HSMAI Europe is delighted to announce the winners of Europe’s Top Ten Extraordinary Minds in the Hospitality & Travel Industry. With the awards in its first year, the HSMAI European Awards 2011 recognised both leading experts and industry professionals for their exemplary work within the travel industry.

Ingunn Hofseth, President of HSMAI Europe, introducing the HSMAI European Travel Awards 2011.

“Tonight we will award Europes Top Ten Extraordinary Minds in the Hospitality & Travel Industry. This will see us honour some of the great men and women who have achieved unbelievable results, and who will stand out as role models in the hotel and travel industry for many years to come,” said Ingunn Hofseth, President of HSMAI Europe, as she introduced the event.

The winners are:

• Bjørn Kjos, CEO, Norwegian Air Shuttle
• Gerard Greene, CEO, Yotel
• Grace Leo, President, G.L.A. Hotels
• José A. Tazón, Chairman, Amadeus
• Kurt Ritter, President, The Rezidor Group
• Tamara Heber-Percy, CTO, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
• Michael Levie, Founding Partner and CEO, citizenM hotels
• Petter Stordalen, Chairman and Owner, Nordic Choice Hotels
• Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Group
• Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Founder, EasyJet

Hearing some of the winners express their gratitude and sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm about the future of our industry, was truly a highlight of the event, which also introduced several other awards.

HSMAI Europe is facing a great opportunity for growth in several European markets, encompassing all segments of the travel and hospitality industry. In our encounters with members, as well as prospective members and possible partners, we have been met with repeated reassurances of the continued need for an organisation like ours.

The HSMAI brand is strong in some countries, while relatively unknown in others. Both categories have greeted us with open arms and suggested activities to launch in various areas. They all acknowledge the potential, emphasising the need for us to reach out and seize the opportunity.

Companies, organisations and individuals alike have expressed great interest in our products, and there are many who are willing to help us succeed in our endeavours, which has made it a lot easier for us to identify the vast potential for attracting strategic partners and the basis for potential membership across Europe.

There’s no denying that recent activities in a number of European countries have contributed to the overwhelmingly positive response, which is something we will continue to bear in mind. Please see this recent report.

Meanwhile all of us in HSMAI would like to use the opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Ingunn Hofseth
HSMAI Europe
President

LONDON, UK — Last Thursday saw the first ever meeting in the recently established European Advisory Board. Thanks to our good partners the meeting was held at one of the best hotels in the world, The Ritz London, lasting all day.

In my opening statement I focused on our vision, objects, values and purposes and, but not least, various HSMAI concepts and activities planned for HSMAI Europe.

Mr. Michael Nowlis, London Business School and member of the HSMAI European Advisory Board, gave an interesting presentation of industry trends, followed by a long – and good – discussion, including several proposals to be incorporated in our forthcoming market plan.

A mandate was presented to the group:

Mandate

The Advisory Board will act as HSMAI’s eyes and ears to the market, give advice and help HSMAI fulfil its vision to become the leading meeting place for the travel and hospitality industry in Europe.

Furthermore, they will be ambassadors of HSMAI, and will, through their own network and the network of their peers, assist actively in recruiting members to HSMAI.

The group’s next scheduled meeting will take place in London Friday 6 May, the day after the HSMAI European Travel Awards, also in London, to be held at the Hilton Park Lane Hotel Thursday 5 May.

Eventually the HSMAI Europe Advisory Board will consist of more than 20 esteemed leaders from across Europe. Given the central position of HSMAI in Norway, we will have several representatives from this chapter. Several hotels, airline companies, etc. from international chains and individual actors from all over Europe will be invited to participate. We will, however, make an effort to achieve the right mix of male and female members.

The final composition of the group is set to March 2011, but we are very pleased to introduce the current board:

• Carl Weldon, Managing Director BAHA, UK
• Martin Jørgensen, CEO – Chief Executive Officer Net Trans, Norway
• Michael Nowlis, Director, London Business School, UK
• Robin Kamark, CCO SAS, Sweden
• Terje Olsen, Head of Sales Nordic, HRG Nordic, Norway
• Young N. Nguyen CEO, d2o, Norway

With everything going on in Europe these are very exciting times, which will benefit members in all countries, and expectations of HSMAI Europe are high.

