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AGENDA (Schedule subject to change)
The program will include a wide range of topics in hospitality distribution and many will be derived straight from industry headlines and recent news. We will be bringing back our data presentations and legal news discussion and are also pleased to announce that our Disciplines will take the main stage for the first time to provide updates on work in progress, keynote speakers and immersive workshops.
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GLOEvent: HEDNA
Dates: January 16-18, 2024
Location: Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, LA, United States
HEDNA events are created to reinforce our vision of being the single, global voice navigating the complexity of hotel distribution. Our conferences offer curated content and networking avenues in a variety of formats over the course of several days. Whether your primary goal is education, meeting industry colleagues or a combination of both, HEDNA events have it all.
HEDNA is a global community of hospitality professionals, technology providers, educators, and consultants passionate about elevating the role of distribution. Through influence, collaboration and networking, we elevate careers, harness new business opportunities, and drive the business of hospitality forward, together. Through our global conferences, local networking events and industry working groups, we help our stakeholders appreciate the nuances of today’s technologies, gauge the impact of today’s trends, and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.
AGENDA (Schedule subject to change)
TUESDAY, JANUARY 16
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Check In and Registration Open Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Mezzanine
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. HEDNA U Royal Salon
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. *Future Leaders Reception – By Invitation Only Hotel Monteleone – Carousel Bar
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception Offsite – Court of Two Sisters
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Check In and Registration Open Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Mezzanine
8:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. HEDNA Lounge Hotel Monteleone – Royal Room
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast Hotel Monteleone – Iberville Ballroom
9:00 – 9:20 a.m. President’s Welcome Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom, Chris Murdock, Accor / HEDNA
9:20 a.m. – 09:40 a.m. Legal Views on Distribution Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom. Greg is back and taking the stage to present his view on the legal news most affecting distribution, immediately followed by a fireside chat and moderated Q&A. Greg Duff, Foster Garvey; Sean Nygren, Hilton
9:40 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Legal Moderated Q&A supported by Future Leaders of HEDNA Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. HEDNA’s Discipline Groups Discuss our 2023 Initiatives Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom. We’ll provide updates and information on what we’ve been working on behind the scenes. HEDNA Board Members
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. HEDNA Discipline Breakout: Strategies for Successful Implementation of Attribute-Based Selling (ABS) in Hospitality Distribution – A Case Study with Pacifica Hotels Hotel Monteleone – Bienville C. This panel, presented by the Data & Analytics and Revenue Optimization disciplines, will delve into the comprehensive approach and foundational aspects of implementing Attribute-Based Selling (ABS) in the hospitality industry. Topics will range from stakeholder engagement and defining key performance indicators (KPIs) to the role of technology partners in ABS implementation. Brandon Burtis, Pacifica Hotels; James Phillips, WebBeds; Anisha Yadav, Revinate
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Networking & Refreshments Hotel Monteleone – Royal Room (HEDNA Lounge)
11:30 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Distribution & Marketing: How New Data Laws Could Bring These Two Closer Than Ever Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom. As we migrate to a first party data world, distribution will play an increasing role supporting marketing teams as they endeavor to humanize the traveler journey in the face of ever increasing regulation. Hear about how the data at your fingertips will become more important across multiple teams and workflows. Katie Morro, Amadeus360
11:50 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Why Standardization Matters – Content for Distribution vs. Content for Marketing Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom This session will focus on how decluttering content can help to achieve omni channel content parity (a fancy way of saying – help to ensure that your content is consistent among third party partners). Kalina Nikolova, Giata; David Sgroi, Leonardo; April Key, IHG; Eddie Veldhuizen, Booking.com
12:10 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. HSMAI Presents: Sales Strategies and Identifying Third Party Partner Opportunities – Who’s in the Pipeline and Why? Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom. This session brings HSMAI’s expertise and perspective to the HEDNA audience. Ever wonder how sales teams qualify new partner and third party partner opportunities? How are they evaluated? We don’t want to say we’re making history here – but we are pretty excited to bring HSMAI and HEDNA’s collaboration to life in the first of many discussions to come. Sydney Goodwin, Omni Hotels; Anisa Musgrove-Vasquez; Accor
