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Alumni Track- Advanced Learning for those who have attended ORC in the past or have had an Internet Marketing position for over 2 years.

Learning Labs- Hands on instruction on building a blog, Facebook Page or set up a Google Adwords account. Pre-work is required and space is limited.

The FutureBrand 2010 Country Brand Index, presented in partnership with BBC World News, ranked Canada as the number 1 global country brand. Hot off the heals of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Canada rose to the top spot this year amid fierce competition. Tom Adams reviews Canada’s performance and key highlights of the 2010 study, revealing rising and falling stars and looking at country brand strengths and weaknesses across areas as diverse as tourism and doing business. He will also take a look at key future drivers influencing everything from familiarity to advocacy in country brand perception.

Keynote Speaker:

Tom Adams | FutureBrand Worldwide

Sponsored by:

More than just a leading brand, selling a region (whether a province/state or country) depends on a broad array of marketing and selling strategies aligned across both public and private sector initiatives.  And then there’s the marketing budget, including both traditional, unique and one-off sources.  This panel discusses current approaches to regional branding, marketing and selling.

Moderator:
Rick Antonson | Tourism Vancouver

Speakers:
Roger Dow | U.S. Travel Association
David Kincaid | LEVEL5 Strategic Brand Advisors
Michele McKenzie | Canadian Tourism Commission
Noel O'Dea | Target Marketing & Communications

Many Canadian cities are attractive weekend (and short stay) destinations. Product is important but marketing/positioning no less so. How have the successful ones achieved success?

Moderator:
Robert Kawamoto | Tourism Toronto

Speakers:
Edwin Frizzell | Hilton Toronto Hotel
Janet Gates | Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance
Janice Solomon | Toronto Entertainment District Business Improvement Area

D2: Buying Business: Are We Giving Away The Store?
(Conference Room D & E)

Once primarily focused on the convention and incentive travel industry, the practice of offering rich incentives to all groups (sport, leisure, fraternal), and significant discounts for individual travelers, appears to be in full throttle. When is enough, enough?

Moderator:
John Dunn | Dunn Consulting Services

Speakers:

Effective tourism marketing is critical however in this crowded and competitive marketplace creating compelling reasons to visit is king.

Consider what you could be doing to stimulate more business through creative tourism experience development.

Speaker:

Richard Innes | Brain Trust Marketing & Communications

An outlook on hotel online distribution and channel management solutions  to help you manage revenue maximization.

Highlights of this workshop include:

• Importance of online business                    
• Marketing power of individual channels
• Making it easier for your potential guest to find you          
• Distribution Power = Yielding Opportunities
• Working better with your third parties
• Effectively managing online reviews

At this moment in time someone wants to stay in a hotel in your city, but they can't find you online. However, right now, they do find your competitors.

• Get down to business and learn how to win first page Google search results for your hotel.
• Learn how to create a benchmark and measure results to quickly achieve a positive ROI.
• By combining Google Trust with laser beam focus on keywords that will bring you customers, you may be one seminar away from immediate internet success.

Successful destinations employ a range of tactics to attract visitors. Effective public relations works behind the scenes to raise profile and make the visitor feel your destination is a "must see".

Moderator:
Diana Conconi | Creative Initiatives

Speakers:

Greg Klassen | Canadian Tourism Commission / Commission canadienne du tourisme
Terri McCulloch |Bay of Fundy Tourism Partnership

Festivals and events offer one key marketing advantage for any destination. A perishable commodity - a reason to travel now! Learn what some of the most successful events and festivals do to ensure success.

Moderator:
Rob Taylor | Canadian Festivals Coalition

Speakers:

Anita Gaffney | Stratford Shakespeare Festival
David Seabrook | Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival
Valerie Taylor | Shaw Festival

The meetings and events industry will never be the same again: the recession has fundamentally transformed its core principles and will continue to do so. In this interactive session, Didier Scaillet will explore some of these new trends and paradigms: CSR, technology, business value of meetings, measurement, war for talents will be amongst the topics uncovered.

