Program Announced
If you’re looking for answers on the information and trends in Canadian lodging the HAC Conference is the place to be.
This year, some of the biggest names and the brightest minds in the industry will come together to share insights, nurture ideas and help formulate strategies that will help drive business over the next twelve months.
Top name speakers.
Insightful information.
National networking.
All in one place. All with one objective — more business.
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WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2019 |
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DELTA HOTELS BY MARRIOTT TORONTO AIRPORT & CONFERENCE CENTRE |
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9:00AM - |
HAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING This is a closed business meeting for members of the Board. |
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4:15PM - |
HAC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING This meeting is open to Voting Members (Hotel Corporations active in the Canadian lodging industry; Provincial or Territorial associations) of the Hotel Association of Canada. |
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5:00PM - |
BADGE PICK UP - REGISTRATION OPENS |
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5:30PM - |
HAC’S AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE PRESENTATION For 15 years the Hotel Association of Canada’s Awards of Excellence has been celebrating members of the industry who have demonstrated phenomenal accomplishments, exemplary leadership and tireless commitment to Canada’s hotel and lodging industry. Our Awards of Excellence Winners will be celebrated at the top end of the evening with a special presentation in Plaza Ballroom C hosted by Alison Evans, Interim President at HAC. The presentation of the Awards will begin at 5:30PM and will be complete by 6:00PM. We encourage you to arrive no later than 5:15PM, to take your seats in the Plaza Ballroom C for our special presentation. We invite you to join us while we celebrate these winners as they walk down the red carpet! |
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6:00PM - |
HAC WELCOME RECEPTION The evening will be filled with fabulous energy, signature cocktails, amazing food and tons of networking excitement. Sponsored by:
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THURSDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2019 |
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DELTA HOTELS BY MARRIOTT TORONTO AIRPORT & CONFERENCE CENTRE |
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7:00AM – |
BADGE PICK UP - REGISTRATION OPENS |
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7:00AM- |
NETWORKING BREAKFAST WITH SPONSORS Sponsored by:
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8:00AM- |
WELCOME REMARKS: HAC CHAIR ADDRESS Speaker: |
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8:10AM- |
PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS: ALISON EVANS | INTERIM PRESIDENT Alison Evans joined the Hotel Association of Canada as Interim President earlier this year, leading the execution of the Association’s Strategic Plan. Alison will provide HAC Conference delegates with an update on the Association’s targeted advocacy efforts and inform on innovative program achievements and the organizations new inclusive membership structure. Speaker: |
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8:50AM- |
HOST’S WELCOMING REMARKS – SUHANA MEHARCHAND Award-Winning CBC News Anchor Suhana Meharchand is a national news anchor with CBC News Network, the former host of Saturday Report and has anchored the CBC Evening News. Bringing a wealth of professional experience to all her talks and hosting engagements, Meharchand never fails to impress. Speaker: |
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9:00AM-
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PLENARY: MICHELE ROMANOW - GETTING TO SUCCESS: EMBRACING CHANGE, ENCOURAGING DISRUPTION, AND INCENTIVIZING INNOVATION Tech titan Michele Romanow is an engineer and a serial entrepreneur who started three companies before her 28th birthday. A Dragon on CBC’s hit show Dragons’ Den, Michele is the co-founder of e-commerce platforms Buytopia.ca, Snap By Groupon, and — most recently — Clearbanc, an online financial service for freelancers, independent contractors, and entrepreneurs. In this insightful and useful talk, Michele recounts her journey from a Queen’s University undergrad to becoming ranked in WXN’s “100 Most Powerful in Canada” and listed as a Forbes’ “Millennial on a Mission”, sharing along the way the lessons she’s learned as one of Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs, including the necessity of embracing change, encouraging disruption, and incentivizing innovation at every stage of the game. Speaker: Sponsored by:
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10:00AM- |
NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK WITH SPONSORS Sponsored by:
