HSMAI Introduces New Resort Business Summit & Customer Connection

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and its Resort Marketing Advisory Board introduce a new event for 2010 focused on connecting resort sales and marketing professionals with customers. The HSMAI Resort Business Summit & Customer Connection, May 3–4, 2010, at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. will focus exclusively on resort marketing, and will include a customer event to allow for face time with meeting & incentive planners who do business with resorts.

“The summit will give resort sales and marketing professionals actionable ideas to implement immediately that address the hottest issues of the moment, like using social media as a business development tool and generating revenue in a recession and recovery,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “It is a not-to-miss event, especially for resort sales or marketing professionals with direct responsibility for marketing, sales and revenue optimization.”

Attendees will learn about the latest trends and best practices in the resort marketing sector and hear from a variety of trend and industry experts, including Trend Analyst at Ubbercool, Michael Tchong. He will deliver a keynote presentation covering a range of trends affecting the resort business, from consumer behavior and group business to social media and online marketing.

Tchong will also speak on “Reinventing Your Meeting Business” during the “Customer Connection” event the evening of May 4. The interactive customer event will connect meeting and incentive professionals with resort executives. Held in conjunction with the South Florida chapter of MPI, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the HSMAI South Florida Chapter, HSMAI will extend invitations to qualified planners throughout the Southeast.

In addition, HSMAI, along with presenting sponsor Fareed Zapala Koepke, opened nominations for the first “Resort Marketer of the Year” award. The award, which will be presented during the Summit, has been created to honor individual leadership and achievement in the field of resort marketing. Eligible nominees must be employed with an organization in the hospitality industry, with current responsibilities focused on the branding, marketing and/or communications aspects of a resort. Nomination forms are available at www.resortsummit.com and are due by April 2, 2010.

“We have created this award to honor and celebrate the achievements of the professionals who often are not in the limelight, working to increase ROI and influence the resort’s bottom line,” said John Fareed, partner at Fareed Zapala Koepke.

The Resort Summit & Customer Connection will be held at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., a 339-room resort which offers 90 holes of championship golf, including the famed Champion Course, home to the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic and past host of the 1983 Ryder Cup, the 1987 PGA Championship, and many others.

For more information about the HSMAI Resort Business Summit & Customer Connection visit www.resortsummit.com.

About HSMAI | The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners, and is the industry's leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals & their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as HSMAI's Affordable Meetings, Adrian Awards, and Revenue Management Strategy Conference. HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprising more than 7,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. Connect with HSMAI at www.hsmai.org, www.facebook.com/hsmai, www.twitter.com/hsmai and www.youtube.com/hsmai1.

HSMAI Resort Business Summit & Customer Connection 3-5 May 2010 PGA National Resort & Spa United States - Palm Beach Garden, FL More Information | Website