Digital Travel 2015 (past event)
April 27 - 29, 2015
Contact Us: 1.888.482.6012
Day One - Monday, April 27: The Customer Journey: Dreaming, Planning & Booking
07:00 - 08:00 Continental Breakfast & Registration In The Solutions Zone
08:00 - 08:05 Welcome
Jeff Meredith, Event Director, Digital Travel Summit
08:05 - 08:15 Chairperson's Opening Address
08:15 - 08:45 Keynote: Ideas And Inspiration For Today’s Digital Traveler
Travel is a life experience that many of us are privileged to enjoy. We are shaped by travel, we
are the sum total of our experience and visiting new places and meeting new people is experience
distilled.
Increasingly organic marketing (SEO and social media) is being won by those that provide excellent narrative, those who are storytellers. Producing content that is “Google Panda
compliant” is missing the point. Tweeting, or posting on Facebook for the sake of it is missing
the point.
The point is inspiring consumers, educating travelers, then assisting them achieve their ambitions. Not selling them discount tickets where your only differentiator is price.
08:45 - 08:55 Interactive Polling
The Digital Travel Summit will invite audience members to share their perspective on travel industry, digital marketing & e-commerce trends.
08:55 - 09:20 The Next Chapter In Digital Advertising: Performance Is Everything
In just a few years, travel marketers have realized the benefits of real-time performance display advertising. In this session, we’ll explain how this powerful technology is also about to revolutionize other key marketing channels like mobile, email and video, and how to prepare to capitalize on these opportunities to drive incremental conversions.
09:20 - 09:50 Panel Session: How Do You Craft A Strategy That Blends Earned, Owned, Curated And Sponsored Content?
In a brave new world where content is king, you have to develop a strategy that encompasses all
the different facets. This panel will share tips on:
- Getting started: Conducting a content audit, developing a style guide, identifying key consumer interest points to inform content ideation, building an editorial calendar and distribution plan
- Earned content: Capitalizing on social sharing, blogs about your offerings and aggregator sites
- Curated content: Utilizing influencer marketing to tell your story
- Effectively using sponsored content/native advertising
- Measuring the ROI: Quantifying your content marketing efforts
09:50 - 10:00 Digital Travel Summit Benchmarking Survey
From open and click-through rates to churn metrics and insights around the devices that consumers are using, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to compare your digital marketing efforts against your peers.
10:00 - 10:45 Morning Refreshment Break
Personalization
10:45 - 10:50 Chairperson’s Opening RemarksMobile & Social
10:45 - 10:50 Chairperson’s Opening RemarksPersonalization
10:50 - 11:10 Personalization To Drive Greater Brand Loyalty And Revenue
Travel brands are getting to know their customers better than ever and tailoring their service offerings. Airlines like Delta are outfitting flight crews with smartphones that can deliver instant, customer-specific information, such as seat preferences, drink choices, and mileage balances. Travel brands want to be able to exploit enormous amounts of data so they can better serve customers and in turn, retain and grow their business with them. The best way to do that is not by snooping on them but by encouraging customers to voluntarily share information with them. Loyalty programs are a great way of doing this, as customers are happy to share data to have access to various perks (lounge access, free upgrades, etc.). Travel brands need to create opportunities for customers to share their personal preferences so they can better tailor an experience for them. Learn how leading companies are using personalization to drive greater brand loyalty and revenue.
Mobile & Social
10:50 - 11:10 Be Personal, Be Relevant, Be Social
The social tools and data available to marketing teams today are making it easier and easier to not only discover who your customer is, but they also give us the ability to speak to them on a much more personal level than ever before. This presentation will share how Silvercar uses social mediums to discover, target and engage potential customers, while utilizing user generated content and published content to drive business objectives.
Personalization
11:10 - 11:30 Lost It All On Red? Win It Back With Customer Experience
Join Graham Cooke, CEO/Founder of Qubit, and Mark Bloxham, Managing Director of James Villas, and discover the reasons why a data driven approach to testing can alleviate the risk associated with personalization in the travel and hospitality industry.