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BREAKOUTS: THE CHOICE IS YOURS A1, A2, A3, A4 or A5 The HAC Conference includes interactive breakout sessions that are designed to appeal to a General Manager or a Director of Sales/Marketing. These workshops incorporate a combination of short presentations from leading industry experts and open debate in which all attendees will be encouraged to participate, offer their own ideas, ask any questions etc. |
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10:45AM- |
A1: THE BIG DATA SESSION This session reviews Canadian hotel operating statistics, which include measuring profitability, breaking down REVPAR data by full-service vs. limited-service, by class and location types, and taking a deeper market look at profitability change and labor analysis. Speakers: Sponsored by: |
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10:45AM- |
A2: HOSPITALITY: THE PEOPLE BUSINESS Curious how to win the war on attracting, and retaining, top talent? Join this breakout session on the core challenges facing hoteliers and the industry today––and the latest technology solutions to address them. The secret to guest satisfaction starts with your employees. We’ll cover how operations-focused communication strategies help hotels to thrive and keep employee satisfaction high despite current low unemployment rates and related retention hurdles. Additional resources: 2019 Hospitality Industry Trends Speakers: 
Kim Van PeltAccorHotels Sponsored by:
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10:45AM- |
A3: STRATEGIES FOR GROWING PROFITS, GOING GREEN, AND GUEST SATISFACTION The cloud, big data, AI and automation are quickly revolutionizing industries across Canada, including hospitality. Yet, hospitality executives are STILL short on time, challenged to make sense of performance data in disparate systems. The back office environment - with its proprietary or home-grown software programs, wide variety of data feeds, and spreadsheet output featuring total variability in labels and layout - is not making us more efficient, productive or profitable. And all that email, to boot… This discussion will illustrate how forward-looking hoteliers develop their leading business strategies with actionable data, cloud platforms, APIs and collaborative technology. Explore techniques for data visualization across property portfolios. Learn how you can get quick sustainability wins under your belt by going paperless where it matters most. Moderator: Speakers: Sponsored by:
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10:45AM- |
A4: SOUND ADVICE. A NEW APPROACH TO GUESTROOM NOISE For years, hotels have tried various tactics to control noise, but complaints persist. Unwanted sounds irritate guests and disrupt their sleep, even long after they have otherwise adjusted to their new surroundings. The financial impact can be substantial. Dissatisfied guests are less likely to return to a property and more inclined to post a negative review online. Many properties have thrown good money after bad, pursuing structural fixes and purchasing quieter equipment—strategies that can cost thousands per room, but don’t address the root of the problem. A new approach is needed that tackles noise from a different angle. We’ve studied guest rooms around the world and found that most actually suffer from the same issue we’ve successfully addressed in commercial offices over the last forty years. Speaker: Sponsored by:
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10:45AM- |
A5: DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TOURISM SKILLS Join Tourism HR Canada and the Hotel Association of Canada for an engaging, interactive session to discuss critical labour issues. Existing labour shortages are expected to worsen over the coming years and could be exacerbated if skills mismatches and employment gaps are not addressed. This session is a component of a much larger project that will see the development of a comprehensive FUTURE SKILLS FRAMEWORK that looks to redress the skills and labour mismatches and provide interactive resources that will assist job seekers, employers, educators and governments to better understand the skills and competencies employers are looking for and to assist job seekers in identifying the skills they have and how they relate to specific employment opportunities. Speaker: Sponsored by:
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11:45AM- |
NETWORKING BUFFET LUNCH WITH SPONSORS Sponsored by:
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1:00PM- |
HAC’S TRAVEL INTENTIONS SURVEY & UPDATE FROM DESTINATION CANADA Nik Nanos is back again, highlighting the results of the 2018 HAC Travel Intentions Survey. He will be joined by David Goldstein who will provide an update on the future opportunities for business growth. After their data-rich presentations, Suhana will dive deep with questions on tourism strategy and the broader political /economic factors impacting our industry. Moderator: Suhana Meharchand | CBC News Anchor Speakers: |
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2:30PM- |
15 MINUTE INTERMISSION, WALK TO NEXT SESSION |
