Global Distribution Conference

Bienvenue to a New Era.

Paris
13-15 September 2022

Conference Agenda

The most up-to-date changes on the schedule can be found on the HEDNA 365 app. Download the app to stay in the know!

Tuesday, 13 September

6:30-10:30

Breakfast Windo Bar

12:00 – 18:00

Registration Desk Open outside Regency 15

13:00 – 16:00

Fintech Pre-conference Session

13:00 – 13:20

Opening the door to guest-centric payments: The opportunity for hospitality
Javier Domaica, Amadeus

13:20 – 14:00

How can a hotel brand economically justify and implement centralized payments?
Pascal Burg, Edgar Dunn; Sandra Sari, Hyatt Hotels; Ludo Cacciapaglia, Four Seasons; Gianna Rivera, Sonesta

14:00 – 14:30

Does a brand need to embrace itself as an eCommerce platform?
Andrea Caulfield-Smith, Visa; Javier Domaica, Amadeus; Mendel Senf, Katanox; Rocco Pizzarello, Sabre

14:30 – 15:00

What untapped benefits exist with cross-border guests and multi-currency pricing?
Manika Singh, Planet Payment; David Cabreza, XanderPay

15:00 – 16:00

Open Payment Alliance WG meeting: Will We Uberify hotel payments?
Xavi Ginesta, Voxel, Xavier Ginesta; Laurie Gablehouse, Worldline; Jeff Gallo, IHG

13:00 – 14:00

Content Working Group

Who we are:
HEDNA’s Content Working Group is hosting a session for members and nonmembers to discuss the future of content management and distribution. The Content Working Group’s mission is to Optimize Lodging Content for the entire Distribution Ecosystem. Distribution content leaders are struggling with outdated management tools, lack of standardization of processes and practices. Join the discussion to identify priorities to improve hotelier’s ability to better market their product on all channels of distribution.

Who should attend:
Professionals of all levels and different backgrounds and focused on improving content and performance of hotels. We are looking for hoteliers, OTAs, GDSs, distribution partners, payment companies and 3rd party content partners to help us transform the industry from a fragmented content distribution process into a digital, trackable and dynamic ecosystem.

14:00 – 15:00

Hotel Analytics Working Group

15:00 – 16:30

HEDNA University – Fundamentals

17:30 – 18:00

Future Leaders of HEDNA (FLOH) Reception sponsored by Planet – Invite only

18:00 – 20:00

Opening Reception sponsored by RateGain, Located at the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile Hotel in Regency 15

Wednesday, 14 September

8:30 – 17:00

Registration Desk Open outside of Regency A

6:30 – 8:45

Breakfast
Venue breakfast hours for the HEDNA group are from 6:30-10:30 at the Windo Bar

8:30 – 8:50

Arrival Coffee, Regency 2

9:00 – 9:20

President’s Opening
Sebastien Leitner, Vice President Strategic Accounts, Cloudbeds

9:20 – 9:55

Hotel Performance: A Changing Landscape
Aoife Roche, Senior Director of Commerical STR

9:55 – 10:25

Growing Role of MetaSearch and Direct Distribution in the Current Recovery
Ulli Kastner, Founder/CEO, Myhotelshop; Nicolas Dussart, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Google; Sherin Hegazy, Global Sales and Partner Management, Trivago; Nonita Verma, GM, Hotel Solutions, Trip Advisor

10:00 – 16:00

HEDNA Lounge, Coffee Cart sponsored by Mews

10:25 – 11:10

Networking Break sponsored by Sabre

11:10 – 11:40

Distributing a Hotel in the Metaverse, What do Partners Need to Consider?
Amanda Du Jing, Head of E-Commerce, Penta Hotels; Feray Ozcan, Senior Business Development Manager, Allseated Europe; Caio Barbosa, Co CEO LumX

11:40 – 12:05

Lessons Learned With the Guest Payment Experience at KLM/Air France
Mike Carlo, CEO, XanderPay; Maarten Rooijers, Founder, Payments Taking Off

12:05 – 12:15

Friends at HEDNA Getting Chatty – Mobile
Natalie Kimball, Vice President Strategic Accounts, Shiji; Donnie Schumann, Director of Travel Partnerships, Uplift

12:15 – 12:30

Friends at HEDNA Getting Chatty – Direct Bill/Payment Processing
Natalie Kimball, Vice President Strategic Accounts, Shiji; Kelly Kranz, Senior Product Manager, Expedia