Mobile & Social
11:10 - 11:30 Innovation Spotlight
Companies interested in this opportunity may contact Alex Cherkovets at Alex.Cherkovets@wbresearch.com or 646-200-7534
Personalization
11:30 - 11:50 Workshop: Cross-Channel Personalization
Attendees of this 40 minute workshop will be presented with a scenario where they're running a fictitious company that must develop personalization strategies designed to enhance user experience and drive engagement. Members of the audience will break up into groups which will be asked to present their strategic vision to the larger audience.
Kristine Potter, Vice President, eCommerce & Consumer Marketing, Apple Vacations
Jennifer Abboud-Smith, Senior Manager, Digital and Merchandising Strategy, Apple Leisure Group
Kristine Potter, Vice President, eCommerce & Consumer Marketing, Apple Vacations
Jennifer Abboud-Smith, Senior Manager, Digital and Merchandising Strategy, Apple Leisure Group
Mobile & Social
11:30 - 11:50 Social For Aspiration: Enhancing Social Networking’s Role In Destination Selection
• Capitalizing on the one in three US travelers who reference social media as a main source of travel ideas and inspiration
• Ensuring you are present on those websites that are being used and monitoring your mentions, becoming part of the dialogue
• Ensuring you are present on those websites that are being used and monitoring your mentions, becoming part of the dialogue
11:50 - 12:10 The Pitfalls And Challenges Of Responsive Design: Designing For Mobile First
Your visitors are using a multitude of different devices, ranging from phones to "phablets" to tablets and desktop PCs. Given this fact, it's important that your site adjusts gracefully and provides the best experience possible no matter what device you're using. The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau has been working to advance responsive web design with a particular focus on designing for mobile first. If you're not providing a mobile-friendly experience for your customers they'll bounce off your website and head elsewhere. This presentation will address:
- How responsive design is not always what it's cracked up to be
- Utilizing Google Analytics traffic data to drive the strategy
- Responsive design challenges for online marketers
Andrew Wilson
Senior Vice President & General Manager, Atlanta.netAtlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau
12:10 - 13:10 Lunch For All Attendees
13:10 - 13:30 Best Practices Around Website Redesign
What does an engaging travel site look like? Your website is not just a website but a reflection of your brand. An innovative and useful online experience will make your customers adore you, increasing loyalty and leading them to recommend you to others, further growing your business. Based off the presenter’s experiences at Travelocity, Hotels.com and Southwest Airlines, this presentation will share best practices around website redesign, including such considerations as:
- Responsive design: Offering a smooth experience across all platforms
- Livening up your site with attractive imagery
- Capitalizing on user location to offer relevant information and offers
- Making it social: Enhancing the user experience with social components that drive loyalty and referrals
- Highlighting partnerships – airline, hotel and attractions all in one place - to offer a more cohesive booking experience
13:30 - 13:50 “Why Does It Take So Long For Development To Roll Out New Functionality?”
One of the huge challenges for any company is getting development to roll out new functionality as quickly as possible. This presentation will share tips on how to build out new functionality quickly and efficiently.
13:50 - 14:10 Attracting China's Huge Base Of Leisure Travelers
China is the world’s largest source of outbound and inbound tourism, according to the World Tourism Organization. Chinese tourists are the highest per capita spenders no matter where they go. But attracting them is not easy. There is a great cultural divide that must be crossed. How does a marketer cross this divide? What are the challenges? How does one capture this huge market that’s driving tourism in key cities around the world? What social media channels should be utilized?
Lillibeth C. Bishop, Senior Director, Marketing & Public Relations - North America, Air China
14:10 - 15:10 Interactive Roundtables (Choose Two – One Hour In Duration)
Speakers:
Jason Antony Director of Corporate Marketing TRI Pointe Group
Amy Labroo Senior Director of Innovation Wyndham Hotel Group
Lillibeth C. Bishop Senior Director, Marketing & Public Relations – North America Air China
Rich Tucker Social Media Manager Travel Leaders Leisure Group
Jeremy Althof Manager, Direct Marketing Hawaiian Airlines
Jonathan Isernhagen Director, Analytics & Insights Wyndham Hotel Group
Michael Weiss Director, Online Retail, Global Operations Marriott
Devin Sung Vice President, Digital Personalization Marriott International
Jeff Montgomery Senior Vice President, Project Delivery Applause
Allyson Barr Vice President, Marketing Boxever
Jason Antony Director of Corporate Marketing TRI Pointe Group
Amy Labroo Senior Director of Innovation Wyndham Hotel Group
Lillibeth C. Bishop Senior Director, Marketing & Public Relations – North America Air China
Rich Tucker Social Media Manager Travel Leaders Leisure Group
Jeremy Althof Manager, Direct Marketing Hawaiian Airlines
Jonathan Isernhagen Director, Analytics & Insights Wyndham Hotel Group
Michael Weiss Director, Online Retail, Global Operations Marriott
Devin Sung Vice President, Digital Personalization Marriott International
Jeff Montgomery Senior Vice President, Project Delivery Applause
Allyson Barr Vice President, Marketing Boxever
Digital Travel Summit interactive roundtables will provide you with an opportunity to meet fellow digital marketers and e-commerce professionals who are facing the same challenges and discuss practical solutions. Attendees can take part in two roundtables during this hour.
