Registration is now open for the "The Things that Matter Most; The hottest trends and biggest issues for the hospitality and gaming industries" scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 14, 2010. Jointly produced by the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) and SAS, this final webcast in the series of seven SAS and CHR webcasts will focus on the hottest trends, biggest challenges, and groundbreaking technologies in the gaming and hospitality industry. Leading industry executives, analysts, and academics will discuss such important topics as what issues are keeping executives up at night, what it will take to motivate guests, and how the global economy will shape the future of hospitality and gaming.

The webcast lineup includes an expert panel, interviews with industry practitioners, and questions from the webcast viewers. By special arrangement with SAS, registration is free for this webcast. Register Now

The presenting panel will be live in the SAS studios. They are:

• Mark Lomanno, President of STR (Smith Travel Research) and Chairman of the Board of STR Global;
• Cathy A. Enz, Ph.D., Lewis G. Schaeneman Jr. Professor of Innovation and Dynamic Management, Cornell University;
• James Ruttley, Vice President of Client Services, IdeaS; and
• Radhika Kulkarni, Ph.D., Vice President of Advanced Analytics R&D, SAS.

The webcast's industry practitioner interviews will include executives from Harrah's; Wyndham Exchange and Rentals; Sonesta; and Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group, among others.

In addition to this live webcast, all six previous webcasts are available at no charge through the Center for Hospitality Research at www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/events/webcasts/.