12:30 – 14:00

Lunch sponsored by Wihp Windo Bar

14:00 – 14:50

Innov8 Panel Discussion, Finalists, and Winner Announcement sponsored by Visa

14:50 – 15:20

The True Cost of Distribution, Which Channel Really is the Most Profitable?
Guilain Denisselle, Founder Tendance Hotellerie; Vassilis Syropoulos, Founder & CEO, Juyo Analytics; Jens Egemalm, Director of Distribution, Pandox AB; James Bishop, Vice President Ecosystem and Strategic Partnerships, Siteminder

15:30 – 16:15

Networking Break sponsored by HotelRunner

16:15 – 16:45

How Accor is Leading the Digital Transformation in Hospitality
Sebastien Leitner, HEDNA President; Floor Bleeker, Senior Executive, Accor Group CTO

16:45 – 17:30

Spotlight on Hospitality Insights

Regional Hotel Performance: What’s Back to Normal, Getting There, or Forever Changed? MKG Adrien Lanotte, Senior Analyst, MKG

Future Demand Performance: What’s Back to Normal, Getting There, or Forever Changed? OTA Insight James Parsons, Strategic Account Director, OTA Insight

Future Hotel Performance: What’s Back to Normal, Getting There, or Forever Changed? Amadeus Hospitality Katie Moro, Vice President Data Partnerships, Amadeus Hospitality

18:30 – 19:00

Transfer to Evening Event
Meet in Hotel Lobby
Bus schedule to off-site event at Georges:

1 bus at 6:15pm
2 buses at 6:30pm

No other buses will be doing a shuttle to the venue after this time

19:00 – 22:00

HEDNA Evening Event
Located offsite at Restaurant Georges (19 rue Beaubourg, Centre Georges Pompidou, 75004 Paris)
Bus schedule to depart from Georges:

9:30pm
10:00pm
10:30pm
11:00pm

Thursday, 15 September

8:30 – 9:30

Registration Desk Open outside of Regency A

6:30 – 9:15

Breakfast
Venue breakfast hours for the HEDNA group are from 6:30-10:30 at the Windo Bar

9:00 – 9:30

Arrival Coffee

9:30 – 9:40

Vice President Welcome
Chris Murdock, Director Distribution System Support & Strategy, Accor

9:40 – 9:50

Friends at HEDNA Getting Chatty — Acquisition
Natalie Kimball, Vice President Strategic Accounts, Shiji; David Chestler, President, PROVision Partners

9:50 – 10:00

Friends at HEDNA Getting Chatty — Reward Programs
Natalie Kimball, Vice President Strategic Accounts, Shiji; Sandra Sari, Director Global Distribution Strategy & Operations, Hyatt Hotels

10:00 – 13:00

HEDNA Lounge Coffee Cart sponsored by Mews

10:00 – 10:22

OTA focus session — Is the Hospitality Industry Ready to Catch Up in the World of E Commerce and If So, How?
Ben Thomas, Chief of Commerce, Penta Hotels Worldwide; Mercedes Blanco, VP Strategic Partnerships, HotelNetwork

10:22 – 11:00

Developing the Optimal Commercial Mix to Gain Market Share
Chinmai Sharma, President – Americas, RateGain; Lennert De Jong, Chief Commercial Officer, citizenM Hotels; Markus Keller, Chief Sales & Distribution Officer, Accor Hotels; Ankur Randev, Principal & Chief Commercial Officer, Highgate Hotels

11:00 – 11:30

Networking Break sponsored by Cendyn

11:30 – 11:55

PMS — Final Distribution Frontier
Daniel Conti, Director of Channel Partnerships, Siteminder; Philip von Ditfurth, Co-founder, Apaleo; Mirko Gudelj, SVP Software Engineering, Planet; Josef Lapka, Senior Product Director, Mews

11:55 – 12:20

What’s Brewing at Booking.com?
Sebastien Leitner, Vice President Stragetic Accounts, Cloudbeds; Eddy Veldhuizen, Senior Director Connectivity Partnerships & Travel Technology Ecosystems

12:20 – 12:22

Closing Remarks
Sebastien Leitner, Vice President Stragetic Accounts, Cloudbeds

12:30 – 14:00

Networking Lunch sponsored by Amadeus Regency 15