Please make sure to reserve Monday 7 February already now for the HSMAI Revenue Management & Internet Marketing Strategy Conference, as well as Thursday 5 May for the HSMAI European Travel Awards.

We will get back to details on submitting contributions to the awards at a later stage.

Meanwhile we wish you all a very happy holiday season.

Sincerely,
Ingunn Hofseth
President & CEO, HSMAI Europe

HSMAI Europe will be co-hosting seminars on Revenue Management with HSMAI Ireland in Dublin and Belfast, as well as with BAHA in London between 29 November and 2 December, in what is dubbed an extraordinary opportunity now rolling out across Europe, the “introduction to the CRME (Certified Revenue Management Executive) programme, granting you the right to add CRME to your name and title, which carries with it the recognition and authority, as well as job opportunities, entailed”.

The programme is based on HSMAI Amaricas’ recently upgraded certification in Revenue Management, where “individuals working in revenue management in the travel and hospitality industry, upon meeting the minimum qualifications for participants, can take a 60-minute online examination offering a chance to confirm their knowledge, experience, and capabilities”.

The workshops will take place in Dublin (29 November), Belfast (30 November) and London (2 December) 2010.

Mr Jeffrey Osborne CRME, CEO of Intelligent Hotels

Accomplished international resource

“We are extremely pleased to introduce our Irish and British colleagues to the workshops, led by Jeffrey Osborne CRME, who is an accomplished international resource and trainer with broad experience throughout European and North American markets,” says Ms Ingunn Hofseth, president and CEO of HSMAI Europe in a statement.

Jeffrey Osborne CRME, CEO of Intelligent Hotels, has been recognised worldwide for his cutting edge, results-driven approach to the design and implementation of systems that enable hotels to maximise profits through savvy revenue management. Using the expertise developed during a 25-year hospitality career, involving corporate, operational and revenue management positions, Osborne has successfully put his results-driven strategies to work for independent and branded hotels and resorts throughout Europe and the North American markets.

Two tailored seminars

There will be two separate seminars in all three venues. The first session, from 9 am to midday, is designed to help current revenue managers prepare for the examination required to become certified in Revenue Management under the current guidelines of HSMAI.

Session 2, from 1 pm to 4 pm, is directed towards experienced revenue managers and their leaders, to help them better understand what the process is all about, and what it implies for their business units.

Potential participants are welcome to join one seminar or the other – or both, taking place in these hotels:

Bewley’s Hotel, Ballsbridge in Dublin:

The Fitzwilliam Hotel in Belfast:

Hilton London Metropole in London:

Ambitious expansion plans

Ingunn Hofseth, president and CEO of HSMAI Europe.

“We all share the expectation that the seminars may signify the onset of a productive HSMAI era in Ireland and the UK, but I would like to emphasise that it would have been hard to pull this off without the fabulous people in BAHA and HSMAI Chapter Ireland’s board of directors,” Ms Hofseth continues, adding:

“But let’s not forget the busy schedules in The Netherlands and Norway,” with reference to this agenda, including the HSMAI Europe conference in Lisbon 15 December, the HSMAI European Revenue Management conference in London 7 February 2011 and the HSMAI Europe Marketing conference in London 5 May, followed by the HSMAI European Travel Awards on the same evening – among numerous other events.

“There can be no doubt that we have an extremely interesting year ahead of us,” she says.

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) presented the winners of its 53rd annual Adrian Awards at the New York Marriott Marquis on Monday night. The Adrian Awards honour the top companies and individuals in hospitality, travel and tourism advertising, public relations and web marketing. The evening also featured speciality awards from DEPARTURES Magazine, Google, TRAVELCLICK, and TripAdvisor.

Bob Gilbert, president and CEO of HSMAI Global. Mobile photo: Jarle Petterson

“This year’s Adrian Awards was a night filled with undeniable talent and innovation,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “HSMAI is proud of the 2009 winners for their creativity and immense skill.”

