HSMAI�S Revenue Management Special Interest Group Makes Huge Strides in Start-up Year / August 2005

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HSMAI�S Revenue Management Special Interest
Group Makes Huge Strides in Start-up Year

MCLEAN, VA (August 11, 2005) � In just one year since launching its Revenue Management Special Interest Group (SIG), the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) reports significant accomplishments, from hosting Strategy Conferences with impressive turnouts to a variety of education and training initiatives.

The first Revenue Management Strategy Conference had 100 participants, while the second annual event had over 160 attendees, in which two-thirds of the hotel representatives were in corporate revenue management positions.
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Back Row: Bob Gilbert, president & CEO, HSMAI; Andrew Oman, corporate director of Revenue Management, Carlson Hospitality Worldwide; Todd Arviso, corporate director of Hotel Sales, Accor North America Corporation; Georgia Krewson, senior director. Brand Sales & Revenue Integration, Hilton Hotels Corporation - Hampton Inn; Barbara Bowden, corporate director of Revenue Management, Peabody Hotels Group; Tim Wiersma, vice president of Revenue Management, Host Marriott Corporation; and Leopoldo Toro, AltiusPAR (sponsor)

Front Row: Elizabeth Cambra, corporate director, Revenue Optimization, Outrigger Hotels & Resorts; Nancy Hopkins, Marriott International; Kathy Orr, AltiusPAR; Connie Rheams, AltiusPAR; Courtney Granger, director of Revenue Account Management - Americas, IndeCorp; and Doug Kennedy, revenue management project manager

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On the education front, HSMAI University has initiated a dedicated webinar series specifically on revenue management as well as one-day training programs that will take place in 15 cities this year. These are ideal venues for unit level revenue managers, directors of sales and marketing, and general managers.

Also, the Revenue Management SIG has produced relevant content for other industry conferences as well as chapter educational programs developed for unit level revenue managers.

�We anticipated great interest in the Revenue Management SIG, given its unique niche, coupled with the lack of attention it gets within the industry with respect to education, development and networking,� states Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI.

�It is a tremendous resource and provides a productive outlet for revenue management practitioners of all levels to come together to discuss, debate, learn, and brainstorm about their industry�s specific issues and concerns,� he added.

�Recognizing that there is such limited information and resources available for revenue management professionals, we are creating forums and outlets through various educational initiatives for individuals in this very specialized market so they can gain knowledge and find outlets to benchmark their initiatives and practices against others in the industry,� notes Barbara Bowden, corporate director of revenue management, Peabody Hotels Group, and SIG Advisory Board Chair.

To date, more than 490 industry professionals have opted into the SIG, which produces a wealth of resources, including email newsletters of issues, trends and updates, as well as online date available at www.revmanagement.org.

The objectives of the HSMAI Revenue Management SIG are:

To work with HSMAI University to provide stand-alone educational workshop events for revenue management professionals, as well as netconferences;
Facilitate the education of senior executives through educational presentations at existing conferences and meetings;
Create awareness of the profession by representation at key industry events and publish articles and columns on topics of current interest in the field of revenue management;
Continue to expand the website portal, www.revmanagement.org, so that it becomes the single most useful resource for all revenue management needs, including a forum for posting news and information, available resources, job offerings and related issues, an index for vendors, suppliers and consultants, etc.
Define the discipline of revenue management, and establish sample career paths and self-development models;
Conduct outreach programs with existing local area HSMAI chapters to assist them with planning and executing revenue management-themed programs/events.

HSMAI is an organization of sales and marketing professionals representing all segments of the hospitality industry. With a strong focus on education, HSMAI has become the industry champion in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry, and bringing together customers and members at 15 annual events. Founded in 1927, HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprising nearly 7,000 members worldwide, with 38 chapters in the Americas region.

Contact:
Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International
8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300
McLean, VA 22102
phone 703-610-9024
www.revmanagement.org
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Also See:	Revenue Management: Too Tactical and Not Strategic Enough; Highlights from HSMAI's Revenue Management Strategy Conference / June 2005
	Hotel Yield Management Professionals Ponder Future; HSMAI Revenue Management Strategy Wrap Up / July 2004

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