1. Building Powerful Visuals And Tapping Travelers’ Photos & Videos To Promote Your Brand – Facilitated by Jeremy Althof, Manager, Direct Marketing, Hawaiian Airlines
2. Measuring The Success Of Your Local SEO Campaign & Adapting To The New World Of Pigeon – Facilitated by Amy Labroo, Senior Director of eCommerce, Online Marketing, Wyndham Vacation Rentals
3. Mobile Campaign Measurement – Facilitated by Michael Weiss, Director, Online Retail, Global Operations, Marriott
4. Building Successful Multichannel Campaigns - Facilitated by Devin Sung, Vice President, Digital Personalization, Marriott International
5. Cross-Platform Integration: How Can You Optimize The Customer Experience Across All Screens? – Facilitated by Anais Margitay, Director, Digital Marketing, ClubMed
6. Meeting Business Goals Through Social Advertising – Facilitated by Rich Tucker, Social Media Manager, Travel Leaders Leisure Group
1. Building Powerful Visuals And Tapping Travelers’ Photos & Videos To Promote Your Brand – Facilitated by Jeremy Althof, Manager, Direct Marketing, Hawaiian Airlines
2. Measuring The Success Of Your Local SEO Campaign & Adapting To The New World Of Pigeon – Facilitated by Amy Labroo, Senior Director of eCommerce, Online Marketing, Wyndham Vacation Rentals
3. Mobile Campaign Measurement – Facilitated by Michael Weiss, Director, Online Retail, Global Operations, Marriott
4. Building Successful Multichannel Campaigns - Facilitated by Devin Sung, Vice President, Digital Personalization, Marriott International
5. Cross-Platform Integration: How Can You Optimize The Customer Experience Across All Screens? – Facilitated by Anais Margitay, Director, Digital Marketing, ClubMed
6. Meeting Business Goals Through Social Advertising – Facilitated by Rich Tucker, Social Media Manager, Travel Leaders Leisure Group
7. The Maturation Of Meta-Search And What It Means For Your Business – Facilitated by Jason Antony, Assistant Vice President, Digital Engagement, Viceroy Hotel Group
8. Increasing Conversion & Driving Revenue Through Predictive Marketing – Facilitated by Allyson Barr , Vice President, Marketing, Boxever
9. The Next Chapter In Digital Advertising: Performance Is Everything - Facilitated by Jim Price, Vice President, Sales - Travel Industry, Criteo
10. Lost It All On Red? Win It Back With Customer Experience – Facilitated by Graham Cooke, CEO & Co-Founder, Qubit
11. Understanding User POV To Launch Great Mobile Apps - Facilitated by John Montgomery, SVP of Project Delivery, Applause
10. Lost It All On Red? Win It Back With Customer Experience – Facilitated by Graham Cooke, CEO & Co-Founder, Qubit
11. Understanding User POV To Launch Great Mobile Apps - Facilitated by John Montgomery, SVP of Project Delivery, Applause
15:10 - 15:50 Afternoon Refreshment Break In Solutions Zone
15:50 - 16:20 Panel Session: Decision Verification – The Role Of Friends & Family And Review Sites During The Planning Process
Speakers:
Mark Deyer Director, Digital Performance Choice Hotels International
Debbie Johnsen Director, Interactive Marketing The Leading Hotels of the World
Edward Perry Head of Partnerships, Americas HRS - The Hotel Portal
Leah Smith Director of Sales Whole Journeys, A Whole Foods Market Company
Brian Payea Head of Industry Relations TripAdvisor
Mark Deyer Director, Digital Performance Choice Hotels International
Debbie Johnsen Director, Interactive Marketing The Leading Hotels of the World
Edward Perry Head of Partnerships, Americas HRS - The Hotel Portal
Leah Smith Director of Sales Whole Journeys, A Whole Foods Market Company
Brian Payea Head of Industry Relations TripAdvisor
You’ve been inspired and have decided on a destination. But how do you decide where you’re going to stay? What you’re going to do during the day? What’s the definition of a “can’t miss” activity in your destination of choice? Social networks, review sites, photos & videos are increasingly influential in determining traveler choices. Learn how you can stay on top of the action.
