2006 HAC Conference Wraps Up Another Successful Year

Conference sessions on Wednesday, February 15th featured five respected speakers beginning with the return of GPC Public Affairs, who first appeared at last year’s conference. GPC’s highly anticipated presentation revealed the results of the second annual HAC-commissioned survey, “Canadian Business & Leisure Travel Intentions for 2006”. This survey, focusing exclusively on the Canadian market, provided delegates with valuable insight into what to expect from traveling Canadians this year.

Ron Andruff, President and CEO of Tralliance Corporation, spoke to delegates about the exciting growth of .travel, the new top level domain name for the international travel and tourism industry. Andruff illustrated opportunities presented by .travel including increased consumer confidence in knowing they are dealing with legitimate companies; and the .travel directory, displaying products and services to consumers worldwide.

Online marketing was the morning’s final topic and presenter Donald E. Bender (The Online Marketer) spoke to delegates about strategies for effectively placing and presenting their companies online in order to achieve a desirable response from the consumer.

The afternoon’s first speaker was the highly dynamic and humourous David Prentice, a Leading Sales & Marketing Expert. Using his Value Model, Prentice engaged the audience as he explained the concept of “value”, how a customer perceives value, and what tips and techniques can be used to positively influence the consumer.

Organizational Improvement Expert Jim Clemmer, the final speaker of the day, had delegates reflecting on their roles as leaders and how to positively influence growth and change amongst employees and within the organization. Using audience examples combined with samples from his personal research, illustrations and stories, Clemmer left the delegates with the tools to positively affect personal growth, change and leadership.

Also on Wednesday, February 15th, the HAC celebrated an evening of industry achievements at the InterContinental Toronto Centre Hotel its Hall of Fame Awards of Excellence program. At an elegant, sold-out dinner, the HAC presented four members with awards in the categories of Humanitarian, Human Resources and Energy & Environment. To wrap up the evening, CTV’s Mike Duffy gave the keynote address.

For more information on the 2006 Conference and Awards Dinner, please contact the Hotel Association of Canada at (613) 237-7149 or [email protected].

The Hotel Association of Canada is the national organization representing the accommodation industry in Canada. Our membership encompasses the provincial and territorial hotel associations, the corporate hotel chains, independent hotels, motels and resorts and the many suppliers to the hotel industry. Our objective is to assist both our national and international members as they endeavor to enhance their competitiveness and achieve their bottom line.