ihra congress 98

Paris, 14 September 1998 - Market opportunities and the business outlook for the Asian hospitality industry will be analysed by a line-up of top industry experts at the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) Annual Congress, to convene at the Shangri-La Hotel, Manila from 22-26 October 1998. The Congress will focus on new and creative strategies for marketing success under the banner, "One-to-one: Marketing in the Interactive Age".

Robert Broadfoot, managing director of Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy will set the scene with a thought-provoking keynote address on "Navigating the New Realities of Asia". Taking a scenario planning approach, he will examine alternative futures for key countries in Asia, point up the signposts businesses should follow to better anticipate change, and show how this approach can be used to manage wisely in a period of extreme uncertainty.

A session entitled "Asia-Pacific in a New Light" will examine emerging market opportunities in the region one year into the crisis, seen from the perspective of a panel of Asian hospitality executives and experts. Moderated by Adrian Pryce, consultant for the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)/World Bank Group, panelists will include Hong Kong-based Klaus Elze, vice-president, international hotel development planning for Marriott International, Ron Drake, corporate director of marketing, Pan-Pacific Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Imtiaz Muqbil, executive editor of Bangkok-based consultancy Travel Impact.

David Clifton, managing director for RCI, Asia-Pacific will assess the opportunities for new product development, such as mixed use hotel and timeshare accommodation. The session will also provide a platform for the release of key findings of a MIGA survey on international investment trends, comparing global trends with investment patterns in the Asia-Pacific region.

In "The Value of Brand Marketing Strategies", a panel of Asian hospitality players will highlight the advantages of brand equity at a time of economic crisis. The session will be moderated by Eric Pfeffer, IH&RA president and president & COO, Cendant Hotel Division, and panelists will include Ichigo Umehara, president of Singapore-based Pan-Pacific Hotels & Resorts and Danai Wansom, senior vice-president, marketing & sales at Century International Hotels in Thailand.

"Ten Hospitable Trends for the Tourism and Hospitality Industry" will be provided by Marvin Cetron, president of US-based Forecasting International in a session entitled "Changing Customers - Changing Strategies". Cetron will present an outline of the global context needed for hotels and restaurants to flourish in the first years of the new millennium.

In "Competing in a Changing Marketplace", executive director of Hong Kong-based Elite Concepts Restaurant & Club Management, Paul Hsu, known for his innovative Asia-driven concepts, will highlight the importance of achieving the right "hi-tech/low-tech" balance between new technologies and high quality and service levels, and show how this maxim applies to the Asian hospitality industry. He will be joined by Scott Anderson, executive vice-president for Cendant Corporation, who will explore the benefits of capitalising on new marketing concepts.

A session on "Navigating the Channels of Distribution" will reveal the extent to which global distribution channels are changing the face of travel bookings. Christine Toguchi, director of marketing at RezSolutions Asia Pacific in Singapore, Robert Craig, head of servicing & development for American Express Europe, Dan Connolly of Cornell University and Eric Christensen, president of WorldRes Europe will examine how new technologies are reshaping marketing strategies for GDS, the Internet, travel agents and tour operators.

Other sessions during the Congress include:

· Fish Where the Fish Are...and Use the Right Fly: an interactive session on building a new and loyal customer base through target marketing techniques.

· Winning With Your Best Customers: turning the database into the ultimate source of marketing intelligence for reaching the right customers.

· Closing the Look to Book Cycle: how to move customers from making telephone bookings to looking and booking via electronic channels.

· From Mass-Marketing to One-To-One: an overview of global marketing trends and advice on how to turn challenges into business opportunities, including presentation of the findings of the IH&RA Think-Tank on Marketing held prior to the Congress.

· Webonomics: Better Business Through the Web: how to harness the marketing potential of interactive web technology, with hands-on advice on planning, developing and implementing a Website.

· Food Safety: an International Issue: a workshop to address worldwide concerns for food safety and hygiene in the run-up to the International Food Safety Council Congress in 2000.

The Congress is expected to draw an international line-up of more than 400 hospitality executives, educators and industry suppliers for the three-day business and social programme. For more information contact the IH&RA Events Department on phone: (33 1) 44 89 94 00, fax: (33 1) 40 36 73 30, e-mail: [email protected].

Editor's note: The International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) is a global network of independent and chain operators, national associations, hospitality suppliers and educational centres in the hotel and restaurant industry in more than 150 countries. As the voice of the industry it represents, protects, promotes and informs its members to enable them to achieve their objectives.

Caroline Harvey (IH&RA)
Director, Media Relations
+ 33 1 44 89 94 07
IH&RA