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PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE (updated3-25-09)
Click on the links below to jump directly to the schedule for a desired day:
Day 1: Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Day 2: Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Day 3: Thursday, April 2, 2009
| Day 1: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 |
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11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. |
Registration Open
Take this opportunity to prepare for the next two days of learning, networking and becoming immersed in travel distribution. With dozens of speakers and more than 700+ delegates to meet, you'll want to pick up your program guide and desk reference – which is packed with detailed session descriptions, speaker background materials and a complete delegate list.
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| 1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. |
LinkUp! Seize this new networking opportunity
Beginning March 06 you can start networking and "pre-gaming" with fellow delegates of TravelCom through our new online communications tool, LinkUp. Find out who else is attending, establish a dialogue with partners and vendors you need to meet throughout the conference. Make sure you are on the most important A lists. Plus, be sure to arrive early on Tuesday, March 31st to meet with sponsors and exhibitors at the designated LinkUp area, where you can sit face to face during pre scheduled appointments. Appointment setting opens March 06 to all pre registered delegates. LinkUp will help you make the connections that can start building your business even before you get home.
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12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sponsored by:
Partner in Travel
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Executive Women's Forum and Luncheon
(By Invitation Only - complimentary to TravelCom registrants. Fee: $150 per invitee if not attending TravelCom)
An exclusive, invitation-only forum brings together top women leaders in travel marketing, distribution and eCommerce for an off-the-record discussion about the most pressing issues facing them.
New this year--Rising Stars. The Executive Women's Forum reaches for the new stars. A select group of up and coming women will be invited to join the most senior women in this much anticipated annual event which is closed to the media.
Lunch immediately followed by discussion groups
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Libby Gill, Chief Excellence Officer, Libby Gill & Company, Dr. Phil's Branding Expert
FEATURED GUEST:
Angela Brav, Senior Vice President, Franchise Services and Operations Support, The Americas, InterContinental Hotels Group,
FACILITATORS/MODERATORS:
Susan Black, Managing Partner, Susan Black and Associates, Vickie Singer, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, U.S. Travel Association and Margaret Murphy, Partner, Murphy Westmoreland
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6:00 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
Sponsored by:
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Cocktail Reception
Join the conversation. Atlanta will buzz with the arrival of the TravelCom'09 delegates—the most senior leaders in travel from all segments and reaches of the industry will converge on a city known for both its global market reach and rich local history to make for a spectacular evening. |
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8:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sponsored by:
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Cocktail Reception - Google Speak Easy Lounge
300 Marietta NW
During Prohibition, speakeasies were the mysterious and often secret gathering places that dominated nightlife. On March 31st, we invite you to join Google as we kick off U.S. Travel Association's TravelCom'09 and raise a toast to the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition. With hand-made cocktails, exceptional food, and even better company, our speakeasy will be worth exploring! |
Day 2: Wednesday, April 1, 2009  |
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7:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. |
Registration Open - Late comers Welcome! |
| 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. |
Networking and Technology Pavilion Open |
| 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast - Networking and Technology Pavilion |
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9:00 a.m.-9:15 a.m. |
General Session
OPENING REMARKS:
Roger Dow, President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association
WELCOME:
Krista Pappas, Head of Business Development, Live Search Farecast, a Microsoft Company and TravelCom '09 Co-Chair
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9:15 a.m.-9:45 a.m.
Sponsored by:
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The State of the Industry 360 – There is No Room for Maybe in these Uncertain Times
Forrester will unveil findings from its latest wave of Consumer Technographics® research. Using information from this Q1 2009 study, Henry's presentation will both set the stage for TravelCom'09 and help you understand what actions you will need to take to succeed in 2009 – and prepare for an even more successful 2010.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Henry Harteveldt, Vice President and Principal Analyst - Airline/Travel Industry Research, Forrester Research and TravelCom '09 Co-Chair
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9:45 a.m.-10:35 a.m.
Presented by:
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The New Normal
With the total value of the industry down over 70% since this time last year, we will explore the current macro-economic and political realities that are impacting your business. Expecting to return to the good old times of the last few years? Think again. The new normal will look much different. Don't miss this session to understand the bankruptcies and consolidations that are likely to re-shape the travel landscape. KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Brad Gerstner, Founder and CEO, Altimeter Capital |
| 10:35 a.m.–11:10 a.m. |
Networking and Technology Pavilion Break |
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11:10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.