Speaker:

Didier Scaillet | Meeting Professionals International

The workshop will discuss how effective Social Media Strategies can create new opportunities between you and your customers, suppliers and partners.

• What is Social Media and why should I care?
• Is Social Media a fad?
• If you build it will they come?
• How do I create a Community?
• 5 Social Media Strategies take away you can use today

Speaker:

Christopher Chong | TripTelevision

This session will focus on:

• Leveraging a cohesive push & pull media mix to maximize sales and boost occupancy.
• Utilizing deals to fill need periods while keeping your ADR in check (or even increase it!).
• Creating landing pages that will engage visitors, maximize bookings and increase ADR.

Speaker:

Lara Barlow | Travelzoo (Canada) Inc.

To be successful, a marketing campaign needs a five step research programme - from grass roots learning to measuring Return On Investment. Find out what those five steps are. Are you doing the right thing - or wasting valuable resources?  In the session we will outline the 5 steps of research that should be done - from grass roots focus groups at the outset through to measuring Return on Investment. We will use colourful examples from past research to illustrate the value of each step and how, without it, the whole campaign could be led astray.

Speakers:

David Thexton | Insignia Marketing Research Inc.
Lydia Zorn | Insignia Marketing Research Inc.

With the economy in the throes of a difficult recovery, American consumers have been reevaluating their priorities and travel aspirations. A two-year study by Resonance Consultancy and the Luxury Institute of the lifestyle aspirations of the country’s top 10% of households indicates that affluent Americans today consider that the most valued goods, services and experiences are not necessarily material in nature, but more leisure-oriented pursuits with exotic vacations and vacation homes at the top of their list. Learn more about this study’s findings and discover what these consumers are looking for in their travel experiences today, where they want to travel and join a discussion on how the Canadian travel and tourism industry can re-engage the American traveller.

Speaker:

Chris Fair | Resonance Consultancy Limited

Is it the destination or the leading attraction - what draws visitors and how can the lead attraction and the destination work together to attract tourists?

Moderator:
Fran Hohol | PKF Consulting Inc.

Speakers:

Lesley Braby | Canadian Tourism Commission / Commission canadienne du tourisme
Patrick O'Reilly | Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Jack Robinson | CN Tower

It wasn't too long ago when many businesses were pondering "Do you think we need a website?" Now the paradigm has shifted and Mobile Marketing is becoming as important a channel for communicating with consumers as online. The mobile channel however is unlike any medium and must be managed carefully. It's not just the web on mobile or a simple text messaging campaign, but a powerful new channel to your customer.

• iPhone, Blackberry and Mobile apps have been all the rage - learn why that's the case and what does that mean when you look to develop your company's mobile strategy.
• Capitalize on the next wave of personalized communication, promotion and selling - mobile marketing!

Speaker:

Steve Sorge | Mobile Fringe

Hear what TripAdvisor has learned about how Web 2.0 has impacted the travel industry and how tourism businesses can leverage new media.

• How does a property, brand or DMO effectively manage the conversation within and outside of TripAdvisor and other social media channels?
• How can the travel industry leverage the distribution power of TripAdvisor and the platform to communicate with their customers?

Speaker:

Jim Brody | TripAdvisor, Inc.

Even the best marketers are challenged if the product isn’t up to scratch. But what is quality tourism “product” and what’s the relationship between quality product and quality marketing?  How are the product elements of the destination leveraged to provide a visitor experience.  How does the visitor experience vary in repeat versus once-in-a-lifetime destinations (and who decides)? To wrap up the day, we bring together a stellar cast of individuals who have shaped and marketed tourism product both in Canada and internationally. 

Moderator:
Eddie Friel | EFA Tourism & City Marketing

Speakers:

Noel Buckley | Ottawa Tourism
Julie Canning | Banff Lake Louise Tourism
Steve Rhys | Forrec

Sponsored by:

Travel & Tourism Companies are targeting multiple markets or countries. This new opportunity also brings many new complexities to be considered This panel of experts tackles these key issues critical to successfully developing, optimizing, and launching the Global Websites.

