HSMAI Washington DC Event Will Focus on Revenue Strategies

The annual State of the Industry event for area hospitality industry professionals this Thursday, sponsored by The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International's Washington, D.C., chapter at the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel, will focus on revenue strategies in a changing market.

Ellen Wilson, HSMAI Washington DC Chapter managing director, said attendees will learn the importance of understanding future demand and open pricing in the Washington market, where general and international visitation is trending up, but the pace of new reservations and group reservations is weakening, suggesting a need to drive local demand.

"This event is focused on helping area hospitality sales and marketing professionals prepare their plans and budget for 2017," she said.

Executives from TravelClick, B.F. Saul Company, Duetto Research and Destination DC will discuss the state of the lodging industry and outlook from a regional, national and global perspective. The facts, figures and insights they present will be designed to help area hospitality sales and marketing professionals develop plans and budgets for the coming year.

Presenters will include Mark Carrier, B.F. Saul Company Hospitality Group president; John Hach, TravelClick senior industry analyst; Chris Knothe, Duetto Research senior solutions engineer; and Carol Motley, Destination DC director of convention sales. The moderator will be Barry Biggar, president & CEO of the Fairfax Convention & Visitors Corporation (Visit Fairfax), who received an HSMAI Top 25 Extraordinary Minds award this year.

Registration and a networking reception will begin at 4 p.m., followed by the program at 5:15 p.m. (Click HERE to register.) Limited parking will be available at the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel at 999 Ninth St. N.W., Washington.

About Our Speakers

Barry Biggar, Visit Fairfax

Barry Biggar was named president & CEO of Visit Fairfax in August 2008 after more than five years as president & CEO of the Bryan-College Station Texas Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Prior to that he was vice president of sales & marketing for VisitLEX, the convention and visitors bureau in Lexington, Kentucky, for four years aftrer serving the Calgary Convention & Visitors Bureau in Alberta, Canada, for seven years in positions of increasing responsibility, culminating as a senior vice president responsible for sales, marketing and research.

Earlier in his career, he worked for two of Calgary's most recognized hotels and in retail sales and banking.

Biggar earned a degree in commerce at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, and a diploma in hotel and restaurant management at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary. He is a Certified Destination Management Executive.

He has served on the board of the Destination Marketing Association International, is a past chair and founding chair of DMAI's Destination Marketing Accreditation Program, former chair of Education for DMAI and past board chairman of the Destination and Travel Foundation.

Biggar is past chairman of the Texas Tourism Advisory Council, past board member of the Texas Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus and is active on state, regional and national organizations, boards and task forces related to the tourism industry.

Earlier this year, he was honored with an HSMAI Top 25 Extraordinary Minds award during the organization's 2016 Adrian Awards gala in New York.

Mark Carrier, B.F. Saul

As senior officer of the B. F. Saul Company Hospitality Group, Mark Carrier's leadership responsibilities include strategic direction, overall operational leadership, acquisition and development of properties, long-term financial and capital planning and the development and implementation of corporate policies, procedures and management systems. He represents the company in relation to lenders, franchisors, clients, governmental agencies and industry associations.

Carrier joined the B. F. Saul Company following graduation in 1980 from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Ithaca, New York. He progressed to his current senior position following a career of growing responsibility with the organization that included on-site management, regional responsibilities as well as development and acquisition of hotels.

He is a past chairman of the IHG Owners Association, the global franchise owners association of Intercontinental Hotels Group, serves on Marriott's Distribution Advisory Committee, Emerging Technology Advisory Group and SpringHill Suites Marketing Council. He also is a member of the Hilton Worldwide Distribution Advisory Council.

Carrier this year is vice chair of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. He also is a member of its Governmental Affairs Committee and formerly served on its Strategic Planning Committee and Funding Group and Search Committee.

He is a member of the Fairfax County's Economic Advisory Council, the Dulles Corridor Rail Association Board of Directors and chairman of the Tyson's Partnership, all in Virginia. He also is chairman emeritus of Visit Fairfax, the county's tourism promotion organization and a member of the Cornell Hotel Society and Cornell Real Estate Council.

In 2013, Carrier accepted the Kemmons Wilson Service Award from the IHG Owners Association in recognition of contributions to the industry and fellow owners. He was honored as the Virginia Hotelier of the Year in 2013 by the Virginia Hotel and Travel Association.

He earned the Certified Hotel Administration designation from the American Hotel & Lodging Association's Educational Institute.

John Hach, TravelClick

John Hach, a 37-year veteran of the travel industry, joined TravelClick in 2004, where his responsibilities currently include industry analysis, media strategy and strategic client engagement and consultation. Previously, he served the company as senior vice president of its full-service Digital Agency.

Prior to that, he was vice president of marketing for Cendant Corporation's Travel Link division. From 1999 to 2002, he served Galileo International as vice president of business development, vice president of global marketing and sales programs and vice president of corporate/consumer sales and marketing. He was division vice president of The Hertz Corporation from 1979 to 1999.

He earned a bachelor of science degree at Chicago State University. Business Travel Executive magazine recognized him as a "Travel Technology Visionary" in 2000 and was honored by the Global Business Travel Association as Allied Member of the Year in 2003.

Chris Knothe, Duetto

Chris Knothe, a 15-year hospitality veteran who has spent half his career in revenue management, is a HSMAI Certified Revenue Management Executive. He formerly was director of revenue for Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces at The Pierre Hotel in New York, where he helped achieve 15 percent year-over-year revenue growth. From 2012-2013, he was corporate director of revenue management for Greenwich Hospitality Group, served as a consultant for Tugu Hotels in Sri Lanka in 2012 and was director of revenue for and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts at The Carlyle in New York from 2008 to 2012.

Knothe is a graduate of the Hotel & Restaurant Management School in Hamburg, Germany, and earned an executive master of business administration degree at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Carol Motley, Destination DC

Carol Motley, a 22-year industry veteran, helps plan and administer sales policies and programs designed to foster and promote hotel patronage on behalf of Destination DC, the lead organization that manages and markets the nation's capital as a premier global convention, tourism and special-events destination.

From 2011 to 2015, she was senior national account executive for Visit Orlando ─ the official tourism association for the most visited destination in the United States ─ responsible for strategically selling the Orange County Convention Center to accounts in the Washington, Maryland and Virginia markets.

From 2005 to 2011, Motley was senior sales manager for the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, where she managed all citywide business. Earlier in her career, she was director of sales for the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau and national sales manager for the Baltimore Convention Center.

Motley, a Washington native, earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. She is a member of Professional Convention Management Association and American Society of Association Executives.

The event is sponsored by the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel, TravelClick, RDR PR LLC, B.F. Saul Company, Duetto Research and Destination DC.

About HSMAI Washington DC Chapter

HSMAI Washington DC Chapter is an affiliate of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, an individual membership organization based in McLean, Virginia, composed of more than 7,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. HSMAI is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners and is the industry's leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals and their partners with tools, insights and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing and optimize revenue through programs including HSMAI's MEET, Adrian Awards and Revenue Optimization Conference. Click here to join HSMAI. For more information, go to www.hsmaidc.org.

Revenue Management Events & Conferences