Sponsored by:
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Executive Roundtable Discussion: View From the Executive Suite
What's on the minds of the top executives at the industry's leading companies? How do they view the global landscape? What's their perspective of the value of marketing in a slow economy? What's their outlook on the state of supplier-intermediary relations? TravelCom'09 is the first event of the year where we as an industry will be able to listen, learn and ask questions of the industry's newly appointed and compelling leaders.
MODERATOR:
Henry Harteveldt, Vice President and Principal Analyst - Airline/Travel Industry Research, Forrester Research and TravelCom '09 Co-Chair
PANELISTS:
Barney Harford, President and CEO, Orbitz Worldwide and Hugh Jones, President and CEO, Travelocity Global |
| 11:50 a.m.-12:40 p.m. |
Second Annual Steve Fossett Innovation Award:
The U.S. Travel Association proudly presents the second annual Steve Fossett Innovation Award to Herbert D. Kelleher, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Southwest Airlines.
Named for Fossett, an explorer, adventurer and pioneer, the honor is presented each year at TravelCom to recognize a worldwide travel industry leader who has broken new ground, pushed boundaries and revolutionized the travel industry, leaving a legacy of long-lasting beneficial change.
SPECIAL GUEST AND AWARD RECIPIENT:
Herbert D. Kelleher, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Southwest Airlines Co.
INTERVIEWED BY:
Henry Harteveldt, Vice President and Principal Analyst - Airline/Travel Industry Research, Forrester Research and TravelCom'09 Co-Chair
PRESENTATION OF THE STEVE FOSSETT INNOVATION AWARD:
Roger Dow, President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association |
| 12:50 p.m.-2:15 p.m. |
Conference Attendee Lunch – Networking and Technology Pavilion Open
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12:50 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
Presented by:
Presented by:
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Concurrent User Conferences and Luncheons
Private User Conferences are concurrent to the Conference Attendee Luncheon. (Pre-registration is required. More details to follow.)
Option I:
Strategic Sourcing: Moving Beyond Cost Control to Creating Business Value - Presented by Freeborders, Inc.
Most businesses confront the same overall challenge - do more, in less time at a lower cost.
Increased globalization, new demanding customer requirements, skyrocketing operational costs, regulatory changes, tight delivery deadlines and accelerated distribution requirements are placing new challenges upon most organizations today.
In this session, Freeborders, along with a key industry analyst in the global sourcing market, will share their expert views and practical experience on these challenges - putting some useful perspectives, backed by research, around the use of IT outsourcing as a flexible and powerful tool that business leaders can leverage to create alignment and quantification of the business value of IT.
Option II:
Merchant Roundtable - Presented by Bill Me Later
Please join your industry peers for a luncheon and a roundtable discussion about emerging technologies and the next evolution in customer communications, marketing and service moderated by Ken Penny, Managing Director, Marketing Communications, Continental Airlines and by John M. Reistrup, Vice President Travel and Specialty Retail Marketing, Bill Me Later, a PayPal company. |
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2:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
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Please Go Away: The Power of Going Here, There, and Nearly Everywhere to Build your Brand
With the rise of new media, we are all adapting to a fundamental shift in marketing that demands brands venture out to engage customers where they are. In a down economy, it is more important than ever to cast a wide, creative net to reach people. The power of going elsewhere – beyond the confines of your core business or site, beyond traditional alliances, beyond your current comfort zone – is essential to thrive, and perhaps even to survive. Hear TripAdvisor CMO Christine Petersen explain how putting products and people in a whole host of places – including Facebook, YouTube, your competitor's space, and offline -- can pay off big.
SPEAKER:
Christine Petersen, Chief Marketing Officer, TripAdvisor
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3:00 p.m.-3:50 p.m.
Sponsored by:
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The Distribution-To-Merchandising Evolution
It's not good enough for travel firms to simply "distribute" their products anymore. As smart travel sellers evolve into retailers, they'll need to use electronic channels to merchandise their products in order to attract and engage travelers and travel agents – and increase revenues Today, new technologies are emerging to assist travel companies become better merchants and rapidly address customer needs. Technology providers are beginning the process of evolving into more comprehensive, flexible solutions with applications that support the industry's more complex and demanding selling environment. Join us to see how these could be applied to help your business sell more creatively and successful.
MODERATOR:
Dennis Schaal, Contributing Editor, Technology, Travel Weekly
PANELISTS:
Kyle Moore, Vice President of Product Marketing, Sabre Travel Industry Group; Paul Hesser, Vice President of Programs and Services, Travelport GDS; Robert Buckman, Director of Airline Distribution Strategy, Amadeus North America; James Davidson, President and CEO, Farelogix Inc.
