WORKSHOPS
The theme for 2025’s forum is PEAK PERFORMANCE.
CHECK OUT THE WORKSHOPS BELOW.
3:45PM - 4:30pm
Decoding Supply and Demand: A Deep Dive with Industry Leaders
Join Phocuswright's Pete Comeau and Inntopia's Tom Foley as they reveal key insights from ground breaking research, Shifting Slopes: Navigating the Future of Mountain Travel. Featuring a panel of industry leaders, the session covers consumer behavior, competitive strategies, and leveraging data for marketing, guest experiences, and revenue growth.
Andrea Blankenship, Deputy Director, International Tourism, Colorado Tourism Office
Pete Comeau, Managing Director, Phocuswright
Tom Foley, SVP, Business Intelligence, Inntopia
Cat Iwanchuk, Director of Supplier Relations, Ski.com
Ryan Rhoadarmer, Senior Director | Hotel Market Partnerships, Expedia Group
Building Custom AI Assistants
Take your ChatGPT skills to the next level with this focused, hands-on session designed for attendees who want to dive deep into building their own custom AI assistants. Join Mike Lannen, founder of Eternity, for practical, step-by-step guidance in creating personalized AI tools tailored specifically to your business.
Gain practical skills to develop a GPT assistant that reflects your unique brand, quickly generates social media and email content, and seamlessly integrates your branding. Master Mike’s R.I.S.E. framework for crafting effective AI prompts and enjoy exclusive access to his free custom GPT for ongoing prompt enhancements. Please bring your laptop.
Mike Lannen, Founder,
Eternity
Mastering the Pitch: Telling Powerful Stories and Overcoming Objections
Join Hugh Lawson, a sales professional with 20+ years of experience in strategic sales training, development, and execution working with some of the world's biggest brands for the informative session. You will learn to amplify your pitch and create essential urgency using the five steps of “Commercial Teaching”; successfully harness the power of storytelling; understand the four-step process for handling objections; and prepare for each opportunity to “surprise & delight” your clients.
Hugh Lawson, Principal of Lawson Leadership Advisory Ltd.
4:40PM - 5:25pm
Stop Wasting Your Marketing Budget: 5 Keys to Travel Booking Growth
The Performance Bookings methodology identifies five critical areas that make the difference between travel marketing that delivers consistent bookings and marketing that merely generates impressions. Through financial forecasting, audience segmentation, intent targeting, channel diversity, and performance creative, this presentation reveals how travel marketers can create measurable ROI across their campaigns. Industry expert Brennen Bliss shares practical applications of these principles with templates and tools attendees can implement immediately. A brief assessment at the end will help you identify your biggest opportunities for booking growth.
Brennan Bliss, CEO, Propellic
Mountain Town Lodging: Trends & Forecasts
This workshop explores key lodging trends in mountain towns and ski resorts, including RevPAR dynamics, shifting booking windows, and occupancy patterns. Industry experts will share data-driven insights that will help you create strategies to optimize revenue, enhance guest experiences, and adapt to evolving market conditions.
Zachary Sennett, Director of Corporate Hospitality, Revenue and Reservations,
Vail Resorts
Kristi Kavanaugh, Vice President, Global Sales, Aspen Snowmass
Ryan Rhoadarmer, Senior Director | Hotel Market Partnerships, Expedia Group
Tom Foley, SVP, Business Intelligence, Inntopia
Kris McKinnon, Vice President of Sales, East West Hospitality
The Dynamics of Winter Travel Between North America and Europe
During the last few years, there has been a growing appetite from international travelers to choose long-haul resort destinations in the USA and Europe for a winter vacation. Learn about why Europeans love skiing in North America and why Americans travel to Europe in record numbers. We will unveil valuable insights from travel inspiration to planning a trip and suggest marketing strategies to reach and influence those niche markets.
Florian Herrmann, CEO and Founder, Herrmann Global