HSMAI University’s webinars are designed specifically for sales and marketing professionals in travel and hospitality, and focus on innovative and key topics surrounding the industry. “Our webinar series is designed to provide the information and skills to keep participants on the cutting edge,” states Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “Through the use of webinars, we are able to reach those in the industry in a convenient and accessible atmosphere,” he added.

Each webinar incorporates a 60-minute presentation conducted “live” via the Web with audio conference linkage. The one-hour seminars, sponsored by Amadeus, IDeas, iPerceptions and Secure-Res, scheduled this fall are as follows:
Email Etiquette: How To Write Safe, Smart and Savvy – Oct. 9, 2007
Transform the way you communicate with sales trainer and email maven Sue Hershkowitz-Coore, CSP, president, High Impact Presentations. Learn how to represent yourself and your company in a professional manner and secure confidence in your writing ability. Upon completion of the session, participants will be able to:

• Create subject lines that grab the attention of the recipient
• Discover at least three ways to make your ideas “pop”
• Develop a plan to write stronger, clearer and more positive emails

Registration for this webinar is $129 for HSMAI members and $149 for non-members.
Internet Marketing Series with Gordon Liametz – Four-Part Series

Session 1, Oct. 2: How to Develop a 2008 Internet Marketing Budget for Your Hotel
Develop a robust e-Commerce marketing budget to capture market share and outpace competitors. Learn how to allocate a budget and choose online partners that work to your benefit. This webinar will cover:

• Budget considerations such as search engine optimization (SEO), website enhancements, sales lead generation, email marketing for the group and leisure market, paid links, online press releases, etc.
• Establishing budget guidelines for each element of e-commerce marketing
• Recommendations of where you should place your marketing dollars

Session 2, Oct. 11: How To Choose Keywords for Your Website
The key to website rankings is understanding which keywords to target. The power of keywords is used in most search engine marketing efforts, including search engine optimization, link directory submission, article writing, press releases, Pay-Per-Click, posting in forums, and more. This session will guide you through the process of how to select keywords for your search engine marketing efforts. Information covered includes:

• Learn how to do proper keyword research, a critical part of successful search engine marketing campaigns
• Discover free and low cost websites to find keywords for your website
• Learn how to test and identify high-performing keywords
• Learn where and how often to place the keywords on your website

Session 3, Oct. 16: How to Write for the Search Engines
Learn to create content-rich pages that appeal to both your website visitors and to the search engine spiders. Once you understand the relevant keywords for your web pages you can write your website copy to ensure that you will drive both online and offline sales. Topics covered include:

• How to effectively achieve rankings and turn visitors into customers through effective website copywriting
• Where to place keywords and how often
• How many keywords to use per page and how often website content should be updated
• How to write for maximum search engine visibility

Session 4, Oct. 25: How to Develop a Strategic Linking Campaign
Websites can rank higher on the search engines based on the amount of quality, relevant links they have pointing back to their website. Building a link popularity strategy is one of the most important ways to ensure the success of your website. Key concepts discussed include:

• How to find relevant and high quality links
• How to identify quality links and avoid “bad neighborhoods” which will ban your site from search engines
• How to avoid link building mistakes
• Learn if paid links will help SEO efforts and the directories to which you may want to submit your website

Registration for each webinar in the four-part series is $129 per session for HSMAI members and $149 for non-members. A series discount is available.

A Guide For Going Green – Three-Part Series

Session 1, Oct. 30: What Does “Going Green” Mean?
The webinar will review the Convention Industry Council’s Green Meetings Report, which includes minimum best practices for meeting planners and suppliers. Examples of properties that meet those standards related to waste management, energy use, transportation, food and beverage, and printed materials will be provided. This webinar will present 10 easy steps you can take to “go green.”

Session 2, Nov. 8: Benefits From Integrating “Green” Practices
The webinar will cover the benefits and profitability of eco-efficiency management. A model will be introduced to illustrate how the core values of an organization influence achieving strategic goals related to green practices. Product development, expanding green practices throughout your supply chain and partnering with like-minded businesses will be discussed. An outline of how to become a LEED certified venue (the U.S. Green Building Council’s nationally accepted standards for green buildings) will be outlined.

Session 3, Nov. 15: Green Panel: What? How? When? Cost/Benefit?
Beverly Oviedo, Founder, Sustainable Solutions by Design, will moderate a panel of representatives from “green” properties who will discuss the what, how, when and the cost/benefit analysis of being green.

Registration for each webinar in the three-part series is $99 per session for HSMAI members and $159 for non-members. Series discount is available.

For information, or to register for the webinars, visit www.hsmaiuniversity.org, or call (703) 610-245-8086.

Offering added value, HSMAI University is providing a second viewing of the recorded version of the original webinar (within 30 days of the live webinar) for each registration. In addition, registrants may participate in an online discussion with the presenters after the webinar. Presenters make themselves available to answer questions and provide personalized advice.

For ease and convenience, archive copies of webinars are available to those who cannot participate on the actual day of the webinar. For a full schedule of archive programs available for purchase, go to http://eo2.commpartners.com/users/hsmai/, or for more information, please e-mail: hsmaiu@hsmai.org.