USA TODAY reporter Barbara De Lollis opened the Gala and gave the audience insight into her move from print to digital media through her “Hotel Check-In” blog. “Today, online is where so many travellers go for their information,” said De Lollis. “It’s immediate, it’s interactive and it’s lightening fast.”

The 2010 Adrian Awards received nearly 1100 entries from around the globe. The prestigious Platinum winners were judged to be the most extraordinary entrants from a selection of 123 Gold winners. Chosen from the Platinum winners, the highest distinction of Best of Show for the divisions of advertising, public relations and web marketing went to:

Advertising “Best of Show”

The San Diego Zoo and their agency M&C Saatchi for their entry that spread the message of conservation of the world’s animals. The campaign launched the Zoo’s new exhibit by telling the story of Phil and Harry, a pair of computer-generated mammoths living the good life in Southern California circa 12,000 B.C.

Public Relations “Best of Show”

Tourism Queensland and their agency Cummins Nitro for the “Best Job in the World” campaign that generated 34,000 candidate applications from 197 countries vying for the position of Island Caretaker, along with worldwide media coverage.

Web Marketing “Best of Show”

“Life of a Brown Paper Bag” video by the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau. The destination took one of its most treasured holiday traditions and added compelling content and humour to create an original holiday greeting video that was shared extensively and generated a tremendous ROI.

ADVERTISING PLATINUM WINNERS

• Company (Agency)
• Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (R&R Partners)
• Lindblad Expeditions
• Maine Office of Tourism (Swardlick Marketing Group)
• Marriott International (McGarry Bowen)
• Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism (Target Marketing)
• San Diego Zoo (M&C Saatchi)

PUBLIC RELATIONS PLATINUM WINNERS

• Company (Agency)
• Elite Island Resorts (Pomerantz PR)
• Fontainebleau Miami Beach (Weber Shandwick)
• Hotel Sax Chicago (Zapwater Communications, Inc.)
• Moroccan National Tourist Office (Spring, O’Brien)
• Omni Hotels (Weber Shandwick)
• Pennsylvania Tourism Office (Tierney)
• Tourism Queensland (Cummins Nitro)
• VisitScotland (Laura Davidson Public Relations)

WEB MARKETING PLATINUM WINNERS

• Company (Agency)
• Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Dolce Hotels and Resorts
• Morgans Hotel Group (ZAAZ)
• The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (Weber Shandwick and phearcreative)
• Tourism Queensland (Cummins Nitro)
• Howard Johnson (Berlin Cameron)

HSMAI Adrian Awards Gold Award winners were honoured throughout the Gala and displayed during the Gold Award Gallery Reception, presented with partner Expedia Media Solutions, prior to the Gala.

In addition to its Adrian Awards, HSMAI recognised the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing and presented two individuals with the top honour of Lifetime Achievement. The awards recognised the recipients for their significant contributions and lasting impressions on the hospitality and travel industry.

HSMAI’s annual Albert E. Koehl Award for advertising and marketing was awarded to Sol Kerzner, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Kerzner International Holdings Limited. The Winthrop W. Grice Award for public relations excellence was bestowed upon Vivian A. Deuschl, Corporate Vice President, Public Relations, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

“So many of you here tonight have contributed to my career and I am incredibly grateful,” said Deuschl in accepting her award.

“I’ve been in this business for 45 years, and I’ve loved every day of it,” said Kerzner during his acceptance speech. “It makes the world spin around.”

A new addition to the Adrian Awards line-up was TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best Hotels and Brand Awards. Their top brand award went to Ritz-Carlton.

The DEPARTURES Magazine Luxury Marketing Achievement Award was presented to Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club and ISM.

TRAVELCLICK paid tribute to the best integrated eMarketing programme in the hotel industry with the eMarketer of the Year award, presented to Joie de Vivre Hospitality.

Google’s Wisdom of the Crowds Award, which recognises an integrated marketing campaign that today’s travellers and HSMAI members choose as the best in its class, went to the San Diego Zoo.

