Highlights from the HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference in NYC

Last week, hundreds gathered at New York City’s Marriott Marquis for the HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference. Held on January 22, the annual event provided a platform for senior leaders in the hotel marketing world to learn and connect on the latest ways to engage today’s travelers.

Derek Price, one of our directors of business development in North America, took the stage to present our Generation Alpha & Family Travel Trends study in a lightning round on the main stage. While fast paced, the insights into how families with young children travel helped hotel marketers consider ways to engage this key audience through compelling messaging on memorable experiences and exciting activities for the whole family.

HSMAI Gen Alpha Derek Price
HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference

CMO Roundtable

We also sponsored the invite-only CMO Roundtable again this year, where our Senior Vice President, Hari Nair, and Directors of Business Development, Derek and Haley White, participated in the day-long content and discussions with marketing executives from Accor, Best Western, Marriott, Wyndham, and more.

Expedia Group’s Chief Inclusion Officer and SVP of Marketing & Industry Engagement, Melissa Maher, led a session on the importance of inclusion and diversity.

HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference

Awards and Recognition

Finally, several of our employees and campaigns, respectively, were recognized at the conference. Derek was named one of the HSMAI Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing, who were celebrated at the HSMAI Adrian Awards gala. Our campaigns with Brand USA, Hawaiian Airlines/Auckland Airport, and Morocco were also recognized at the HSMAI Adrian Awards gala.

We valued the opportunity to participate in HSMAI events. For more on how we can help hotel marketers connect with travelers, read our Hotel Marketing Guide. Looking forward to next year!

Monya Mandich

Vice President, Media Solutions Marketing

Monya Mandich is the VP, Marketing of Expedia Group Media Solutions and oversees all integrated marketing and communications activities for the brand. In her role, she is responsible for raising awareness of digital media opportunities for partners across the Expedia Group suite of leading global travel brands. With nearly two decades of experience, she evangelizes a thought leadership approach both externally and internally centered on data-driven insights, which has resulted in travel and marketing industry recognition and accolades. Monya previously managed strategic partnership development, executing strategies for top-tier partnerships, maximizing traffic and revenue for Expedia.com. She started her career in the travel space at VacationSpot.com, where she ran the B2B marketing and customer acquisition efforts for the vacation rental booking site. Monya is on the board of directors for Destinations International and the U.S. Travel, and also participates on the advisory committee for U.S. Travel's Project: Time Off, which aims to shift thinking around the health, business and economic value of personal time off, Monya was also recognized as one of HSMAI’s Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing. She is a graduate of Western Washington University and lives in the Seattle area with her family.

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