GENERAL SESSION Presentations

Wednesday Morning
8:30 AM - 11:30 AM

ONE -

Sponsored By:

The SITUATION: Mountain Travel Market Update

A short situational assessment will kick off MTS Forum-37 with an industry-wide market update that includes a recap of the waning season and a look forward to the upcoming 2012-13 season.                

Format: Summary presentation

Presenter: Ralf Garrison, partner of MTS / director and senior analyst of MTRIP

TWO -

Sponsored By:

The Business of Destination Mountain Travel;  A  SWOT Approach  

With a nod to business school convention, a panel comprised of the industry’s leading chief marketing officers will deliver an MTS first: a live “SWOT”-- a strategic assessment of destination mountain travel. They’ll be reviewing the Strengths to start building from, the Weaknesses that must be defended against, and the Opportunities to identify and explore in the face of Threats to the future of mountain travel.  In this one-hour session, the theme for the MTS Forum-37 will be established and the first steps towards hatching the 2012-13 business plans will begin.
Format: Sequential presentations followed by moderated discussion.  

Ian Arthur, Chief Marketing Officer of Intrawest
Kirsten Lynch, Chief Marketing Officer of Vail Resorts
J. William Seccombe, Chief Marketing Officer of Visit Florida

Moderator: James Chung, President at Reach Advisors

THREE -

Sponsored By:

Up Close and Personal  

During this session, participants will hear a candid discussion with Carl Sparks, president and chief executive officer of Travelocity and a recognized leader in the global travel industry. Sparks has served as CMO for Expedia and general manager for Hotels.com, and has a deep level of understanding and experience in the online booking world. He will share his thoughts and perspectives about the key strategies for success in leisure travel today and what to anticipate as the industry reinvents itself in the future.

Format:  Interview discussion  with Carl Sparks, CEO of Travelocity. 
Moderator: Ralf Garrison, partner of MTS

Wednesday Afternoon
4:15 PM - 6:00 PM

FOUR -

Sponsored By:

Distribution Channel Deep Dive: Re-wiring Supply and Demand in the Digital Age

The space between supply and demand has become a battlefield between technological innovations and evolution, as the constantly evolving tools of the digital age continually rewrite and redefine the traditional travel distribution channels.  As more channel vendors are added, there are even more competitive pressures placed on existing channels. Which channels will really drive new business in the future? And what kind of business will they drive? How do channel partners differentiate themselves from others?  How should suppliers evaluate and choose their channel partners? This special two-part general session undertakes a deep strategic review of two key areas of online distribution in 2012 and beyond.

Introductory comments will set the stage for the two sessions of the distribution channel track.

Jan Freitag, Senior Vice President of Global Development for Smith Travel Research
Douglas Quinby, Senior Director of Research for PhoCusWright

Part I: OTAs and Wholesale Reinvention
Wholesalers have long played a pivotal role in distribution. Online travel agencies (OTAs), synonymous with online travel, have redefined traditional wholesale distribution. Yet in an increasingly digital, mobile and direct travel distribution world, the potential customer touch points have grown significantly.  This in-depth roundtable discussion will shed light on the supplier-OTA-wholesaler dynamics, the role of intermediaries in travel distribution in 2012 and beyond, and how they fit into a supplier’s distribution mix.

Julian Castelli, Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Reservations, a VacationRoost Brand
Traci Mercer, Vice President of Market Management, North America Expedia Partner Services Group
Harry Peisach, President/CEO of Ski.com
Bob Stinchcomb, Vice President of Business Development at
Vail Resorts Management Company

Moderator: Douglas Quinby, Senior Director of Research for PhoCusWright

Part II: The Real Deal on Daily Deals
With tens of millions of subscribers and lightning fast growth, the “Daily Deals” phenomenon has captured the business world’s attention. But never-ending beauty salon and sushi discounts are only the beginning. Now they are targeting the world’s largest industry – travel and tourism – and they mean business. The discounts they demand can be eye-popping, but so too is their ability to aggregate demand. Debate swirls around their value to merchants and the long-term outlook for this emerging sector, but it is clear that online Daily Deals must be understood and reckoned with. Part two of this workshop features the two largest players in the daily deals space plus a supplier perspective to examine the role of this sales tool in travel distribution. How big can this space get? What is the outlook as the economy improves? How should suppliers work with them? How do they protect their higher yield channels?

Jennifer Pfeiffer, Regional Director of Travel Supplier Relations for the Midwest and Canada at Groupon
Dave Madden, General Manager, LivingSocial Escapes North America
Robert Milne, President of Wyndham Vacation Rentals North America

Moderator: Douglas Quinby, Senior Director of Research for PhoCusWright

Thursday Morning
8:30 AM - 10:10 AM

FIVE -

Sponsored By:

The Business of Survival: Success Strategies from the 7 Summits 

With this keynote presentation, MTS Forum-37 is reaching for the highest peaks, literally, to offer a metaphorical perspective about what really matters. Alison Levine will share her extraordinary personal journey that stretches from the top to the bottom of the world—the Arctic to the Antarctic and includes her role as team captain of the first American women’s Everest expedition. Her powerful message highlights leadership and its increasing importance in a world where the external environment can rarely be controlled. Her story illustrates that the few small elements that can be managed or controlled by personal actions are even more critical. Symbolically and literally, she illustrates how “complacency leads to extinction.”  Her remarkable story and message is riveting and relevant—personally and professionally. 

 Format: Keynote presentation by Alison Levine, team captain of the first American women's Everest expedition; adjunct professor - U.S. Military Academy.

Thursday Afternoon

Sponsored By:

Junior General Session:  Destination Direct:  Managing Your Own “Brand.com”

With much of MTS Forum-37 focused on distribution channels, this afternoon session shifts to those building their own direct channels. It will offer fresh insights into the newly emerging tools and strategies, as well as the structure for destinations and lodging properties to build their own customer-direct channels.

Part 1: Destinations in the Digital Age- This session is all about what you need to know now. Rachel Salberg and Hayley Lambert from Google provide insights on how marketing has shifted and how leisure destinations marketing their own “brand.com” can effectively evolve with the changing travel consumer to effectively market your destination's brand. Supporting presentations by mountain destination experts will personalize the discussion to the ski industry.

Moderator:  Carl Ribaudo, President of Strategic Marketing Group

Panelists:
Hayley Lambert, Destination Account Executive at Google
Rachel Salberg, Destination Marketing Lead at Google

Part 2: DMD-Destination Direct:  Implication and Applications - The second part of the discussion will focus on practical considerations for destinations and tourism-dependent businesses charged with creating demand. It will also include perspectives from the ski industry’s central reservations personnel, who manage the lodging supply, aggregate inventory, package vacations and convert sales through web and phone systems.

Moderator:  Carl Ribaudo, President of Strategic Marketing Group

Trevor Crist, President/CEO of Inntopia
J. William Seccombe, Chief Marketing Officer of Visit Florida
Jesse True, President of Central Reservation Association of Destination Resorts (CRADR)