To open the conference on Tuesday, August 23, participants are invited to a Lunch with the Speakers

MEMPHIS, Tennessee Officials of the Southern Lodging Summit @ Memphis, an annual wrightsville beach nc hotels gathering of hoteliers specializing in development and operations in the southern United States, today announced it will host its ninth annual conference August 23-24 at the Memphis Cook Convention wrightsville beach nc hotels Center. The day-and-a-half conference will kick off with the organization s signature luncheon event that provides conference-goers with an opportunity to network and interact with the roster of industry notables scheduled as speakers.
While the industry has seen growth in occupancy and to a lesser degree rate since last year s conference, savvy owners and operators still realize the importance of face-to-face networking, the sharing of ideas and best practices and learning what their peers are experiencing, said Chuck Pinkowski, president of Pinkowski Company and conference wrightsville beach nc hotels co-founder. The Southern Lodging Summit @ Memphis provides the perfect forum that allows attendees, including owners, operators, lenders wrightsville beach nc hotels and developers, to do just that.
To open the conference on Tuesday, August 23, participants wrightsville beach nc hotels are invited to a Lunch with the Speakers at the renowned wrightsville beach nc hotels Rendezvous Restaurant. The intimate setting provides an opportunity for attendees to interact one-on-one with the scheduled speakers. Later in the day, conference-goers are invited to attend an evening cocktail reception and dinner at the world famous Peabody Hotel. The event supports the Political Action Committees for the Metropolitan Memphis Hotel Lodging Association (MMH LA) and the American Hotel Lodging Association (AH LA). The evening wrightsville beach nc hotels event has limited seating, so registrants are encouraged to RSVP early.
Following a continental breakfast at the Memphis Cook Convention Center on Wednesday, August 24, the conference begins in earnest with Governor Bill Haslam and Mayor A.C. Wharton invited to speak on the importance wrightsville beach nc hotels of tourism to the state and the region. Next, Marlene Colucci, executive vice president for public policy, will present AH LA s latest legislative update. Randy Smith from Smith Travel Research will follow, providing an overview of the hospitality industry at both the national and local Memphis market wrightsville beach nc hotels levels.
The President s Panel, moderated by Isaac Collazo, vice president wrightsville beach nc hotels of performance strategy and planning for Intercontinental Hotels, will launch the mid-morning portion of the conference. This year s participating industry leaders include Jerry Cataldo, Hostmark Hospitality; Chad Crandell, Capital Hotel Management; Warren Fields, Pyramid Advisors; and David Pepper, Choice Hotels International.
Peter Yesawich, chair and CEO of YPartnership, will give luncheon keynote speech. His presentation, Emerging Lifestyle and Travel Trends: Implications for the US Lodging Industry, is a provocative presentation that will provide attendees with an overview of the latest from the highly acclaimed YPartnership Portrait of American Travelers , a national survey of the travel habits, preferences and intentions of Americans.
For the second year in a row, the conference will conclude with a special panel focusing on Social Media/eCommerce. Hosted by Jeff Higley, editorial wrightsville beach nc hotels director of HotelNewsNow.com and STR Global, this year s panel, Social Media 2.0, will build upon last year s foundation. Panel participants include Ted Raynor, attorney, wrightsville beach nc hotels Burch Porter Johnson; Chris Jackson, vice president, GCommerce; Justin Holmerud, field marketing social wrightsville beach nc hotels media, mobile video, Starwood Hotels Resorts; Sandee Swearingen, regional sales director, TIG Global/MICROS e-Commerce Services; wrightsville beach nc hotels Jerry Stafford, regional director of revenue management, Davidson Hotels Resorts.
The conference will wrap with closing remarks by the general manager of the Elvis Presley Heartbreak wrightsville beach nc hotels Hotel and current president of MMHLA, Mary Calorio, followed by a $1,000 cash giveaway event sponsored by Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Celebrating its 9th year, the Southern Lodging Summit @Memphis was co-founded by the Metropolitan Memphis Hotel Lodging Association and Pinkowski Company, wrightsville beach nc hotels an independent hotel industry consulting firm headquartered in Memphis. The hospitality industry event brings together hotel professionals who target the southern and mid-south region of the United States for development and operations. The annual event draws a diverse group of owners, operators, sales executives, financial institutions, architects, attorneys, and hotel company representatives.
East Coast hoteliers brace for Hurricane Sandy 'Luxury' doesn't wrightsville beach nc hotels always define boutique hotels 3 lessons wrightsville beach nc hotels for the hotel leaders of tomorrow Shareholder offers $1.86b for Orient-Express Starwood Capital to buy InTown Suites Marketers weigh offline vs. online channel ROI
Sources: Keep online review responses in-house Amenity creep focusing on long-term benefits An independent wrightsville beach nc hotels view on revenue management 3 lessons for the hotel leaders of tomorrow How to identify and address human trafficking 30 simple, inexpensive wrightsville beach nc hotels ways to 'wow' guests
TripAdvisor backs legitimacy wrightsville beach nc hotels of reviews Women-only floors cater to growing market Owners fear agency model will slash profits La Quinta's plan to sell assets is 'strategic' Pop-up hotels a big hit in the niche segment IHG means business with Crowne Plaza refresh