16:20 - 16:30 Innovation Spotlight: Connecting The Dots Across The Customer Journey By Activating Audiences
Learn how Adobe can help you get a complete view of your audience by combining all of your data sources (online, offline, first, second-and third-party data) in one place. Create and activate valuable audience segments for smart and personalized digital experiences across all channels.
16:30 - 17:00 Reputation Management: How To Counter Negative Reviews That Influence Consumer Choices
Whether legitimate or not, negative reviews can be tremendously damaging to your brand and cost you future business. What are some approaches that you can take to both improve your standing in review sites & ensure that the voice of the customer is heard & reflected in ongoing operations? Is there a constructive way to re-engage with dissatisfied customers and ensure that their complaints do not spread like wildfire? This session will share some effective strategies.
17:00 - 17:30 Panel Session: Evaluating Distribution Channels – OTAs, Metasearch And The Drive For Direct Bookings
Speakers:
Mark Molinari Corporate Vice President of Revenue Optimization, Marketing Performance & S Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Alan Josephs Vice President, Hotel Distribution Travelzoo
Parag Vohra GM of Hotels Sojern
Charlie Osmond Chief Tease Triptease
Derek Kuhl Vice President of Advertising Sales and Service Intent Media
Mark Molinari Corporate Vice President of Revenue Optimization, Marketing Performance & S Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Alan Josephs Vice President, Hotel Distribution Travelzoo
Parag Vohra GM of Hotels Sojern
Charlie Osmond Chief Tease Triptease
Derek Kuhl Vice President of Advertising Sales and Service Intent Media
While hotels and airlines attempt to drive more direct bookings, they also recognize the need to work with established OTA and metasearch partners. This panel discussion will address:
• Understanding the evolution of OTAs and metasearch and the cost structures associated with both• Establishing cost-of-acquisition thresholds
• Ensuring that you have the technology in place to effectively plug into distribution channels and share correct rates and inventory
Mark Molinari
Corporate Vice President of Revenue Optimization, Marketing Performance & SLas Vegas Sands Corp.
17:30 - 18:00 Panel Session: The Rise Of Mobile Booking
Speakers:
Debbie Johnsen Director, Interactive Marketing The Leading Hotels of the World
Leanna Carlson Corporate Director of Electronic Marketing Capella Hotel Group
Jeff Ulrich Senior Manager, Emerging Technology United Airlines
David Elliott Senior Director, Loyalty and Mobile Switchfly
Kate Rasmussen Director, Strategic Partnerships HotelTonight
Debbie Johnsen Director, Interactive Marketing The Leading Hotels of the World
Leanna Carlson Corporate Director of Electronic Marketing Capella Hotel Group
Jeff Ulrich Senior Manager, Emerging Technology United Airlines
David Elliott Senior Director, Loyalty and Mobile Switchfly
Kate Rasmussen Director, Strategic Partnerships HotelTonight
How are people booking travel after conducting research on a smartphone or tablet? Research suggests that the majority still book via a desktop computer, with mobile web sites, apps and booking by phone all trailing behind. Many consumers are still not willing to make large travel purchases with mobile devices. Will smartphones and tablets eventually become trusted devices for booking? How are travel brands monitoring the behavioral patterns of their customers and preparing for a shift?
18:00 - 19:00 Welcome Reception
Attendees are encouraged to join us for refreshments & reflection on a great first day at the Digital Travel Summit.