Welcome Reception for First Time Delegates
Vistas 360 Room
Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside
1133 West Hastings Street

First-time delegates are invited to attend the opening reception a half-hour in advance of others and will be welcomed by members of the host Associations

Welcome Reception
Vistas 360 Room
Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside
1133 West Hastings Street

NEW!  This year, while you enjoy delicious appetizers and renew old acquaintances, you will also have the opportunity to test your luck at the Opening Reception Casino!  All guests will receive "conference dollars" and have the opportunity to play a few hands of poker, blackjack and other games. 

David Adjey, star of Food Network’s Restaurant Makeover and Restaurant 101, will show you how to get employees working harmoniously and at full capacity, day in and day out, even when times are tough.  He will offer practical lessons on creating a fulfilling and profitable work environment.

Choice of Concurrent Sessions
(Hospitality Round Tables continue through this time block.)

Marketing Effectively – One Size Does Not Fit All
Charlene Krepiakevich
Malaspina Room

This session will examine the importance of understanding and knowing your customers, developing products specific to their needs and communicating directly with them. Attendees will understand the benefits of customer segmentation, learn how to improve, adjust or repackage their products or services for new or targeted audiences, and understand how to focus their marketing plans with new or repackaged products, pricing and promotion.

Hospitality Industrial Relations (HIR)
Dan Pelletier, Assistant Director, HIR
Cheakamus Room

HIR membership is a no-brainer for unionized properties. Learn more about progressive discipline and dealing with difficult employees from the experts at HIR.  This session will benefit unionized and non-unionized properties alike.

Lunch and Insight into the State of the BC Hospitality Industry
Presenters:
Beth Walters, PKF Consulting
John Harper, ABC Country Restaurants
Gopal Rao , Intercontinental Hotels Group
Moderator: Fanny Keifer, Host of Studio 4 on Shaw TV
Waterfront Ballroom

Understanding and interpreting the business environment in which we operate is increasingly complex. Sharing ideas and building confidence is a priority for this panel discussion. Based on input from an industry wide survey and other statistical data, a panel of key hospitality business operators will present their views on what we can expect in the coming year and a moderator will explore various scenarios to assist in planning your business strategies.

Canopco’s Energy Retrofit Solution
Presenters:
Steve Mason, Canopco
David Paton, Energy Efficiency Systems Group
Cheakamus Room

Come and learn about the technologies that are helping accommodation properties, just like yours, save thousands on utility bills.

Select Lodging AGM (Nootka Room)

Breakfast and Morning Keynote
Internet Marketing – You can do it, and you’d better!
Todd Lucier
Waterfront Ballroom

The Facebook generation knows it is in the driver’s seat in the workforce and the marketplace these days.  Smart firms are exploiting the powerful networking forces of social media web-sites including Facebook, MySpace and YouTube to find and recruit a workforce and customers.  Todd will walk you through the steps needed to bring your efforts up to speed in this fast-paced world.

Choice of Concurrent Sessions

Restaurants in a Recession
Heather White, 2020 Communications Inc.
MacKenzie Ballroom

In this seminar, we will discuss the common pitfalls restaurants face during challenging economic times and strategies you can implement immediately to not only survive but thrive in this marketplace, including:

• Being able to answer the 3 key questions that will differentiate your restaurant from all others in the market;
• Understanding the power of niche markets, client incentives, and building intimacy with the marketplace;
• Understanding 5 new ways to ensure repeat business from your customers;
• Knowing when and where to form strategic alliances in order to secure and gain market share; and,
• Discover 5 new ways to empower your staff to champion the restaurant, from getting customers in the door through servicing and up selling to them throughout their visit.

In Good Times and Bad: Staff Retention is an All-Season Sport
Speakers:
Mandy Farmer, Accent Inns
Chris Mills, Joey Restaurant Group
Arlene Keis, go2
Moderator: Rob Fussey
Malaspina Room

Having a game plan to retain your valuable employees is as critical in challenging times as in good times. While the economy has slowed and labour shortages have eased, it is vitally important that employers have programs in place to retain key staff critical to your business success. Moderated by go2, don't miss this panel session to learn how three industry leaders are seizing the upside of the downturn and take away ideas that your business can use to retain staff and hit the ground running when the economy picks up.

Workshop Session 1 – Wordpress 101
Todd Lucier, Tourism Keys
Cheakamus Room

Pre-registration is required for this workshop and all attendees must bring their own laptop to participate.

Learn to host your own website on the domain of your choice for as little as just $20 per year.  How to put video, photos, Facebook, maps and just about anything you want on your website.

Choice of Concurrent Sessions
(The Wordpress Workshop continues through this timeslot.)

Liquor Issues Panel
Speakers:
Jay Chambers, BC Liquor Distribution Branch
Karen Ayers, Liquor Control and Licensing Branch
Moderated by ABLE BC
MacKenzie Ballroom

The liquor panel, always popular for Liquor Primary, Food Primary and LRS operators, returns again in 2009. Featuring the government representatives with whom you rarely get the chance to engage directly, it is always one of the most valuable sessions at the conference.

How to Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
Speakers:
Michelle Bonner, Climate Smart
Valerie Sheppard, BC Partnership for Sustainable Tourism
Malaspina Room

Do you know how big your carbon footprint is? Have your customers been asking what you’re doing about the environment? The BC Partnership for Sustainable Tourism and Climate Smart invite you to an interactive demonstration of Climate Smart’s greenhouse gas management tool and an introduction to calculating your carbon footprint. Measuring your greenhouse gas emissions is the first step toward reducing your carbon footprint and cutting costs. To date, the greenhouse gas management tool has been used by more than 90 companies and organizations in BC.  Plan to attend and find out how not to be left behind in the new carbon aware economy.

Lunch and Closing Keynote Presentation
How to Spark Innovation in Times of Change
Jeremy Gutsche
Waterfront Ballroom

This engaging keynote presentation will provide delegates with the tools and inspiration needed to overcome uncertainty and to identify and exploit opportunities in the current business environment.

Pre-registration is required for this workshop and all attendees must bring their own laptop to participate.

Understand and use current social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter and video and photo sharing sites to keep your web presence current.

Category Management presented by Labatt Breweries
Melissa Upjohn
Nootka Room

Come and join Labatt in discovering space management strategies to maximize customer profit and stock. This seminar will allow you to invest in beer inventory that has high turns providing the selection to meet consumer needs and cross merchandise with other categories.

Hospitality Trade Exposition

Vancouver Convention Centre
999 Canada Place (Under the Sails)

Gala Reception and Dinner – Fire and Ice!
Waterfront Ballroom and Foyer

Gala 2009 promises to fire you up!  The evening will start with icy cold cocktails at the pre-dinner reception, heating up to a sizzling series of dishes produced by Chef Patrick Dore and his team at the Fairmont Waterfront.

Entertainment for the evening will include the comedy and political satire of Todd Butler, followed by dancing until all hours (well, at least midnight!) with the red-hot tunes of The Hitmen!