(McLean, VA, December 11, 2019) The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) highly-anticipated Marketing Strategy Conference will take place January 22, 2020, at the New York Marriott Marquis. This year’s conference addresses how new developments in marketers’ efforts in 2020 can connect with, track, and influence consumers throughout all phases of their travel. HSMAI’s Marketing Strategy Conference will be held the day after the HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala.

This year HSMAI’s Marketing Strategy Conference is all about successfully Marketing in a Digital World.” Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, president and CEO, HSMAI, describes, “As technology rapidly changes, we as hospitality marketers, must evolve to rise and meet the new challenges and opportunities.” Gilbert shared, “Marketing leaders and key stakeholders will gain specific, practical recommendations to improve their 2020 plans and explore thought-provoking and challenging ideas to guide innovative, trend setting-strategies.”

By attending, hospitality and tourism professionals will be better equipped to increase revenue, drive direct bookings, and take the agony out of marketing in a digital world.

HSMAI’s Digital Marketing Strategy Conference keynote presentations will delve into: 

  • Developing a Courageous Brand 
    To begin, keynote speaker Ryan Berman, Founder of Courageous, will share how any business, being, or brand can earn a ‘Return on Courage,’ and will introduce a playbook to overcome the status quo, stand out from competitors, and reach their true potential.
  • Thriving in a Sluggish Year: Finding Opportunities Despite a Tepid Economic Outlook
    Dr. Shawn DuBravac will discuss the near-term economic and geopolitical forces that will define the year ahead. Through his presentation, he will uncover how future events may impact the business environment and what long-term structural forces are quietly influencing our world.
  • Big ideas in marketing: 2020 Lightning Round 
    Keeping the momentum going, marketing executives will share their best practices, strategic insights, and big ideas for driving revenue and profit…in 6 minutes and 40 seconds each.
  • Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior
    Keynote speaker Dr. Jonah Berger, marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and bestselling author of Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior and Contagious: Why Things Catch On, will share insights and expertise that hotel marketers can leverage to drive revenue and engage guests before, during, and after their stays.
12 Breakout sessions include:
  • Attribution Models that Work – identify the data you need to better understand which parts of your marketing effort are driving the most leads, and to maximize your campaigns and resources.
  • Mythbusting Your Metasearch – gain clarity metasearch, including the various platforms’ impacts on rate parity, consumer perception, positioning, and ROAS.
  • Mind the Gap: Closing the divide between marketing & revenue management – address the issues that often create the divide and identifying actionable best practices and strategies that can effectively and efficiently close the gap.
  • What Your Competitors are Doing: Loyalty & Personalization Trends in Hospitality – discover the emerging trends in loyalty, marketing, and personalization, along with tactical ideas that can be implemented in strategies.
  • Actionable Intelligence on Evolving Consumer Spending Trends – explore the latest trends driving consumer choice, engagement, and loyalty to your business.
  • Digital Marketing for BRANDED Hotels: What the Brand Doesn’t Do – review the digital marketing “gaps” that a hotel needs to fill and the resources available to fill them to increase online exposure.

Attendees also have the opportunity to bring their education full circle by participating in HSMAI’s CHDM Review Course, a four-hour workshop that reviews the key components of the Certified Hospitality Digital Marketer (CHDM) certification materials. Participants will have the opportunity to take the certification exam onsite.

  • Silver: CrowdRiff Tambourine and TravelClick
  • Bronze: BCV, DerbySoft, Expedia Group Media Solutions, Fuel Travel, GitGo IDeaS, Milestone, Navis, NextGuest, The Hotel Network, Travelnet Solutions, Trip Advisor, Triptease
  • Media: HotelNewsNow.com, Hospitality Upgrade

View the full schedule for additional information and registration to reserve your seat. Media passes are available by contacting Nicole Quain at [email protected]. Co-located with the Marketing Strategy Conference, HSMAI Adrian Awards Dinner Reception and Gala, January 21, 2020, celebrates the best and brightest in hospitality marketing. Tables and tickets are still available for purchase. For additional information on the HSMAI Adrian Awards and the HSMAI Lifetime Achievement Awards, visit www.adrianawards.hsmai.org.