Conference Day 1: 14 September 2011

The Travel and Tourism Economy today – Capitalising on the opportunities in Asia

• Reviewing the current global and Asian tourism economy and how it may unfold
• Assessing the risks of rising commodity prices and asset inflation to the tourism industry
• How to invest in Asia’s booming tourism and hospitality sector?

Lessons from real estate and hotel billionaire Donald Trump

• How to grow your brand internationally
• How to work with the media to your business advantage
• Sun Tzu War on Business: Strategies to conquer competition in Asia’s hospitality battlefield

Economy brand sustainability in an ever-changing landscape    

• The need to remain relevant in the competitive economy hotel sector
• The emergence of a sophisticated and discerning economy customer
• Accor's new economy hotel strategy unveiled
• Diversifying your portfolio in order to capture opportunities and mitigate

Discussing expansion strategies to lead the way through economic recovery

• Discussing growth and business protection strategies
• Rebalancing hospitality real estate portfolios to realize the potential of the economy hotel sector
• Expediting transactions from negotiation, funding, build-time to completion

Appraising innovative business models for maximum ROI

• Highlighting the economy hotel’s business uniqueness
• Evaluating the value of franchising, joint-venture, lease and manage and third-party management contracts
• Establishing pre-requisites for stable, profitable and sustainable business partnerships

Structuring a win-win management contract

• Validating legal risks, operating fees and optimal stake-holding for both parties
• How to maintain brand reputation while achieving return on investment
• Mitigating common contractual disputes

Applying Europe’s branding strategies to Asia

• How to penetrate new markets effectively with brand differentiation strategies
• Leveraging on operation efficiencies as you grow your brand
• Learning from the proliferation of hospitality brands in Europe: Solutions for Asia

Countering competition from established hospitality brands

• Defining the ‘boutique’ customer’s experience
• Strategies to level business competition
• Cost-cutting strategies for small and medium operators

How to align investors’ expected returns with Asia’s hospitality market performance

• Attracting investments from private equity and property funds
• Debt or equity: Structuring an optimal financing mix
• Discussing hospitality investment exit routes

Gaining access to private and public capital

• Assessing current bank lending parameters
• Cross-examining private equity vs. public funding options for the hospitality industry: Opportunities and limitations
• Verifying the success of hospitality REITs