The Panel will cover the following topics and will include some case studies:

• Keyword research
• Language & cultural issues
• Geographical issues
• Issues involving different engines and platforms
• Leveraging standardized templates to develop global websites
• Cross-border management issues
• Copy writing for multiple audiences
• Adapting unique market trends and techniques

Moderator:

Patricia Brusha | A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing

Speakers:

David Doucette | Fairmont Raffles Hotels International
Jaime Horwitz | Cactus Rock New Media Ltd.
Peter Pietrzkiewicz | WebCanada Inc.
Jim Zito | Morgans Hotel Group

G1: Remarketing & Behavioural Targeting
(Conference Room D & E)

 Remarketing, also known as retargeting, is a technology that allows marketers to show their ads to former site visitors while they surf elsewhere on the web.

In this session industry experts will:

• Share their experiences with remarketing and the impact that it has had on overall traffic. 
• Benefits of remarketing & behavioural targeting.
• Optimize your campaigns for remarketing
• Best practices for best results 

Speaker:

Cree Lawson | One^Bird

Have you toyed with the idea of starting a blog but you are not sure how to get started? This learning lab workshop will have you walk out of the session with the knowledge of how to create effective blog posts, a blog editorial calendar in hand and how to attract Google with your very own blog.

Pre-work is required in order to create the blog on site.
You may install WordPress on your url or wait until class and Sandra will create a temporary blog for you to play with during the workshop.

Space is limited

Speaker:

Sandra De Freitas | www.WordPressBlogsites.com

A press release is not just a press release anymore.

Learn how to:

• Optimize press releases and articles to improve your SEO.
• Write engaging web copy that captures the reader's attention and keeps it.

Speaker:

Stephanie Chiquette | A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing

Still not sure if you are reaching your target audience?  Leverage the power of audience targeting online to zero in on the ideal customer.

This session will uncover:

• How to leverage internet surfing and search patters to target the right customers
• The inside track on behavioural targeting
• Understanding the importance of search re-targeting
• The role of data and why it’s important

Speaker:

Mladen Raickovic | Olive Media

2010 was the year social media got a budget; now more than ever, 2011 will be about monitoring the buzz.

• What tools are available out there for you to "listen" to what your customers are saying?
• Are paid tools better than free ones?
• Will paying for monitoring social media provide you with an ROI?

Moderator:
Stephen Joyce | Rezgo.com

Speakers:

Michael Bower | Marriott Hotels & Resorts Canada
Victoria Hughes | Travelocity.ca
Scott Johnson| Revinate

Sponsored by:

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Best User Generated Content
Danish Canadian National Museum Society
http://www.danishcanadians.com

Best Innovative Use of Technology and/or Media
National Capital Commission – Mosaika
http://www.mosaika-sl.ca

Paul Winkle will uncover 6 powerful converging trends impacting DMOs throughout the nation that have the potential to make unaware and unprepared DMOs irrelevant in our fast changing world; or more optimistically, create the ideal conditions for DMOs to solidify their role as the trusted source – the holy grail of marketing.   Learn how DMOs can get ahead of the storm and ride the waves to success by understanding what the future holds through real life examples and a futuristic look at how travelers will be interacting with CVB’s in just a few short years (maybe less). 

Speaker:

Paul Winkle | Miles Media

How do marketers embrace new tools such as tablet marketing, smart phones into their current marketing plans.

 Speaker:

 Jeff Gadway | Research in Motion Limited (RIM)

What's all the buzz about branded content? Branded content is the latest online marketing trend the tourism industry is capitalizing on to connect with customers.

It's an exciting blend of creative collaboration between producers, media, agencies and brands to develop compelling content - whether it's a video, a mobile application or a game.

In this session, attendees will learn: the five W's of branded content, how to develop a content strategy for their brand, the do's and don'ts of digital marketing for the travel industry.

Be inspired by examples of branded content and digital marketing making a difference to the bottom line.

Come set up a Google AdWords account, and learn the tips to optimizing your current campaigns.

