Nancy Hopkins, Senior Director, Global Revenue Management, Marriott International

Special Project Advisor - Doug Kennedy, HSMAI 

Advisory Board 

• Todd Arviso, Corporate Director of Hotel Sales, Accor North America 
• Brad Kohlheyer, Corporate Director of Revenue Management, Inter-Continental Hotels Group
• Trevor Stuart-Hill, Vice President of Distribution and Revenue Systems, Destination Hotels & Resorts, Incorporated
• Barbara Bowden, Director of Revenue Management, Peabody Hotels Group

For more information on the advisory board and resources for revenue management professionals, go to  <http://www.revmanagement.org/> www.revmanagement.org.

HSMAI's success in the strategic solutions business makes it uniquely suited to produce this event that facilitates dialogue between revenue and yield management professionals. 

HSMAI is an international organization of sales and marketing professionals representing all segments of the hospitality industry.