Antigua Hotels & Tourist Association Members Can Exchange Ideas With Global Experts

The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) has tapped leading tourism industry professionals to engage members during the general sessions of the association’s Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF). Antigua Hotels& Tourist Association (AHTA) members will learn valuable business practices which can be implemented to generate revenue, reduce costs and become more efficient.
CHIEF, scheduled for Oct. 2-4, 2015 at El Conquistador Resort, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, in Puerto Rico, will bring together global experts with regional expertise to share insight with Caribbean hoteliers and other tourism and hospitality providers.
“CHTA is bringing together the best tourism professionals as CHIEF panelists and moderators so all AHTA members can exchange ideas that lead to a more successful and profitable business model,” said AHTA General Manager Neil Forrester. “Our members who participate in CHIEF will return home with the tools and contacts to help them implement strategies in their businesses right away,”
The general session Peering Into The Future: Turning Knowledge Into Dollars provides insight into global and regional economic performance, industry and travel trends, and other factors that must be considered when making sound business decisions such as currency fluctuation, taxes, fuel prices and technological changes. Leading that session will be John Fareed, principal, John Fareed Hospitality Consulting, LLC; Gary Brough, managing director, KPMG Turks and Caicos and Head of Caribbean Leisure Tourism Unit; Greg Oates, senior editor, Skift; and Nicola Madden-Greg, president, Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association, and group director of marketing and sales, for The Courtleigh Hotel.
The Future of Travel Distribution: Are You Tuning Into the Right Channels? panel explores the ever-changing dynamics of consumer buying behavior and travel distribution. Hoteliers will look at how best to tap into the channel trends and the pros and cons of each as well as become better equipped at generating sales through the various available travel channels. The panel will be led by Clayton Reid, president & CEO, MMGY Global. Joining Reid will be Karen Cardwell, senior revenue manager, RockResorts; Demetrius Canton, director, market management – Caribbean, Expedia; Andrew Von Luchen, CEO, JackRabbitt; and Manny Melendez, director strategic sales, Travelclick.
Cuba: Opportunity or Threat? will examine how the U.S./Cuba normalization will impact CHTA members’ businesses and provide solutions for minimizing the potential downside from the displacement of U.S. based business. The session will also present the opportunities Cuba offers for CHTA member hotels and the region. This session will be moderated by Anton Edmunds, president & CEO, The Edmunds Group, joined by Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, principle partner for the Bedford Baker Group.
Travel + Leisure’s Editor Nathan Lump, CHIEF’s keynote speaker, will define the future of the hospitality and travel sector from the consumer’s perspective, particularly as it relates to leisure travelers to the Caribbean.
CHIEF offers three days of value-packed and engaging exchange sessions focused on helping businesses to generate revenue, reduce costs and become more efficient. CHIEF incorporates a variety of educational tracks so attendees can walk away with practical business tips. Peer-to-peer opportunities will be provided to allow hoteliers to learn from one-another’s best practices and their success in tackling operational and marketing challenges. The educational tracks will be led by experts from a variety of travel, tourism and hospitality industry segments featuring roundtable panels with one-one-one discussions in Operations, Sales & Marketing, and Sustainability. An interactive tradeshow format, featuring an open floor plan, has been designed so participants and exhibitors can interact through live demonstrations of new products. Exhibitors will offer exclusive discounts on services and products to CHIEF attendees.
CHIEF is organized with the support of patron sponsors Interval International and MasterCard; platinum sponsors Travelzoo and Cable and Wireless, gold sponsors Ask Me, Adara, Choice Hotels International, Expedia, OBMI, Sojern, STR, The New York Times, and World Media.
CHIEF registration and complete event details are available at www.chtachief.com. To register, email events@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com or call 786-476-8623.