Canada-e-Connect eTourism Strategy Conference 2009.

by Claude on 11 January 2009 · No Comments

Jaime Horwitz, Chair, Canada-e-Connect Advisory Committee, send me some interesting information about Canada-e-Connect eTourism Strategy Conference 2009

They have a great speakers panel and a 2 days program.

Here the information from Jaime about Canada e-Connect

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada is extremely pleased to be presenting Canada-e-Connect (CEC), Canada’s e-Tourism Strategy Conference on January 21-23, 2009 in Toronto, ON.

The Canada-e-Connect conference is Canada’s premier tourism/technology event, providing insight into the strategies, future trends, developments and innovative business practices for the Canadian tourism industry in the digital age.

CEC’s impressive 2009 program will bring leading experts from the tourism industry together with innovators from the technology sector. Keynote addresses and panel discussions between industry leaders will provide important insight into the emerging trends in e-tourism, including digital marketing, social media, mobile technology and Web 3.0 to name a few.

These sessions will take a strategic high-level approach, looking at the overall impact and rationale for these trends rather than the ‘nuts and bolts’ of implementation, and will provide an opportunity to understand the interrelations between these new developments and technological advancements in both sectors.

Opening Keynote:

Dr. Ian Fenwick, DigiMarketing
Professor, Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration (Thailand) and Co-Author, DigiMarketing: The Essential Guide to New Media and Digital Marketing.

An experienced management educator and marketing consultant, Dr. Fenwick will offer insight on how to make the most of new media in marketing tourism products.

Destination Marketing – The Road Ahead On The Smart Web:
The focus is shifting fast in online travel, from the completion of a simple transaction to an integrated planning, researching and buying process. Search, user generated content and social media are all important elements but not enough to deliver a superior, integrated experience for today’s savvy and demanding online travelers. There is a need to act now to change the business model to meet the demand for personalization, intelligence and vertical integration of local services on their sites. Joe Buhler will examine where DMOs are in relation to these innovations in e-travel and look at what new relationships are necessary to compete and take full advantage of this trend.

Joe Buhler, Principal, Buhlerworks

Luncheon Address: “Making Travelers Feel Valued in the Web 2.0 Era”
As marketers, we think a lot about value: value added, value proposition, consumer lifetime value. But what makes travel customers feel valued? The travel space is increasingly fragmented and the current economic climate will heighten competition. From social media to mobile strategies to customer service, successful travel companies will be those where marketing efforts are aligned with a single objective: how to make customers feel valued.

Diane Clarkson, Analyst, Forrestor Research Inc.

Canadian Tourism Commission e-Marketing Presentation:

Greg Klassen, Vice President, Marketing, Canadian Tourism Commission

Luncheon: Google “e-Question” Period
Over lunch, delegates will gain insight into Google’s view of the existing online travel space, future developments and advice as to how Canadian tourism business can take advantage of upcoming opportunities to compete for travellers attention in the digital space. An informative and interactive session.

Host: Jamie Horwitz, CEC Advisory Committee Chair

Guest: Ted Souder, Head of Industry, Travel, Midwest, Google, Inc.

CTC / PMOs’ / DMOs’ view of e-Tourism Strategy:
While virtually all destination marketing organizations across Canada at the municipal, provincial or national level are embarking on various stages of online, Web 2.0, and mobile marketing, there is a wide variety of approaches on e-tourism strategies. This raises a number of vital questions: Who is doing what? Should there be more coordination among various destinations in order to create synergies? How are these organizations integrating traditional media with their digital initiatives? And most importantly, is it working and how do we measure success?

Closing Presentation:

Terry O’Reilly, Pirate Entertainment Group

The host of the popular CBC radio series The Age of Persuasion will share his profound knowledge of the advertising industry, speaking specifically to the online trends that are affecting the tourism sector.

In addition to keynote speakers, Canada-e-Connect will include panel sessions on Strategic Blogging Forums and Twitter; eDistribution; eMarketing Engagment; Mobile platforms strategies; Technology for Small Businesses; Brand management in the Era of Travel 2.0; and Social Media Strategies,

Canada-e-Connect is the premier eTourism conference in Canada. Speakers bios and pictures: http://www.canadaeconnect.com/biographies.cfm