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| 3:50 p.m.-4:30 p.m. |
Networking and Technology Pavilion Break |
| 4:30 p.m.–5:20 p.m. |
Concurrent Break Outs
Breakout I:
Off-Shoring and Outsourcing: The Whats, the Whys, the Dos and the Don'ts
Is off-shoring or outsourcing a solution to the current economic environment? Can it be used as a method of re-engineering your business to become more customer centric as well as reducing costs and increasing productivity? This session evaluates a blending of on-shore and off-shore outsourcing of services, and within that category, technology related and business-process related services.
MODERATOR:
Mike Hulley, President and CEO, Navtech Inc.
PANELIST:
Angela Brav, Senior Vice President, Franchise Services & Operations Support, The Americas, InterContinental Hotels Group
Breakout II:
The New Digital Opportunities That Make Sense in A Challenging Business Environment
Your budget is non-existent, or moving into that neighborhood. Yet you still want to – need to – find sensible new ways to find, inspire, and engage digital travelers With so many options, what makes sense for you to consider? In this session, you'll hear from four cutting-edge industry innovators.
MODERATOR:
Vela McClam Mitchell, President and CEO, Market Designs, LLC
PANELISTS:
Kevin Fliess, CEO and Co-Founder, TravelMuse; Sam Shank, CEO and Co-Founder, Dealbase.com; Gregg Brockway, CEO and Co-Founder, TripIt; Yen Lee, President, UpTake.com
Breakout III:
What you must know about Marketing Travel through Evolving Mobile Communications Systems
Nine in 10 US online travelers own a mobile device, according to Forrester Research. And of these mobile-device owners, nearly 34% have Web-enabled mobile devices. Mobile is the channel of the future, and as such, having a mobile strategy for marketing, customer service and traveler support is essential. Join us to learn more about how you can sensibly take advantage of this channel to help your business succeed in 2009 and beyond.
MODERATOR:
Vickie Singer, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, U.S. Travel Association
PANELIST: Nadav Gur, CEO, WorldMate, Inc.; Adam Sutherland, Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, Travel Channel Media; Gary Jackson, Business Relationship Manager, Google, Inc. |
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5:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Sponsored by:
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The Long and Short of It
Join Google's own Rob Torres - Managing Director, Travel - as he presents tactics for winning in the short term while developing strategies for the long term success. |
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6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Sponsored by:
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Cocktail Reception - Networking and Technology Pavilion |
| Day 3: Thursday, April 2, 2009 |
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7:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. |
Registration Open |
| 7:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. |
Networking and Technology Pavilion Open |
| 7:30 a.m.-8:00 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast - Networking and Technology Pavilion |
| 8:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m. |
Travel Ad Network President and acting CEO Brian Silver, in partnership with comScore's Corporate Evangelist, will present Advertising Trends in Today's Market: Understanding Key Trends to create a Winning Advertising Strategy.
Highlights from this presentation will include travel industry trends such as eCommerce spending, advertising effectiveness, User visitation, conversion, search and display advertising. Other topics will feature examining a travel consumer "state-of-mind" survey.
SPEAKERS:
Brian Silver, President and Acting CEO, Travel Ad Network; Eli Goodman, Corporate Evangelist, comScore, Inc.
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8:30 a.m.-9:10 a.m.
Sponsored by:
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Smart Brand Decisions in a Down Economy
One of the world's senior hospitality leaders will provide insight into the challenges facing the hospitality industry during these turbulent economic times--both the impact on the day-to-day business financials and on travelers. He will also talk about what it takes to be competitive today, and how value pricing, sales and marketing efforts affect the manner in which travelers book. How will today's economic environment shape the travel world tomorrow?
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Kevin Kowalski, Senior Vice President, Global Brand Management, Holiday Inn Family of Brands, InterContinental Hotels Group |
| 9:10 a.m.-9:45 a.m. |
Travel Investment Roundtable
Rumors of the demise of travel investment have been widely exaggerated. Learn how two companies were able to obtain funding in an admittedly challenging investment climate, and what it means for other sectors of the travel industry. The panelists will discuss the current investment sentiment in travel and provide guidance for emerging trends that will shape the nature of investment and growth in travel for the remainder of 2009.
MODERATOR:
Mike McCormick, Managing Partner, Hudson Crossing
PANELISTS:
Kelly Tompkins, Founder and CEO, AdventureLink; Steve Stollerman, Vice President, North America, TVTrip.com |
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9:45 a.m.-10:25 a.m.
