BUDAPEST, The Spring Meeting of HEDNA, the Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association, will explore how mobile technologies are changing the face of hotel distribution. The meeting will be held 28-30 April 2009 at the Novotel Budapest Congress & World Trade Center in Budapest, Hungary.

More often customers are relying on their mobile devices to receive and send on the spot travel information, creating unique challenges for the distribution industry. Gerry Samuels, founder and executive director of Mobile Travel Technologies, will speak about the current trends in mobile technologies and how they impact electronic distribution. Samuels will also lead a panel discussion on this key subject.

Other highlights of the meeting include:

  • Daniel Levine, executive director of The Avant-Guide Institute, on "Turning Economic Challenges into Profitable Opportunities: How hotels can thrive in a weakening global economy."
  • Andrew Flack, vice president of sales and marketing, Asia Pacific, Hilton Hotels on capitalizing on the trends within emerging markets.
  • Panels on greening initiatives, corporate booking tools, tour packaging, social networking and social media, and user-generated content.
  • Workgroup sessions with the key GDS and OTA providers. Expedia, Pegasus Solutions, Sabre and Travelport GDS, in addition to other large distribution companies, will participate in the Budapest sessions. These workgroups give attendees direct access to senior managers at these relevant distribution companies and the opportunity for these companies to hear directly from a collective supplier base.
  • HEDNA's Committee Meetings - Group, Tour, Green Initiatives, Payment Systems, Standards and Unique Global Identifier – offer members the opportunity to have direct input into hotel distribution developments.
  • HEDNA's Tech Showcase offers attendees the chance to see the newest products and services for the hotel distribution industry.

To view the complete agenda, visit

Early Bird registration - at a reduced fee – is now available and runs through 3 April.

About HEDNA | The Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA) is a not-for-profit trade association whose worldwide membership includes executives and managers from over 200 of the most influential companies in the hotel distribution industry. Founded in 1991, all of HEDNA's activities are intended to stimulate the booking of hotel rooms through the use of GDS, the Internet and other electronic means. HEDNA brings all segments of the hotel industry together to evolve systems and services into electronic distribution that is easy and efficient. Additional information on HEDNA is available by calling +1 202-204-8400 or by visiting .

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