Spring 2019 Executive Summit Speakers
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Welcome!
8:40 AM- 9:00 AM
Bill Malone, President and CEO, Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Bureau
Effective Direct Booking Strategies That Actually Work
9:00 AM- 10:00 AM
Join an esteemed panel of industry experts and veterans as they share and explore the direct booking and marketing strategies that are working in today’s competitive hospitality market. From website optimization tactics and email marketing best practices, to how to approach social media in an authentic and trusted way. All that and everything in between is on the table and open for discussion. Bring your questions and the panel will weigh in!
Moderator:
Richard Dunbar, Director of Partnerships, Flip.to
Panelists:
Stuart Butler, Chief Operating Officer, Fuel Travel
Brise Carpenter, Vice President of Client Success, NAVIS
Matt Renner, CSO, TravelNet Solutions/TRACK Hospitality Software
Debi Steigerwald, Vice President of Revenue, Xplorie
Aubrey Tinsley, Sales Assistant, Blizzard Internet Marketing
The Time is Now – Emerging Technologies and What They Mean to Onsite Property Managers
10:00 AM- 11:00 AM
Connected devices. Big Data. AI. 5G. These technologies are driving the next wave of innovation, and our panel will talk about how these emerging technologies matter to onsite property managers.
Moderator:
Sean Miller, President, PointCentral
Panelists:
Stuart Butler, Chief Operating Officer, Fuel Travel
Jason Smolarek, Head of Sales, YourWelcome
Barron Solomon, DI Pathways
Rob Woodward, CEO/President, Katana Software
The Rent by Owner Market: Why A Holistic Approach is Best
11:30 AM- 12:30 PM
In this interactive, town-hall session, we’ll discuss the Rent by Owner (aka “Vacation Rental”) marketplace, it’s impact on destinations and their visitors, and why a holistic, community-wide approach to understanding this new market is key to successfully managing and leveraging the opportunities it brings. From health & safety to local HOA’s and property managers, everyone has a role to play.
Tom Foley, Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Analysis, Inntopia
Tom Foley is Inntopia’s Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Analysis, and previously a co-founder and the Director of Operations for DestiMetrics Resort Intelligence, beginning from its inception in 2005. With almost thirty years of quantitative and qualitative research experience, Tom believes that business is both informed and supported by well-structured data and the stories that those data tell. He presents from a global perspective about macro and micro economic and business trends & conditions in destination travel markets, making presentations informative and actionable. Originally from Vancouver, Tom and his wife divide their time between mountain and desert destinations, allowing them to enjoy the four season outdoor lifestyle they thrive on.
Market Disruption Panel
1:15 PM- 2:15 PM
Brian Brown, VP of Business Development, BookingPal
James Olin, CEO, C2G Advisors, LLC
Traditional onsite rental management has already felt the onslaught of offsite rental companies. Over the recent years, others have entered the space bringing a new and more challenging competition to OPMA members. Market Disruptors will discuss four of these “new” competitors that in some cases actually are a welcomed addition.
Brian currently serves as VP Business Development at BookingPal where he oversees sales, strategic partnerships, positioning, implementation, and growth as well as customer experience for BookingPal’s clients. Brian is an innovative leader who brings more than 16 years of business development experience. In the past, Brian served as Vice President of Business Development for Homes.com and Forrent.com. Prior to Homes.com, he served as Business Development Manager at EmploymentGuide.com. Brian, his wife Sherry and their children currently reside in Hampton, VA. Brian, a sports enthusiast and enjoys traveling to sporting events and coaching his sons Jack and Tom.
Jim is currently CEO of C2G Advisors LLC, a strategic consulting firm specializing in all facets of the hospitality industry, with special emphasis on vacation rental and resort activities. The company also has a robust M&A operation, and has been responsible for more M&A deals within the vacation rental industry than anyone else in history. Olin was also part of a select negotiations team for one of the largest class action settlements in the history of the United States, and Jim continues to provide litigation consulting in the areas of hospitality and business economic loss.
Labor Panel
2:45 PM- 3:45 PM
Matthew Brittain, Brittain Resorts
Robin Graf, Castle Resorts
Carlton Grant, Reunion Resort
Paul Wohlford, Resort Collection
Friday, May 10, 2019
How to Leverage Having the Best Quality Product to Benefit Your Owners and Your Resort?
