Book now for No Vacancy Thailand, which has a strong local market focus, great speakers, a fast-paced, issues-based program and excellent networking. Producer Martin Kelly says the conference is designed to update delegates on the latest web and hotel market trends while equipping them with sales, marketing and yield management strategies to drive consumer demand, raise rates and stimulate destination awareness.

• Where: Dusit Thani Hotel Bangkok
• When: 9.00am - 5.00pm, Tuesday, June 7, 2011
• Bookings: Tickets cost A$350 (approx 11,200 Baht) 

PROGRAM

9.10am - 9.20am Opening Remarks: The past decade has seen revolutionary change in the way accommodation is sold. Ironically, the internet was supposed to simply the supply chain but it’s only made things more complicated with new channels emerging and the others diminished but intact. SE Asia and Thailand may have been slower to move than the US, Europe and Australia, but now the revolution is in full swing. 

• Martin Kelly Director, TravelTrends.biz

9.20am - 9.40am Thai Market Update: After a poor 2010, where rates in key markets slumped under the weight of local political turmoil and global economic instability, there are clear signs of a rebound, certainly with occupancy and demand – but what about rates? This session provides a performance snapshot of the key Thai markets, accommodation sectors and customer segments. It examines trends in rate, occupancy and RevPAR.

• Jonas Ogren, Area Director Asia, STR Global 

9.40am - 10.30am Road Ahead - Challenges, Trends, Opportunities: Thailand is one of the world’s most dynamic hotel markets. Despite immense obstacles and setbacks it is a regional powerhouse with most global hotel groups – not to mention the local ones - planning rapid expansion over the next few years. Indeed, the growth numbers are staggering. This diverse panel of leading hotel operators will outline their take on the market and where the opportunities lie in the years ahead.

• Mark Van Ogtrop, Managing Director SE Asia, Golden Tulip Hospitality
• Anchalika Kijkanakorn, Managing Director, Akaryn Hospitality Management Services 
• Paul Stevens, Operations Director - Thailand, Accor Asia Pacific 
• Poompong Patponganit, Owner, Paresa Resort Phuket

10.30am - 11.00am: Morning Tea

11.00am - 11.20am Tale of Two Markets: Thailand’s accommodation industry is as diverse as the country’s culture. The fact is some markets perform much more strongly than others. Why? Sometimes for the answer you have to look to the skies. 

• Bill Barnett, Managing Director, C9 Hotelworks

11.20am - 11.40am Innovation … New Brands, New Markets: Despite intense competition, there are still opportunities for new accommodation entrants provided they have focus, product differentiation and smart marketing. This case study looks at the successful establishment of two new brands.

• Prab Thakral, Managing Director, Boutique Asset Management

11.40am - 11.55am Accessing India: India is one of Thailand's fast-growing tourism markets, and an increasing number of them are booking through digital media. Discover the latest trends and opportunties in this key market.

• Amit Saberwal, Senior VP Hotels, MakeMyTrip (India) 

11.55am - 12.40pm Marketing and Distribution – Surviving In A Cut Price, Cut Throat, Last Minute World: The tough times came and everybody said they wouldn’t discount – but everybody did. Now demand is slowly returning, pressure is on to raise rates but it’s a long way back. How does the industry raise prices without hurting demand and what role will marketing play in that? Presentations followed by panel discussion. 

• David Keen, CEO, Keen
• Chris Bailey, Senior VP Sales and Marketing, Centara Hotels and Resorts
• Bobby Saw, Corporate Director Revenue Management, Dusit International

12.40pm - 2.00pm Lunch

2.00pm - 2.30pm Build It And They Will Come: Well, that used to be thinking – and the reality - in the early days of the web. But now competition for customers is extra fierce, especially online, and it’s crucial to not only have the right marketing strategies in place to attract customers, but also ensure that your website is designed to turn lookers into bookers. This session opens with a presentation on web usability and sellability before moving onto a panel that will discuss online marketing.It used to set and forget. But now there are so many ever-changing demands - what to do? Find out here.

• Damien Pfirsch, Director of Electronic Distribution, Ananatara Hotels, Resorts and Spas
• Jeremy Bellinghausen, President, HotelClub
• Tiwa York, Director of Platforms, Omnicom Media Thailand

2.30pm - 2.45pm User Reviews - TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor is the world's fastest growing and most powerful accommodation site with more than 40 million reviews posted. After concentrating on the US and Europe, TripAdvisor, soon to be publicly listed by parent company Expedia, has set up an Asian office and has been very active in the region. Presentation followed by questions. 

• Alvin Ch'ng, Commercial Director Asia Pacific, TripAdvisor

2.45pm - 3.05pm Googling the Future - Accommodation Search: Search engine optimisation and marketing through Google and Bing drive more traffic to Thai accommodation websites than any other platform. But they can be high risk. With increased compettion you can blow a lot of money very quickly. This session look at latest trends and strategies.

• Frank Grasso, Managing Director, e-Channel 

3.05pm - 3.25pm Coupon Crazy:  This is the hottest sector in online marketing right now - flash sale sites selling heavily disounted deals to a closed user group. The thinking has been it doesn't work with trouble but attitudes are rapidly changing. Overview and discussion.

• Tai Parata,  Managing Director, Ensogo Travel 
• Brad Gurrie, General Manager, Travelzoo
• Craig Hewett, Founder & COO, Wego.com

3.30pm - 4.00pm Afternoon Tea

4.00pm - 4.20pm Online Trends: This session is all about the internet. It not only examines the predominant overall trends impacting the Thai accommodation web but also gets into significant detail, revealing the highest ranked websites, fastest growing websites, suppliers v/s Online Travel Agents, consumer habits and major traffic drivers.

• Joe Nguyen, Regional VP, ComScore

4.20pm - 4.55pm Webside Story – The OTA Perspective: Thailand has one of the most vibrant of online travel economies in SE Asia. While most of the international action of the past few years has focused on Singapore, a number of Thai built online travel brands have quietly evolved into very significant operations, selling millions of room nights each year, while major global brands are and are now expanding well beyond local borders. This session looks at the dynamics of Thailand’s online travel market from a local and international perspective.

• Christian Lukey, Chief Operating Officer, Sawadee.com
• Bryan Lewis, Chief Commercial Officer, Agoda.com
• Blair Speers, CEO, HotelTravel.com
• Abdul Thingna, Regional Manager SE Asia, Travelocity

4.50pm - 5.00pm Closing Remarks

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