Spring Agenda

Theme: Standing apart from the herd...without being eaten!

Live AQUA
 Boulevard Kukulcan Km. 12.5
Cancun, Mexico

Reservations
From US (800) 343-7821; Outside US (998) 881 76 00
Use Group Code

Wednesday, April 28th

2:00 - 5:00 PM - Conference Open and Afternoon Presentations & Discussions, including:

The Cost of Merchandising and its Impact on Loyalty, presented by David Canty, Director of Loyalty and partnership Marketing for JetBlue and Marcin Kosciak, VP of Enterprise Marketing Management Solutions for Comarch

  • While ancillary revenue is a hot topic for all airlines, is there a strong argument and leadership among programs that it needs to be part of a loyalty strategy? Is this a trend or business evolution? What is the long-term cost of getting this wrong?

Communication Strategies in a Twitter World -- Necessity or Nut Cases?, presented by Mike Keene, Director of Mobile Marketing, Acxiom

  • How to best talk to your members in different markets and in different mediums
  • Is there really a mobile platform need for your loyalty program? Must you be mobile to be global?
  • Does iPhones mean iMiles?

Marketing vs. IT -- Playing Nice in the Same Sandbox, presented by Ben Quintana, Vice President CRM/Loyalty/Business Intelligence, and Chris Norton, Sr. Director, CRM Applications & Analytics, of Starwood Hotels & Resorts

5:30 - 9:30 PM - Networking Cocktail Reception, followed by Dinner, hosted by Acxiom.

Thursday, April 29th

8:00 - 9:00 AM - Breakfast

9:00 - 9:50 AM Driving the Customer Experience through Loyalty Alchemy: Jump in the Pool! -- Presented by Margaret Meraw, Senior Manager, International Cards, Royal Bank of Canada, and Michael Hemsey, President, Kobie Marketing

Situation: A global bank, RBC (Royal Bank of Canada), focused on increasing their debit and credit card base, both business and consumer. Through bank acquisition and increased marketing efforts, they are onboarding a substantial number of new customers.

Challenge: Outdated and non-competitive loyalty strategy; massive systems integration issues; Traditional product focus with disparate debit and credit, across consumer and business. How do you take these challenges and transform them into Loyalty Alchemy-a true Relationship Rewards strategy, and how do your create an integrated and seamless customer experience?

Result: Assessment of the business P&L, redesign of the program value proposition (earn and burn equation), and revise a relationship banking strategy with innovative elements like “user-generated” pooling and householding. The result of moving the bank from a product-focused approach to a customer-centric approach focused on a unified customer experience.

  • Attendees will learn how changing what and how members earn and redeem can have a dramatic impact on driving behaviors
  • How to drive performance by integrating the branches, employees, call center and aligning marketing channels
  • How to create a differentiated, profitable, thriving relationship rewards program

9:50 AM - 10:40 PM The Credit Crunch and Its Impact on Card Partners & Programs, presented by Kim Proffer, American Airlines AAdvantage, and Lars Holmquist, Chief Marketing Officer, Vesdia Corporation

It is no secret that global economy woes have impacted all segments of the loyalty industry, but likely none more challenging than the credit card portfolio. Identify key trends and strategies for successful partnerships and answers to these questions:

  • What do you really need to offer to be competitive?
  • Credit Squeeze: How tight will it get and what is the impact on credit card partners and revenue streams?

    • Vesdia and American Airlines speak to the benefits of a merchant funded in-store and online network tied to co-brand card portfolios and how additional rewards drive spend without the issuer or airline having to fund any of the rewards. The network’s positive Return On Investment for merchants and incremental revenue for issuers and their partners minimizes downward pressured during tough economic times.

10:50 - 11:30 AM Customer Centric or Product Centric? Satisfying customers instead of pen pushers, presented by Mark Krolick, Managing Director of Mileage Plus, United Airlines

  • Questioning/listening
  • Planning/provisioning
  • Confirmation/validation
  • Managing relationships

Award Redemption into the Next Decade-- a Panel Discussion, with Flo Lugli, Executive Vice President, Marketing at Wyndham Worldwide, and other panelists.

Why some hotels offer increased merchandise awards, while others don't. Where are the airlines in converting miles into lawnmowers?

A Panel Discussion: Value: How do travel suppliers deliver it?

  • Is the occasional upgrade enough to lock in the business of frequent, high-yield business flyers?
  • Program relevance - Do loyalty programs still matter
  • Has travel become a commodity? Is "brand differentiation" an oxymoron?
  • What is missing in today’s programs?

5:00 PM Conference Adjourns

5:30 - 8:00 PM - Networking reception, including cocktails and hors d'oeuvres

Friday, April 30th

8:30 - 11:30 AM - Breakouts continue for partner meetings.

10:00 AM Community Service Project

Anyone wishing to participate may sign up via the registration form.

ATTIRE: Business Casual

Please note that Dues and Conference Fees must be paid in full prior to attendance.