I was a guest recently of the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association in its in-person general membership meeting and induction of its new Board of Trustees 2023-2024. HSMA is the country’s premier organization of hotel sales and marketing leaders, with 150 members comprising of heads of sales and marketing of accredited hospitality properties nationwide.
During the event, HSMA president Loleth So presented the new Board’s strategic thrust, “#TheWayForward.” It consists of these three guiding principles that will help shape the organization’s ambition to make an impact, not only to its members and to its industry, but also to the country, in general:
1. Undertaking a dynamic revenue generation tact through partnerships. This means driving revenues directed towards its members’ hotels, as well as to HSMA itself, by collaborating with other associations and corporate entities that can help broaden its existing network and enter into markets it has never reached out to before.
This involves reconnecting, for instance, with airlines and tour operators on how they can work together and support one another. With airlines, which is integral to the hotels’ occupancy rate, HSMA will find out, among others, flight frequencies of airline operators, their market outlook, as well as their emerging inbound and outbound destinations. With tour operators, HSMA will co-organize through their association, a travel exchange/buyers-meet-sellers event to boost business for both sectors.
2. Developing industry talent through education. To complement its revenue-generating initiatives, HSMA plans to provide sales and marketing leaders with new learning opportunities to help them spearhead their teams as they map out and implement their marketing and sales plans into action. For HSMA, revenue and education go hand-in-hand because, without the proper knowledge and skills, revenue streams could not be maximized.
One of these educational programs will be on digital marketing to explore new markets via more knowledge on hotel booking platforms and social media marketing channels. The other program entails putting together in one forum all key hospitality stakeholders, both here and abroad, to learn from each other and share experiences and best practices.
3. Contributing while building sustainable community relationships. This is about giving back to the tourism community by way of sharing HSMA’s accumulated skills, knowledge, and expertise of the industry from its over 40 years of experience. For one, HSMA will continue to support the tourism sales and marketing workshops of the Department of Tourism where its members participate as trainers to educate young practitioners in marketing and selling their respective hospitality businesses.
HSMA said it will also continue to honor and celebrate its members’ top sales and marketing leaders through its Virtus Awards, a prestigious recognition given to outstanding sales and marketers of the association’s members’ hotels and resorts.
HSMA believes this strategic direction is imperative to its growth going forward. Active member engagement, professional development, building relationships and collaboration with other like-minded organizations are essential part of this three-pronged impact approach.
This article was published by the Business Mirror on March 3, 2022 and may not be reproduced without prior consent from the writer and Business Mirror.