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch Hotel Monteleone – Iberville Ballroom
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. HEDNA Annual Partner Appreciation Lunch – By Invitation Only Hotel Monteleone – Creollo Restaurant
2:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. State of Distribution Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom. How are hoteliers thinking about Distribution in 2024? HEDNA, in partnership with NYU, is working on an industry wide and global report, powered by RateGain. We’ll discuss some preliminary findings, share how you can become a part of it and what we have planned. Peter Strebel, RateGain; Chris Murdock, HEDNA
2:20 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. The Airlines’ Journey to NDC – Lessons Learned and What Hoteliers Should Know, Adopt and Avoid Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom Tye Radcliffe has been at the forefront of NDC’s evolution, and has played a key role bringing it to its current state. He’ll share some insights, and no doubt some amusing tales while chatting with IHG’s Adrian Emmanuel about the future of new distribution capabilities and what it means for hoteliers. Tye Radcliffe, Acceyla; Adrian Emmanuel, IHG
2:50 p.m. – 3:10 p.m. Data Presentation – 360 Travel Trends Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom. Matt is here to tell us about what’s going on with travel, including a look at airline trends, hotel stats and other relevant data points from around the industry. Matt Varabkanich, Cleveland Research
3:10 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Data Presentation – Costs of Distribution Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom Yes, we’re doing this, we’re talking about the cost of Distribution. This session is designed to get us all thinking – are we maximizing efficiencies? Laura Resco, HotStats
3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. Data Moderated Q&A supported by Future Leaders of HEDNA Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom. What did we just hear? Matt and Laura stick around for an informal chat and moderated Q&A Session. Matt Varabkanich, Cleveland Research; Laura Resco, HotStats; Julie Houde, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
3:50 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. HEDNA Hotelier Spotlight – A Discussion with Vikram Pradhan, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom
Matthew Goulden will lead an informal discussion that will cover a broad range of topics from one of the leading voices in distribution and revenue management. As a bonus, you won’t want to miss Vikram’s key take aways from the conference thus far. Vikram Pradhan, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; Matthew Goulden, Lighthouse
Matthew Goulden will lead an informal discussion that will cover a broad range of topics from one of the leading voices in distribution and revenue management. As a bonus, you won’t want to miss Vikram’s key take aways from the conference thus far. Vikram Pradhan, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; Matthew Goulden, Lighthouse
4:15 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. HEDNA Masterclass: B2B Distribution – Who is going to win the B2B innovation battle? Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom
This topic has dominated the industry over the last year as the traditional wholesaler model faces threats for all sides. From conferences to headlines to new terminologies, this seems to be all anyone wants to talk about. We’re bringing the leading voices in this space to the stage – and no topic will be left uncovered. Alex Gisbert, XEA; Lauren Atlass, Hotelbeds; Chinmai Sharma, Sabre
This topic has dominated the industry over the last year as the traditional wholesaler model faces threats for all sides. From conferences to headlines to new terminologies, this seems to be all anyone wants to talk about. We’re bringing the leading voices in this space to the stage – and no topic will be left uncovered. Alex Gisbert, XEA; Lauren Atlass, Hotelbeds; Chinmai Sharma, Sabre
4:50 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. B2B Innovation Battle: Live Q&A Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom
Alex Gisbert, XEA; Lauren Atlass, Hotelbeds; Chinmai Sharma, Sabre; Faisal Memon, iOL Pay
5:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Closing Remarks Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Wine Down Happy Hour Hotel Monteleone – Royal Room (HEDNA Lounge)
Join us in the HEDNA Lounge for a glass of wine to wrap up day one.
Join us in the HEDNA Lounge for a glass of wine to wrap up day one.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18
8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Check In and Registration Open Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Mezzanine
8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. HEDNA Lounge Hotel Monteleone – Royal Room
8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Breakfast Hotel Monteleone – Iberville Ballroom
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Welcome to Day Two & What is HEDNA Up to in 2024? Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom. What’s in store?
