The latest addition to a prestigious line up of speakers is Mike McCormick, SVP Hospitality and Leisure, Travel Distribution Services Division, Cendant. Mike will be joining speakers on September 18th to discuss whether online intermediaries are delivering a viable and cost effective distribution channel for travel suppliers, particularly hotels. The panel, chaired by Travelocity founder and former CEO Terry Jones, will address issues such as inventory control, merchant model dynamics, customer acquisition and �ownership� and distribution management. Other participants include Tracey Weber, VP Product Operations, Travelocity; Kurt Weinsheimer, VP Hotels, Orbitz; Eric Christensen, President, WorldRes; Scott Hyden, General Manager, Travelweb. 

This year�s event sees a particularly strong focus on the hospitality industry. On September 19th, a second roundtable made up of hotel distribution executives will look at maximizing the distribution and revenue of the hotel product. Industry leaders such as Mike Kistner, CIO, Best Western; Paula Drum, VP Strategy, Cendant Hotels; Jen Thraenhart, Director of Internet Strategy, Fairmont Hotels and Christine Brosnahan, VP Distribution at Carlson Hospitality Worldwide will share there views and experiences on key distribution issues. Some of the points to be covered include balancing direct and intermediary distribution, maintaining consistent pricing and availability across all channels and cost-effective channel management strategies.

Said Simon Carkeek, Event Director, �This event represents a unique opportunity to meet key executives from leading hotels and online intermediaries who are collectively responsible for the distribution of hundreds of thousands of hotel rooms. Whether you are a hotel or an intermediary, this event will give you an insight into how hotel distribution and pricing is developing, and where you need to position your company to profit from these changes.�

The event also features two further keynote debates focussing on the future of the airlines and the evolution of leisure travel distribution, as well as spotlight breakout sessions covering issues such as marketing and advertising, CRM, web services technology and revenue management strategies. 

To see who else is speaking at the event, plus a full agenda, go to the event website at www.eyefortravel.com/usa2003/hup

If you are interested in attending, make sure you don�t miss out on the earlybird discounts EyeforTravel is offering. If you book today, you can save up to US$300 on the full conference fee. To register, either book online at www.eyefortravel.com/usa2003/hup or call EyeforTravel toll free on 1 800 814 3459, ext.302