Learn how to:

• Write effective ad copy.
• Capitalize on what's new with content advertising.
• Incorporate image, video and mobile into your AdWords campaigns.

Most importantly, learn the best ways to measure conversions and your ROI!

Speaker:

Angela Milec | Google Canada

Is developing an app in your plan for 2011? All the major hotel brands and online travel sites have apps. And, the number of travel apps are growing at an extremely fast pace - Where do you start?

• What does it cost? - Can you measure the success of the app? Come see some of the more successful destination and hospitality apps - and learn what you can do to enter this new marketing arena!

Speakers:

Audrey Cornu | Tishman Hotel Corporation
David Janes | Discover Anywhere Mobile

For marketers social media is about engaging customers in a conversation.  For Revenue Managers, managing demand is about pushing information out to customers.  But the "new normal" is characterized by demanding and well-informed consumers conditioned to seek out the best deal.  In fact, there's a profound shift from looking for the best price to seeking out the best value.  And the social media-minded consumer is willing to share their experiences with 100,000 or more of their closest friends.  But how does this impact the revenue manager?  And how is this amplified seeking of information becoming more complex as the social media space becomes more crowded?  Join us for a lively session as a leading revenue management specialist offers some sage advice on dealing with social media in the context of a good revenue management program.

Speaker:

Bonnie Buckhiester | Buckhiester Management

In August, Forbes Magazine called Groupon “the fastest growing company in Web history.” Months later, Google reportedly made an unprecedented $6 billion offer to acquire Groupon…and was flatly denied! This month, NY Times said Groupon was pushing ahead with plans for a dizzying $15 billion IPO.

There is no doubt Groupon and its many competitors have forever reshaped the local advertising market.  Can this revolutionary model be put to work for travel companies? This session will provide an overview of the group buying phenomenon through the lens of the Canadian travel industry, with examples of deals that work and pitfalls to avoid. Whether you’re an hotelier, tourism board, tour operator or travel agency, this is a session you won’t want to miss!

Speaker:

Jonathan Tafler | Travelalerts

Get the most out of Goggle's suite of products, both paid and free, with an in-depth look at Analytics tracking, AdWords reporting, and some fun Google Maps options!

See how you can maximize your travel industry presence online at a time when the name of the game is ROI!

Speaker:

Michal Lorenc | Google Canada

With over 15 million users in Canada, Facebook presents a unique opportunity to Canadian businesses to connect with their audience in a real and authentic way to create meaningful and powerful relationships with their audience. This presentation will focus on strategies and techniques to learn and succeed on Facebook, and share some best practices from Canadian businesses currently leveraging Facebook through features like Facebook Pages and Facebook Ads.

Speaker:

Has Twitter paid off for any hospitality and tourism companies? Is Twitter still alive? Is it too late to get in the Twitter game?

This panel will demonstrate the power of Twitter while providing hand-on tips to make the most out of Twitter for Tourism.

Speakers:

Kenza Kabbaj | Groupe Germain Inc.
Patti Ellis | A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing
Matt Skallerud | Pink Banana Media
Alicia Whalen | A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing

The Vancouver Olympics provided the largest opportunity for British Columbia, Canada to showcase the destination to the world. Social Media was a key component to maximize the exposure generated by the event.

William will deliver a case study describing the strategic context, integration with other online & traditional campaigns and highlight specific tactics deployed in the lead-up and during the games including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and more.

Throughout the case study, the audience will receive both inspiration and key take-aways to start of grow their social media efforts.

Speaker:

William Bakker | Think! Social Media

This Annual Conference, now in its 19th year, provides an opportunity for those involved in the ownership and operation of lodging enterprises (mid and senior levels) as well as a broad range of industry suppliers, to gain timely insights into industry trends and current practices. For more information, visit www.hacconference.ca

This inaugural event will examine the importance and activities of tourism marketing. Some of the leading industry marketers from Desination Marketing Organizations (DMO), convention facilities, resorts and hotels will examine trends and issues on national, provincial and municipal levels. The conference is strategically positioned as a “bridge” between HAC and ORC. For more information, visit www.cdntourismmarketing.ca