Founded in 1957, the Adrian Awards embraces every segment of the industry, including hotels, airlines, cruise lines, car rental companies, destinations, credit card companies and more. Winners are selected from a field of 1100 entries by senior industry and media experts. For more information, visit www.adrianawards.com.

Monday night, the global leaders in the world of hospitality assembled in New York for the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Awards Gala to recognise inspiring best practices in sales and marketing for the hospitality industry. During the black-tie event, TRAVELCLICK®, the leader in hotel ecommerce solutions, and HSMAI named Joie de Vivre Hospitality the 2009 eMarketer of the Year—a recognition that reflects the superior ability to attract and convert guests through the industry’s most effective channel, the web. Joie de Vivre is the first—and only—repeat winner of the eMarketer of the Year award. The company received the award also in 2006.

Sponsored by TRAVELCLICK, eMarketer of the Year recognizes the best integrated emarketing program in the hotel industry. Contenders were judged on the strength of their web presence and booking performance driven by world-class online marketing, including website design, search marketing, emerging channels, and community development through social marketing.

Despite a recessionary economy in 2009, Joie de Vivre increased web traffic by 65 percent and grew web business by over 50 percent. The largest collection of boutique hotels in California, the chain has 35 hotels that span from the northern wine country to San Francisco to Silicon Valley and down the coast to Los Angeles. Using a creative combination of strategies, including integrated brand campaigns, alternate channels, social marketing, search engine optimization, and pay-per-click advertising—coupled with an enhanced web platform and booking engine, and strong relationships with third-party sites—Joie de Vivre has demonstrated extraordinary success in driving demand and converting bookings online.

Joie de Vivre, who won in the competition’s Chain category to qualify for the overall award, has been exemplary also in its use of social networking to grow business. From its “Five Little Words” contest on Facebook to a “Sowing the Seeds of Love” earth-friendly Valentine’s package, the company has evolved social networking into a true booking channel. Their “Twitter Tuesday” and “Facebook Friday” campaigns delivered more than 1000 room nights and expanded an already loyal community to over 10,000 fans and followers.

Accepting the award for Joie de Vivre was Chief Revenue Officer Linda Palermo. “We are delighted to receive the eMarketer of Year Award,” said Palermo. “Joie de Vivre has worked hard to understand how and where our potential guests are shopping—and which channels will bring us the greatest return at the lowest cost. We are pleased with how rapidly we’ve been able to connect guests to our brand online to generate high-value, repeat business.”

Along with naming the 2009 eMarketer of the Year, TRAVELCLICK recognized the following winners in the finalist regional and chain categories:

• Asia/Pacific Region: Zeavola Resort, Phi Phi Island, Thailand (www.zeavola.com)
• Europe/Middle East/Africa Region: Hotel Stureplan, Stockholm, Sweden (www.hotelstureplan.se)
• Americas Region: The Westin Copley Place, Boston, Massachusetts (www.westin.com/copleyplace)
• Chain Category: Joie de Vivre Hospitality, San Francisco, California (www.jdvhotels.com)

“In 2009, and more than any year before, we’ve seen the Internet come of age—marking what many have called, ‘the decade of digital disruption,’” said John Hach, Senior Vice President of TRAVELCLICK’s Digital Agency. “Today, effective emarketing is a serious science that demands true expertise. All of our contenders for the 2009 eMarketer of the Year Award have leveraged this marketing science for maximum value. We applaud them, our category finalists, and winner Joie de Vivre for their tenacious use of proven strategies that drive revenue, build brand, and expand community.”

During the gala, TRAVELCLICK also unveiled its new community, Hotel Conversations, where hotels from around the world share insights and experiences for connecting hotels and guests. To watch their video stories and join in the dialogue, visit www.HotelConversations.com.

Norwegian passenger and freight line Hurtigruten, sometimes referred to as Norwegian Coastal Express in English, was chosen Travel Marketer of The Year 2009 at the HSMAI Chapter Norway Awards in the Oslo Congress Centre on Thursday 14 January.

There were a number of prize winners in totally twelve categories, among whom several received honourable mentioning, during the festive Oslo evening.