8:30 AM- 9:15 PM
Moderator: Carlton W. Grant, CHA, Managing Director, Salamander Hotels & Resorts
Panelists: Brent Howie, President, Provident Hotels & Resorts
Robin Graf, Vice President of Operations, Castle Resorts & Hotels
Bruce Horii, Director of Sales and Marketing, Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center
James Olin, Chief Executive Officer, C2G Advisors LLC
Zak Mountassir, Vice President of Sales, TRACK Hospitality Software
Payments, Fraud, Guest Chargebacks – How to Prevent and Fight Them
9:15 AM- 10:15 AM
Dawn Yeskulsky, Vice President, Business Development & Partner Programs, Ascent Processing
Chargebacks, Fraud Detection and Alternative Payment Options are all effecting the landscape and bottom lines of onsite property managers. Dawn will be discussing the most common chargeback and fraud scenarios seen in our industry, as well as the best ways to detect and prevent them. She will also be discussing the changing payment habits of today’s guests and a new trend in payment acceptance that can greatly increase booking revenue.
Dawn Yeskulsky is Vice President for Ascent Processing Inc. Ascent is a woman-owned fintech company that has been focused on the Lodging and Vacation Rental industries for more than 20 years. Dawn’s 20+ year career within the lodging and VR industry started immediately after college with Paragon Group Properties in Tampa, FL where she ended up managing over 200 units in the Tampa Bay market. In 1996, she left Paragon Group and spent the next 14 years as Director of Sales & Marketing for vacation rental software provider, Rental Network Software Corp. In 2010, Dawn joined Ascent and has served as Director of Sales & Business Development and now as Vice President-Business Development & Partner Programming, where she heads up the growth and expansion initiatives for Ascent, such as the first ever vacation rental specific guest finance program called AscentPay powered by Uplift. Her expansive technical background, coupled with her lodging and payments experience, make her a called upon industry speaker and educator who can be found lecturing on various lodging, security and payments topics throughout the year. Dawn also serves on the OPMA Board of Directors and as Treasurer, and resides in San Clemente, CA with her husband, 12 year old twin girls and 7 year old son.
Next Level Revenue Management
10:15 AM- 11:15 AM
We’ll review the basics of revenue management and then dive into more sophisticated discussions and Q+A . Revenue management in the lodging industry is changing quickly and becoming more complex. Markets move quickly, competitors are becoming much more dynamic in pricing and destination trends are always evolving. just a 10-minute error in strategy can equate to a $10,000 mistake. This reinforces the fact that Revenue Management is equal parts Art and Science. We will explore the elements of the art and creativity necessary to drive the results and strategy you need. As well as the science with automated revenue management systems, accurate forecasts and translating predictive analytics to prescriptive analytics.
Pamela Graves-Longley, Director – North American Mountain/Ski Division, RedAwning
Pamela Graves-Longley, Director – North American Mountain/Ski Division for RedAwning, has spent time both on the distribution and supplier side of the travel business. Prior to RedAwning, Pamela worked as VP of Marketing & Brand Communications for Ravello Media/Lespri Resorts. The company’s holdings include 6 property management companies, 3 hotels, spas and restaurants in the U.S. and Canada. Holding a Masters Degree in Hospitality Marketing from UNLV, Pamela also has spent time in the luxury hotel space. Prior to her career in travel, Pamela worked in the advertising and media industry developing global branding and marketing campaigns for multi-national companies. She began her career in Sports Marketing working for both collegiate and professional teams, which translated well in to a career the ski industry. At home, Pamela is an outdoor mountain sport enthusiast, avid sailor and competitive show jumper with her horses. You’ll often find her on a trail with her husband and 2 labs.
Yohannes Semere, Vice President of Revenue Management and Analytics, BookingPal
Yohannes Semere serves as the Vice President of Revenue Management and Analytics at BookingPal. He was most recently the Senior Director of Revenue Management and eChannels at Oakwood Worldwide, previously was the Director of Global Pricing Strategy. Prior to Oakwood, Yohannes worked at IHG where held positions in Revenue Management, Finance, Operations, Distribution Marketing and Franchise Services. He holds a BS in Hospitality Administration from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. Yohannes has also completed his MBA from Georgia Institute of Technology in International Business.