Session Overview

Day One - Evening Summit Cocktail Reception at 6:30pm aboard the William D. Evans Sternwheeler Paddle Boat, 1-hour bay cruise from 7pm to 8pm.

Day Two - Continental Breakfast at 8am. All day sessions start at 8:30am with a sit down luncheon & keynote speaker from Brand USA. Beach party BBQ and cocktails from 6:30pm - 8pm. Remainder of evening is open to see San Diego.

Day Three - Continental breakfast at 8am. Half day of sessions, starting at 8:30am. Summit closes at 12:30pm followed by one on one appointments with the aRes Travel Team from 2pm to 5pm. Plus, take advantage of your time in San Diego to provide call center training to the aRes Travel Central Reservations team.

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Speaker Topics & Session Schedule

Day One - September 19, 2012

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Client Call Center Training Sessions by Appointment (at aRes Travel Offices)

6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Pre-Summit Reception aboard the William D. Evans Sternwheeler

Day Two - September 20, 2012

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Continental Breakfast

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
Opening Session - aRes Travel Future Focus
Speaker: Alan Suchodolski, aRes Travel President & CEO

9:20 AM - 10:15 AM
Affiliate Marketing Best Practices – Everything you need to know about Portland Perks | Speaker: Timothy Mongin, Travel Portland CVB

Food & Beverage Break (15 mins)

Morning Breakout Sessions:

10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
Choose one session

Session 1: Best Practices Affiliate Panel Discussion - Topic: Merchandise your Destination with Experiential Packaging |
Panel Speakers: Heather Kessler, Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network - Lauren Fisher, Regional Market Manager, aRes Travel Inc - Frank Riggio Preston, Baltimore Visitor Center

Session 2: Marketing Research - Know Thy Customer | Speaker: Mike Mahoney, RUF Strategic Solutions

11:15 AM - 12:00 PM (Noon)
Choose one session

Session 3: Search Engine Marketing | Speaker: Cindy Turrietta, Search Marketing Specialist at the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau

Session 4: Mobile Travel Applications | Speaker: Jake Fields, President, Treeline Interactive

12:00 PM (Noon) - 1:15 PM

Attendee Luncheon & Keynote Speaker

Luncheon Master of Ceremony: Kerri Verbeke-Kapich, San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau
Speaker: Tania Leichliter, BrandUSA - Inspiring Travelers to Explore the United States of America

1:15 PM - 2:00 PM
Birds of a Feather Round Table Discussions: Topical discussion on issues relevant to affiliates, attractions, hotel and Dot Com partners. Moderated by aRes Travel Team Members

Afternoon Breakout Sessions:

2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
Choose one session

Session 5 Best Practices Panel Discussion - Maximize Your Relationships and Marketing Efforts with Your (Local) Attraction Community | Panel Speakers: Jay Judal, San Diego Zoo - Bryan Garber, Universal Studios Hollywood - Cynthia Schmitt, SeaWorld/Busch Entertainment Corporation

Session 6 Topic: Understanding the Power of Google Analytics | Speaker: Thomas Bosilevac, Director of Analytics at Digitaria

2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Choose one session

Session 7: Best Practices Panel Discussion - Topic: Do's and Don'ts of a Travel Website Redesign | Panel Speakers: Mike Ritchie, Richmond Metropolitan CVB - Daniel Kleiner, Destination DC - Chris Clark, San Francisco Travel - Frankie Lemer, Simpleview

Session 8: Get Social! 4 Social Media Advertising Strategies learned from travel PPC | Speaker: Jamie Smith, Engine Ready

Food & Beverage Break (15 mins)

3:45 PM - 4:30 PM
Choose one session

Session 9: San Diego Zoo Marketing Case Study: Real Life Strategies and Tactics for Online Advertising on a Budget | Speaker: Michael Warburton, Marketing Brand Manager, San Diego Zoo

Session 10: Search Engine Optimization | Speaker: Aaron Aders, Slingshot SEO

4:30 PM - 5:15 PM
Choose one session

Session 11: Hotel Trends, TMD and New Revenue Streams for Your Organization | Speaker: Robert A. Rauch, HotelGuru.com

Session 12: Pinterest: How Travel Brands Use Social "Pinning" the Right Way | Speaker: Jennifer Barber, SiteLab International

5:15 PM - 5:30 PM
Closing Remarks - Day Two
Rob Kazmierski, VP Business Development, aRes Travel

6:30pm - 8pm
Evening Cocktail Reception & BBQ - Bahia Beach Party

Day Three - September 21, 2012

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Continental Breakfast

8:30AM – 12 NOON
One-on-One Extranet Refresher Training | Trainers: aRes Travel Account & Market Manager at the Genius Bar

Morning Sessions:

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
Opening Session

Session 1: aRes Travel Destination Solution | Speaker: Rob Kazmeirski, VP Business Development

9:15 AM - 9:45 AM
Session 2: aRes Advertising Network | Speaker: Kevin Kearns, Director of Media and Product Development

9:45 AM - 10:20 AM
Session 3: aRes Travel Marketing and Integration Best Practices | Speakers: Troy Troxler, Sr. Director of Client Services & Tilly Vo, Implementation Manager

Food & Beverage Break (10 mins)

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Session 4: aRes Travel Online Ticketing Solutions | Speaker: Justin Stratford, Business Development Manager

11:00 AM - 11:30AM
Session 5: aRes Travel Group Overflow & Housing Services | Speakers: Devian Starr, Senior Account Director & Wayne Blum, Group Housing Manager

11:30 AM - 12NOON
Session 6: aRes Travel Mobile Booking Engine Product | Speaker: Michael Ramsbacker, Product Manager

12:00 NOON - 12:15PM
Closing Remarks - aRes Travel | Alan Suchodolski, aRes Travel President & CEO

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Client Call Center Training Sessions (at aRes Travel Offices) and Client Meetings by Appointment

Session schedule is subject to change. Check back often for updates and complete session details!