2008 Asia Pacific Regional Meeting

Main • Agenda • Hotel • FAQ • Register • Transportation • Attendees • Presentations

Wednesday, April 23rd
18.00 – 18.30	'Meet and Greet' the First Timers By invitation only – briefing for new members and first-time attendees to the regional meeting.
18.30 – 21.00	Welcome Reception Welcome Address John Ueberroth, Chairman & CEO, Preferred Hotel Group Frank Clovyn, General Manager, Landmark Hotel Bangkok New Member Hotels' Introduction New Member Hotel Representatives Come and get to know your new sister properties in the region.

Thursday, April 24th
08.30	Hospitality Desk Opens
09.00 – 09.30	2008 – An Exciting Year for PHG with New ASPAC Leadership John Ueberroth, Chairman & CEO, Preferred Hotel Group In this opening session, John will share PHG global vision and strategies for 2008 with you. He will also introduce our new ASPAC team structure and leaders who will be working closely with you toward another successive year.
09.30 – 10.30	So What’s in Store for Us in ASPAC? Mark Simmons, Area Managing Director – Asia, Preferred Hotel Group Mark will address upcoming key issues that will affect the region and outline PHG strategies to sustain growth for you. He will also introduce our new PHG associates and existing associates with new roles.
10.30 – 11.00	Morning Break and The Marketplace Opens
11.00 – 11.50	Time to Get Defensive In the Current Economy Ananya Narayan, Senior Vice President, Global Strategy, Preferred Hotel Group Are you prepared for an economic downturn? What if your most productive accounts start to cut back? Are you ready to compete with new hotels in your marketplace? Let Ananya share his expert advice and useful tips to develop defensive strategies for your hotel.
11.50 – 12.20	Brand Website Reveal I – SummitHotels.com Mark Wong, Vice President, Marketing & Development – Asia Pacific, Preferred Hotel Group We are extremely excited to reveal the new 'Discover Local Luxury' brand identity for Summit Hotels & Resorts. You will be the first to have a sneak preview of the new website design and enhanced functionality.
12.20 – 13.20	Lunch and Networking
13.20 – 14.10	Effective Techniques to Make Sales Channels Work for You Josephine Lim, Director, Global Sales – Asia Pacific, Preferred Hotel Group Josephine will put on her Hotel Sales hat and show you how to increase production from PHG sales channels – RFP Process, Group Leadshare System, iBid, Roadshows, etc. She will also provide you with sales tools and suggestions on how to work with PHG as your extended sales team.
14.10 – 15.00	Optimize Web Distribution Beyond Your Home Page Gideon Dean, Senior Vice President – Global Hospitality Sales, TIG Global Our first guest speaker is from TIG Global, our latest strategic partner for web services. Gideon will share his expertise in managing web distribution beyond a well-optimized hotel website. Look for excerpts from their latest sponsored research, The Travel Marketer’s Guide to Social Media and Social Networks: Sales & Marketing in A Web 2.0 World.
15.00 – 15.50	Discussion Panel: Travel Issues and Trends in Asia Pacific John Koldowski, Director – Strategic Intelligence Centre, Pacific Asia Travel Association Lucus Crump, Associated Publisher, Travel+Leisure Magazine South East Asia Lynne Ireland, Area Managing Director – South Pacific, Preferred Hotel Group Our guest panelists will share their research findings and expert observations on current trends from the industry and consumer perspectives. You will have a chance to discuss your issues with our panelists in the Q&A section.
15.50 – 16.30	Afternoon Break and Group Photo
16.30 – 17.20	2008 Quality Assurance Guidelines Christine Champness, Managing Director, Hotel IQ International Hotel IQ is our new Quality Assurance partner. Christine will outline their company’s assessment methodology and our new Brand and Operating Standards. Make sure you take good notes for your hotel to pass the audits with distinction.
17.20 – 17.50	Brand Website Reveal II – PreferredHotels.com Mark Wong Elegant. Indulgent. Epic. Expect to see an entirely new ‘look and feel’ for PreferredHotels.com. Mark will give you a sneak peek of the new pages and features within the website.
17.50 – 18.00	Wrap Up for the Day Mark Simmons Mark will conclude the day by going through the housekeeping notes.
19.00 – 20.00	‘Meet the Press’ Reception at Dream Hotel Bangkok Get ready to mingle with journalists and publishers from the Travel media.
20.00 – 22.00	Poolside Dinner Casual dinner on the rooftop.