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Increasing Airline Revenue in a Shrinking Market
Weakening business and leisure travel, coupled with intense price competition, is challenging the airline industry. Limited ability to stimulate consumer demand and raise fares has forced airlines to be creative in finding new revenue sources. From in flight Wi-Fi to evolving their Web sites to cross-sell everything form lounge passes to cruises, airlines are creatively exploring new revenue sources. Airlines need to be profitable – but how do they achieve profitability without putting their brand reputations and customer relationships at risk?
MODERATOR:
Krista Pappas, Head of Business Development, Live Search Farecast, a Microsoft Company and TravelCom '09 Co-Chair
PANELISTS:
Kevin Krone, Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Distribution, Southwest Airlines Co.; Ken Penny, Managing Director, Marketing Communications, Continental Airlines; Kevin Donaldson, Manager, E-Commerce & Distribution, Virgin America; Tad Hutcheson, Vice President, Marketing and Sales, AirTran Airways |
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10:25 a.m.-10:40 a.m.
Co-Presented by:
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U.S. Travel Association's TravelCom '09 Innovator of the Year Awards
PRESENTERS:
Roger Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Travel Association, Steve Hafner, CEO and Co-founder, Kayak.com, and Noreen Henry, Vice President, Hotels and Packaging, Travelocity Global
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| 10:40 a.m.-11:20 a.m. |
Why is Travel Meta Search such a Hot Topic?
Consumers have changed the way they research and book travel. So how do travel meta search engines factor into the travel search process. Why are there suddenly so many new entrants in the market? The depth of the search needs to be extensive and delivered quickly and intuitively. If travel meta search engines focus on keeping their home pages clear and simple, then what differentiates the experience?
MODERATOR:
Kamie Cicinelli, Executive Vice President, Zicasso
PANELISTS:
Steve Hafner, CEO and Co-Founder, Kayak.com; Hugh Crean, General Manager, Live Search Farecast, A Microsoft Company; Brian Clark, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Search Products; Travelzoo, Chris Cuddy, CEO, Cheapflights (USA) Inc.; Bryan Saltzburg, General Manager, New Initiatives, TripAdvisor |
| 11:20 a.m.-11:50 a.m. |
Networking and Technology Pavilion Break |
| 11:50 a.m.-12:40 p.m. |
Endangered Species: Brand-Loyal Travelers
According to Forrester Research, just 25% of U.S. travelers consider themselves to be loyal to any travel company – down from 31% in 2006.The industry's overabundance of brands, product and supply creates an imperative for travel eBusiness and marketing professionals to cultivate loyal advocates. By turning more of your customers into advocates, your business can achieve a better bottom-line, while satisfying customers with a more pleasurable experience.
Learn how to incorporate customer insights across business operations to improve convenience, service and customer experience and how to reap financial benefits through customer advocacy.
MODERATOR:
Diane Clarkson, Analyst, Forrester Research
PANELISTS:
Michael Thomas, Chairman, Travel Ad Network, BookingWiz.com and Sprice; Robert Sahadevan, Vice President - Mileage Plus, United Airlines; Christopher Bessendorfer, Vice President - Online Consumer Travel, American Express |
| 12:40 p.m.-1:30 p.m. |
Generating Millions in Ancillary Products in a Down Economy – Is it possible?
In 2008, the phrase "ancillary revenue" surged to the forefront of the industry's lexicon. Led by airlines, which sought ways to increase revenues against surging fuel costs, ancillary revenue streams have permanently shifted from being tactical to strategic revenue sources. One major airline believes it will generate nearly $1 billion of ancillary revenue in 2009. Hotels, rental car companies, cruise lines and travel agencies have also increased their emphasis on ancillary product streams. Learn how to affect a positive change to your bottom line by better monetizing goods and services you may have once overlooked.
MODERATOR:
Susan Black, Managing Partner, Susan Black and Associates
PANELISTS:
Thomas Zavadsky, Executive Vice President, Travel Guard; Frank Camacho, Staff Vice President, Marketing Americas, The Hertz Corporation, Kenneth Purcell, Founder and CEO, iSeatz; Gordon Whitten, Founder and CEO, Sojern, Inc. |
| 1:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m. |
Closing Remarks
Roger Dow, President and CEO, U.S. Travel Association
Henry Harteveldt, Vice President and Principal Analyst - Airline/Travel Industry Research, Forrester Research and TravelCom'09 Co Chair Krista Pappas, Head of Business Development, Live Search Farecast, a Microsoft Company and TravelCom '09 Co-Chair |
| 1:45 p.m.-3:00 p.m. |
Closing Lunch - Networking and Technology Pavilion
Before you spring into action armed with all of the insight, knowledge, best practices and contacts you've gathered, don't miss this last opportunity to make a connection, follow up, or lay the foundation for a new product. |
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