| 8:30 |
Registration, refreshments and networking
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| 9:30 |
Chair’s opening remarks and conference begins
Martin Evans, Managing Director, The Tourism Business
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| 9:35 |
Keynote speech: Designing and implementing a successful, all-round marketing strategy in today’s competitive climate
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Positioning your brand relative to your target audience
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Achieving the right balance of on- and offline communications
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Measuring success, identifying areas for improvement and refining your strategy accordingly
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What makes a marketing strategy in the hospitality industry different from in any other sector?
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| 10:00 |
Question and answer session
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| 10:05 |
Panel discussion: Online review sites: Exploiting the opportunities and mitigating the downsides
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Proven strategies to improve your position on the most influential online customer review sites
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Quantifying the value of a positive ranking
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Protecting your business reputation: Pushing for service recovery whilst the customer is on site to minimise the chance of a negative review
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Dealing with negative reviews if they occur:
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What is the measurable impact of a negative review?
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Working with the site provider to remove unfair comments
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Retaining a positive attitude and moving on from unfavourable feedback in a public forum
Daniel Edward Craig, Author and Independent Hotel Consultant Hannah Clipston, Partner, Thomas Eggar
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| 10:45 |
Morning refreshments and networking
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| 11:15 |
Getting the most from third party booking websites
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Monitoring and tracking your online partners
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Online travel agents (OTAs): Retaining a handle on exactly who is advertising and selling your rooms and deals
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Achieving rate parity across third party sites
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Ensuring your property is ‘above the fold’ in searches
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Making your business stand out against the sea of competitors
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What is the best balance between traffic driven through your own website and those of third parties?
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| 11:40 |
The changing shape of Internet search: Hotel industry trends and insights
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The UK Inbound and Outbound Market
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Online Travel Search Query Trends
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Mobile Insights
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Google: Travel Vision and Offerings
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Google+
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| 12:05 |
Question and answer session
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| 12:20 |
Lunch and networking
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|
| 13:20 |
Encouraging repeat business and word-of-mouth marketing by improving customer experience
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Understanding what today’s consumer wants and expects from the hospitality experience
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Can I do it cheaply? Enterprising ways to delight and surprise without breaking the bank
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‘Extend the spend’: Making the most of on-site sales opportunities
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Taking full advantage of customer relationship management (CRM) opportunities
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Collecting data efficiently and effectively
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What to do with the information you collect
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Demonstrating the benefits of knowing more about your customers
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| 13:45 |
Assessing the benefits and pitfalls of special offers
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What constitutes a ‘good deal’ in today’s price-sensitive market?
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Pricing deals to ensure a balance between good value and your own bottom line considerations
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Retaining your brand integrity to avoid selling yourself short
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How best to word a deal to promote the most attractive aspects and highlight the value
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| 14:10 |
Tracking the rise of ‘deal-of-the-day’ websites and gauging the impact on hotels, restaurants and pubs
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Do voucher sites represent an indispensable marketing opportunity or a threat to profitability?
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Demonstrable examples of business benefit for operators
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Are voucher and coupon providers an inevitable part of the future landscape?
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| 14:35 |
Question and answer session
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| 14:50 |
Afternoon refreshments
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| 15:20 |
Panel discussion: Social media: The future of marketing in the hospitality industry?
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Is it ever possible to demonstrate a direct positive impact on revenue from social media?
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Do you need to hire someone to manage your social media presence? At what point might this become necessary?
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What impact (positive and negative) can social media have when building your brand?
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Is there still value in traditional marketing routes?
Sue Williams MI, General Manager, Bath Priory and Gidleigh Park Hotel
Debrah Dhugga, Managing Director, Dukes London
Eric Partaker, Co-founder and Director, Chilango
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| 16:05 |
Case Study: Developing a social media strategy at Fallowfields Hotel and Restaurant
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The impact of social media on the business
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Rules of engagement
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Twitter
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Facebook
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LinkedIn
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Blogs and Forums
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Why does it work?
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| 16:30 |
Marketing locally: Harnessing the ready-made customer base on your doorstep
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Exploring innovative, low cost or free routes to your local market
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Developing beneficial partnerships with appropriate local businesses to boost sales
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Your entire team as a sales force: Incentivising your staff to drive business locally
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| 16:55 |
Question and answer session
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| 17:05 |
Chair’s closing remarks and conference ends
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