“Effective Internet Marketing in a Global Marketplace” will be on tap as expert speakers and panelists gather for the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) 5th Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference to be held in San Francisco, CA, at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2005.
Timed in conjunction with HEDNA 2005, the Travel Internet Marketing Strategy Conference is an intensive full-day forum designed to bring leading industry experts together to discuss hot topics and trends in Internet marketing.  It unites leading brand and merchant model experts from the hotel, cruise and airline industries as they present stimulating ideas that facilitate interactive discussion.

“From the first Internet Marketing Strategy Conference held in 2003, the events have been a home run, praised for their cutting-edge content, timely and critical issues, and are attended by a growing number of professionals who are enthusiastic participants in the travel Internet marketing arena,” states Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI.

“To fully leverage the power of the Internet in today’s global environment, online marketers need to do more than understand the techniques that drive bookings, such as search engines, but more importantly, identify ways to protect the brand,” states Jens Thraenhart, executive director, marketing & strategy, Fairmont Heritage Place, chair of the HSMAI Hotel Internet Marketing Special Interest Group, and chair of the HSMAI Travel Internet Marketing Organization (TIMO).  “Conference attendees will get an understanding of the emerging trends and technologies that can make one vulnerable to Internet-related opportunities and threats, as well as effect consumer buying behaviors in different regions of the world.”
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