Friday, April 25th
08.30	Hospitality Desk Opens
08.30 – 09.30	Pre-General Session – Brand Breakfast Roundtable Preferred Hotels® & Resorts – Ananya Narayan Summit Hotels & Resorts – Mark Simmons Sterling Hotels – Josephine Lim These break-outs sessions are organized for you to brain-storm and create marketing alliances with sister properties within the same brand. PHG will provide you with the relevant tools to create a viable brand action plan.
09.30 - 10.15	PHG Distribution and Total Brand Connectivity Deena Kaufman, Senior Vice President, Revenue & Distribution Management, Preferred Hotel Group Deena will discuss the PHG distribution landscape, the results and opportunities, and how the concept of Total Branded Connectivity will set you apart from the competition.
10.15 - 11.00	Top Ten Competitive Pricing Strategies Deena Kaufman Karen Wong, Manager, Revenue Management – Asia Pacific, Preferred Hotel Group Are you pricing your product competitively in your marketplace? Deena and Karen will review some of the key strategies that will help you make the right decisions.
11.00 – 11.30	Morning Break and The Marketplace Opens
11.30 – 12.15	Creating a Revenue Breakthrough Klaus Kohlmayr, Director – Services, IDeaS Revenue Optimization Many companies achieve a true "Revenue Breakthrough" through an alignment and a continuous focus on improving the People, Processes and Tools. Klaus will help you understand how you can go about creating a true revenue breakthrough and create the optimal conditions within your hotel to outperform within an ever-increasing competitive environment.
12:15 – 12.45	Brand Website Reveal III – PreferredBoutique.com Mark Wong The third reveal focuses on the legendary guest experiences at our Preferred Boutique member hotels. Come and join in the expedition to discover the web experience.
12.45 – 13.45	Lunch and Networking
13.45 – 14.35	Optimizing Marketing Channels Mark Wong Co-operative Advertising, Frequent Flyer Programs, Credit Card Promotions – the list goes on. But are you taking advantage of these communication channels? Mark will discuss the results from 2007 marketing programs and present new opportunities for 2008.
14.35 – 15:20	The Luxury ASPAC Consumer – An American Express Case Study Phil Pomford, Manager – Global Client Group, American Express International Learn what triggers the luxury consumers to respond positively to a promotion, how to convert them into your customers, and how to retain them as your loyal brand advocates. Phil will share American Express’ success stories with you.
15.20 – 15.45	Afternoon Break and Networking
15.45 – 16.15	*The Sweetest Deal – I Prefer* Guest Benefits Program™** Mark Wong Get a taste of the latest I Prefer cupcake campaign. Has your hotel rolled out the new collateral for the guests? Have you signed up for I Prefer? If not, let Mark demonstrate the value of this program to you. Don’t you want a piece of the cake?
16.15 – 16.45	Brand Website Reveal IV – SterlingHotels.com Mark Wong Last but not least, Mark will reveal the personality for SterlingHotels.com. He will give you a quick tour of the new web pages and functionality.
16.45 – 17.00	Closing Remarks Preferred Hotel Group 40th Anniversary 2008 Annual Conference – 19 to 22 October Mark Simmons Mark will conclude the meeting with a preview of PHG 40th Celebrations and Annual Conference in Mexico.
17.00 – 18.00	One-on-One Appointments and Networking with PHG Associates The sign-up sheets will be available at the Hospitality Area. Management: Ananya Narayan Mark Simmons Lynne Ireland Sales: Josephine Lim Tay Sock Pheng Satsuki Uchida Valerie Cheung Janet Chan Saurabh Rai Bhatnagar Marketing: Mark Wong Christine Cheong Revenue Management: Deena Kaufman Karen Wong