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Phocuswright Presents: The Sustainability Gap – Belief v. Behavior Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom. Experts believe that travelers will rally behind sustainable options, yet overtourism and carbon-heavy travel options abound. So where is the disconnect? Phocuswright research is on the vanguard of understanding sustainable decision-making – the difference between what travelers say and what they do. Where are the real opportunities to inspire green behavior? Kulin Strimbu, Phocuswright
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Networking & Refreshments Hotel Monteleone – Royal Room (HEDNA Lounge)
10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. HEDNA Discipline Breakout: Sustainable Basics – A Look at Where We’re at and Where We Are Going Hotel Monteleone – Royal Salon Presented by the Content Discipline. This working session will take the basics of the draft white paper the content group has drafted plus the findings from their Climate Trade session in Milan and allow attendees to provide feedback. Ben Mussler, Priceline
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Adventures in Payments: Taking the Money , Clueing in the Front Desk and Implementation at Scale Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom
Candid discussion about the complexities of integrating and scaling innovations in payments. From PMS to Front Desk – how to stop asking for IDs and credit card at check-in. James Lemon, Stripe; Rami Zeidan, LifeHouse Hotels
Candid discussion about the complexities of integrating and scaling innovations in payments. From PMS to Front Desk – how to stop asking for IDs and credit card at check-in. James Lemon, Stripe; Rami Zeidan, LifeHouse Hotels
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Payments Session Moderated Q&A, Supported by Future Leaders of HEDNA Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom
12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch Hotel Monteleone – Iberville Ballroom
1:15 p.m. – 1:55 p.m. HEDNA Discipline Breakout: Maximizing Revenue and Guest Satisfaction – The Revenue-Driven Roadmap of Attribute-Based Selling (ABS) in Hospitality Distribution Hotel Monteleone – Royal Salon Presented by the Data & Analytics and Revenue Optimization disciplines. Building upon the insights shared on our day 1 panel, this will be a working session to dive deeper into the intersection of revenue optimization and enhanced guest satisfaction through the lens of Attribute-Based Selling (ABS) in the hospitality industry. From setting revenue-driven KPIs to refining the guest journey, discussions will encompass stakeholder collaboration, technological integration, and proven strategies for achieving measurable success. Mykola Sheludko, Sabre; Anisha Yadav, Revinate
2:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. Not Everything is AI – When is Tech just Tech and Spotting the Difference Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom. AI all day, or so we’re being told in our sales pitches, in our QBRs in our news feeds – but how can you be sure you’re talking about real, bonafide AI and not just repackaged tech? Thankfully we’ve got just the right people to help us sift through the noise, the hyped up jargon and the slick presentations so you can confidently answer the question – is it AI? Valyn Perini, Oracle; Sevket Seyalioglu, Directful
2:20 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. HEDNA Masterclass: Distribution Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom A play in three acts.
2:20 – 2:35 p.m. Introduction Setting the stage: We’ll be discussing the latest macro trends in Distribution and travel retail. What are the tech companies up to? Who’s pivoting, who’s doubling down, what will the next 18 months bring? Sebastien Leitner, Cloudbeds; Jason Shames, NYU/Skipper
2:35 – 3:15 p.m. Act 1 – Mythbuster PMS’s are becoming the center of distribution. We’re so excited to see Philippe Garnier back at HEDNA as he moderates a discussion with leading PMS companies. Tanya Pratt, Oracle; Adam Harris, Cloudbeds; Jacob Messina, Stayntouch; Aaron Jones, Muse
3:15 – 3:55 p.m. Act 2 – Wait a Minute The CRS’s and Channel Managers have something to say – moderated by Alise Deeb with Dragonfly Strategies. Lew Harasymiw, Amadeus; Katlynne Eastin, SiteMinder; Peter Strebel, RateGain
3:55 – 4:30 p.m. Act 3 – Is it Time to Diversify? B2B, Super Apps, Mobile, Demand Gen and Shifting Channels – how will the next generation find and book travel? Moderated by Tim Winrow with Hyatt Hotels. Jessica Mozer, Derbysoft; Natalie Kimball, Shiji; Steffan Berelowitz, IBS Software
4:30 – 4:55 p.m. Finale and The Reality Check Operating margins and costs are under pressure – is there a one sized fits all solution? Jennifer Barnwell, Curator Hotels and Resorts; Tom Winrow, Hyatt
4:55 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. That’s a Wrap with Chris and Natalie Hotel Monteleone – Queen Anne Ballroom HEDNA’s President and Vice President close the conference with what will no doubt be a colorful recap of our event! Chris Murdock, HEDNA President; Natalie Kimball HEDNA Vice President
7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Networking Reception Hotel Monteleone – Royal Room
Source HEDNA