Charming yet professional

The jurors emphasised Hurtigruten’s “[…] ability to communicate in a charming, yet highly professional way, with marketing measures deeply rooted in the company’s philosophy,” with which, obviously, they have succeeded, given the company’s impressive turnaround, from considerable 2008 losses to a healthy 2009 profit.

“We have an extremely tough year behind us,” said a grateful Hurtigruten CEO Olav Fjell, adding “so you can imagine how pleased I am that we’ve managed to turn the ship around.”

“Only one year ago we had one foot in the probate and bankruptcy court, and I’m immensely proud of this achievement. At an opportunity like this I find it only timely to send my heartfelt thanks to our some 2000 employees, who’ve managed to push in the right direction, in spite of the hardships,” Mr. Fjell said.

HSMAI Chapter Norway and Europe president and CEO Ingunn Hofseth at the HSMAI Chapter Norway Awards 2010. Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

Ingunn Hofseth, president and CEO of HSMAI Chapter Norway and HSMAI Europe, expressed her contentment with the award, too:

“I’m extremely pleased to see Hurtigruten win the prestigious award,” she said, “Especially taking their recent challenges into consideration. Also, I expect that a recognition from peers is particularly welcome,” Ms Hofseth added.

“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in the number of contributed works this year, and I have to say that I find the standards especially rewarding.”

A sample of Hurtigruten’s overseas efforts can be seen in this U.S. TV commercial:

And a few pictures, just to capture the feel of it all:

Lise Karlsnes, lead vocal of popular Norwegian group Briskeby. Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

Comedian and master of ceremonies Ørjan Burøe gave the audience a good laugh on several occasions. Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

And of course: Lots of mingling! Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

Great deals

The busy buzz of the HSMAI Meeting Exhange outside Oslo on 14 January 2010.

The HSMAI Chapter Norway Awards followed a daytime agenda on the HSMAI Meeting Exchange, taking place at the Reiseliv B2B Fair at Lillestrøm, on the outskirts of Oslo, where travel and hospitality purchasers were given a unique opportunity to meet up with some 100 vendors from a wide range of agencies and suppliers.

The HSMAI Meeting Exchange is an annual occurrence, based on the speed-dating principle, offering buyers a chance to book meetings with the industry’s leading participants.

Top photo: A happy brand and marketing manager Christian Bue Nordahl (left) and CEO Olav Fjell (centre) of Hurtigruten ASA with co-workers at the HSMAI Chapter Norway Awards. Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

For some time we have had a separate website for the European division of HSMAI in the pipeline, in addition to the national chapters – plans that finally materialise with our launch of hsmai.eu, albeit hosted on hsmai-europe.com.

We’ve decided to take things step by step, by first launching a public version of hsmai.eu, to be followed by national chapters, of which HSMAI Chapter Norway is first, upon which protected sections for members, sporting Special Interest Groups (SIG’s), fora, live chat and a host of member-exclusive features will be implemented, as well as chapter and division president blogs, to mention but a few.

Ingunn Hofseth, president, HSMAI Europe and HSMAI Chapter Norway.

As already touched on in other news, we are very eager to explore the infinite possibilities offered through social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Flickr, as we’re confident that our presence in the arenas frequented by our members, partners, the industry itself and prospective members, will improve our over-all ability to communicate – as well as to provide a long overdue on-line dialogue.

We also acknowledge that such presence is compulsory for any kind of business or organisation in this day and age, which is why we’ve decided to be at the forefront of the so-called Web 2.0 development. As a matter of fact, our new site is based on a well-known open source blog software, so advanced it even serves as a full-blown CMS (Content Management System), tweaked and customised by our very own Internet and media specialist, in order for the site to adapt the many interactive features of the surrounding social media.

It is our sincerest hope that you find the website – and our yet very recent social media presence – useful. We also hope you take the opportunity to interact with us, which is the general idea with social media.

At this point we hope you share your views on our approach, by voicing your opinion in the comment field below.

Welcome to hsmai.eu – and welcome as our member!

We also hope you’ll join us over at:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Flickr
• YouTube