On 7 February, leading experts in the hotel, restaurant, pubco and travel industry will gather under one roof to identify and debate the latest industry challenges, opportunities and trends in internet marketing and revenue management.

The one-day conference will feature top business leaders offering their thoughts on how to drive revenue while inviting you to take part in hands-on workshops to help your organisation implement breakthrough marketing opportunities.

Key speakers include:

• Nate Bucholz, Industry Manager for Travel, Google
• Michael Nowlis, London Business School and former CEO of International Hotel & Restaurant Association
• Guillaume Thevenot, Hotel Trade Relations Manager EMEA, TripAdvisor
• John Fareed, Executive Vice President, Anson-Stoner

Key discussion themes include:

• How Google’s revolutionary approach to the hotel and travel industry will help drive profits
• What lessons restaurants and pubcos can learn from the travel industry’s approach to revenue management
• Challenges and opportunities of online customer feedback
• Global social media trends and how to maximise marketing opportunities through social media

The first HSMAI Revenue Management and Internet Marketing Strategy Conference is a “not-to-be-missed” event if you are a marketing, Internet or commercial director in the hospitality or travel industry with an eye to staying ahead of the curve.

Click banner ad for further details:

Event Sponsors:

Media Sponsor:

Media Partner:

They keep telling us not to judge the book by its cover, but we’re all mere humans, easily seduced by an inviting exterior, rendering appearances all the more important. Granted most people would be reluctant to revisit a restaurant if the impression made on a website corresponds poorly with the experience, once there, but wouldn’t it be fair to assume that an inviting place is more likely to deliver than one paying less heed to its appearance?

German design website Smashing Magazine recently ran a showcase of select restaurant and bar websites from around the world, included that of the French lounge Le 28Thiers (as seen above), which comes highly recommended. Please go have a look-see yourself. You might just get an idea or two!

HSMAI Chapter Norway relaunched its website, hsmai.no, yesterday, based on HSMAI Europe’s overall functionality and design, but with a domestic twist.

As opposed to HSMAI Europe, the Norwegian chapter also sports a section for career opportunities, as well as a soon-to-launch password-protected member network, Facebook-style.

Rumour has it the redesign and the new functions have been very well received.

“After preparing the redesigned website throughout summer, we’re very pleased to welcome you to our refurbished site, especially facilitating news and two-way integration with the social media,” says Ingunn Hofseth, president of HSMAI Chapter Norway – and the European division – in a statement, branding the new site a lot more “vital, dynamic, copious and informative”.

Up until recently the chapter’s communications have largely been based on the weekly newsletter, HSMAI Weekly, which is now fully incorporated in the new website.

You must have noticed that our updates of late have been scant, which, in part, pertains to the simple fact that these are lazy days, albeit not for us. Au contraire, we’re busy building new websites and enhancing HSMAI’s European presence in the social media.

First off, HSMAI Chapther Norway, whose website is currently under construction, to reappear as an HSMAI.eu clone with national chapter colours and features, shares secretarial functions with HSMAI Europe. Amid preparations prior to the autumn’s big events, the organisation is busy building online relations and networks, with groups on Facebook and LinkedIn, in addition to our Twitter, Flickr and YouTube profiles.

We will however try to publish news as they occur. Please notify our editorial staff if you know of any noteworthy news: newsdesk@hsmai-europe.com

Whilst these time-consuming enterprises take place, we hope you forgive that our website has entered a summer mode, and wish you all a fabulous summer.

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