EyeforTravel's 'CRM in Travel' Conference in January

How Are Leading Travel Companies Using CRM to Unlock the Full Revenue Potential of Their Customers?

. October 14, 2008

NOVEMBER 8, 2006. On January 23 - 24, 2007 EyeforTravel will hold their inaugural CRM in Travel conference in San Francisco. This event see speakers from highly-successful travel companies gather to debate the latest trends in CRM, Loyalty and Customer Service. Companies represented include: Southwest, Starwood, JetBlue, Fairmont Hotels, Best Western, British Airways, Delta, American Airlines, Hotwire, Alaska Airlines, The Venetian, Walt Disney, Travelocity, Expedia, AIR MILES and TripAdvisor.

The US travel industry may be going from strength to strength, but the market is maturing, making it more important than ever for businesses to differentiate themselves. Small wonder then, that customer retention, effective loyalty programs, an optimized website and improved personalization have become such hot issues - issues which all appear on the CRM in Travel 2007 agenda. Increasingly, it is these factors that separate the leaders in travel from the rest of the pack.

The first day opens with industry heavyweights Henry Harteveldt and the VP Inflight Experience of JetBlue discussing how CRM is evolving and giving their predictions for the future. Then the conference will look at one of the fundamental principles of CRM - delivering the brand promise. CRM Directors from Fairmont, Best Western, British Airways and Kimpton Hotels will come together to discuss how delivering the brand promise has improved their retention levels.

Everyone knows they need to be offering their customers personalized content and customized communication, but this it is easier said than done. The MD of Interactive Marketing from American Airlines and the Director of CRM from Alaska Airlines will be giving case-studies on how the airline industry is engaging it's customers through personalized approach. Following this the MD of Delta.com will be delivering a keynote presentation on website optimization. Finally, highly-acclaimed speakers from Walt Disney Parks and The Venetian will reveal how they have integrated CRM with Revenue Management and Pricing to appeal to price sensitive customers.

On the second day the focus shifts to boosting customer retention and building loyalty. The first session will examine how the Online Travel Agencies have created loyal customer and enviable retention rates. Speakers include the Director of Retention and Loyalty from Expedia. The remainder of the second day will be looking at best practices for managing loyalty programs. The travel industry might have pioneered the loyalty program, but for most companies, today's schemes no longer live up to their full potential. Delegates can hear from well-known brands Sol Melia Hotels, AIRMILES and Southwest Airlines and benchmark their own loyalty strategy. The conference ends with an in-depth analysis of the loyalty trends for 2007.

List of speakers:

---|Vicky Stennes, VP Inflight Experience, JetBlue

---|Rachel Ryerson, Field Director Marketing and CRM, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide

---|Henry Harteveldt , Vice President & Principal Analyst, Travel Research, Forrester Research (tbc)

---|Jon Mamela, Director of Relationship Marketing, Fairmont Hotels

---|Gary Sain, Chief Marketing Officer/Partner, Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell

---|Thomas Brandt, General Manager, Delta.com & Self-Service - International

---|Rob Friedman Managing Director - Interactive Marketing, American Airlines

---|Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director of Marketing Strategy & Customer Relationship Management, Canada Tourism Commission

---|Theresa Fox, VP Operations and Product Management, Groople

---|Barbara McCollister, Senior Director of Sales & Business Development, Travel Ticker by Hotwire

---|Marston Gould, Director Customer Relations Management, Alaska Airlines

---|Rom Hendler, VP Strategic Marketing, The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino

---|Dave Pelter, VP Pricing, Farecast

---|Cameron Davies, Consumer-Centric Revenue Optimization, Walt Disney Hotels and Resorts

---|Ruth Hutson, Director of Retention & Loyalty, Expedia

---|Sotiris Damianos, Sales and Marketing Director, Hotelopia

---|Adriana Toledo, Director Loyalty Programs, Americas Division, Sol Melia Hotels and Resorts

---|Caroline Papadatos, Chief Knowledge Officer, AIR MILES Reward Program

---|Sarah Welch, Director of Customer Marketing, TripAdvisor

---|Rick Ferguson, Editorial Director, COLLOQUY

---|Rich Johnson, Director of Customer Care, Best Western International

---|Peter Schinasi, Director of Relationship Marketing, British Airways

---|Renee Will George, Director of CRM & Strategic Marketing, Kimpton Hotels

---|Debra Benton, Director Loyalty Marketing, Southwest Airlines

For more information on this event www.eyefortravel.com/crm2007/11

To request a brochure visit: http://www.eyefortravel.com/crm2007/info_request.asp

Delegates can also qualify for the early-bird discount they book before 1st December. For information on reserving your place visit: https://secure.firstconf.com/travel/crm2007/register_request.asp

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