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BREAKOUTS: THE CHOICE IS YOURS B1, B2, B3 or B4 |
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2:45PM- |
B1: SEX TRAFFICKING - PROTECTING YOUR HOTEL'S REPUTATION, YOUR GUESTS AND EMPLOYEES The hotel industry has a unique and important role to play in the fight against sex trafficking. Hotel employees are often in the best position to see potential signs if they know what to look for. Learn more about this issue and how to protect your guests, your employees and your hotel's reputation. Lisa Cotton will bring insights from Covenant House Toronto’s work with sex trafficking survivors and the collaborative approach they bring to their hotel training sessions. Tania Ferlin from Meeting Professionals Against Human Trafficking will identify our role as industry professionals to help put an end to this human right's violation. This is an interactive session and audience participation is encouraged so bring your questions for a solution focused discussion. Speakers: |
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2:45PM-
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B2: THE BIG SMOKE. HOW THE LEGALIZATION OF CANNABIS IN CANADA WILL IMPACT THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Panel will discuss issues surrounding cannabis in the workplace, the distribution and use of cannabis in public and private spaces, and the potential impact on tourism and trade. Questions will be taken throughout the discussion. Speakers: |
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2:45PM- |
B3: LEARN THE SEVEN SECRETS OF HOSPITALITY FINANCIAL LEADERSHIP Imagine how much more on track and profitable your organization would be if your managers could effectively communicate and plan your hotel’s financial budget and forecast in all areas. When financially engaged department managers track results, adjust their spending and labor accordingly throughout the month —profits quickly and dramatically increase. Revenues, expenses, and payroll will no longer produce surprises. They will begin to produce predictable and consistent results month after month. That is the power of an aligned and engaged leadership team with a proven system to follow. Leadership is the key and having a proven system to elevate your results is what you need to ensure that the numbers are as important to your managers as guest service and colleague engagement. This session delivers the tools for creating a highly functioning team with communication around financial agreements, accountability, commitment and results. Speaker: |
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2:45PM- |
B4: DESTINATION EMPLOYMENT: A LABOUR SOLUTION The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) is leading efforts to demonstrate our industry’s commitment to hiring Canadians first. Destination Employment is a brand-new program that will mobilize at least 1,300 refugees and new Canadians into available hotel jobs in five key regions across the country. In partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Tourism HR Canada, HAC will work with provincial and local labour market partners to employ newcomers in sustainable, long-term hotel jobs. This informative panel session will explore the Destination Employment program as an important initiative for both the government and the accommodation sector. How can you benefit from this program? Join us to learn about this new solution to a long-standing labour shortage and how you can offer new Canadians meaningful, stable employment. It is a win-win for all parties involved. Moderator: Speakers: |
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3:45PM- |
NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK WITH SPONSORS Sponsored by:
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4:15PM- |
FINAL PLENARY: THE FUTURE OF OUR WORKFORCE The World Economic Forum says we are now entering the fourth Industrial Revolution, one where we no longer are taking steps, but leaps forward. Considering exponential integration of technology and accessibility of information being greater now than ever before, what stories are we telling to attract the right candidates to the workforce? More so, how are we finding purpose in the work we do and happiness in the lives we live? In his presentation, Eric talks about the importance of community and belonging at work. The conversation about the future of work is bigger than Millennials and generations and spans wider than technology and workplace aesthetic- it is about people and creating a life each of us can enjoy living through the work we do. Speaker: Sponsored by:
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5:00PM- |
CLOSING REMARKS & PRIZE GIVEAWAYS Speaker: |
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5:30PM- |
SIP + SOCIAL: INSPIRED BY WOMEN IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY Canada’s hotel industry will move the needle forward on equity, inclusion, and diversity together. Join us for an evening of meaningful conversation and celebration. All delegates are welcome. Speaker: Sponsored by:
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