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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4:00PM - |
HAC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING This meeting is open to current members 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 from our DJ, 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-
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WELCOME REMARKS: HAC CHAIR ADDRESS Speaker: Vito Curalli, Chair |
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8:10AM-
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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. Meet Alison Evans: Alison Evans is a seasoned executive with almost 25 years of public, private and not-for-profit leadership experience. Her passion is creating synergy between an organization’s vision and the stakeholders, customers, and public who are essential to its success. For the last decade, Alison has been an instrumental contributor to senior management teams, most recently as a Vice-President on the Executive at CHEO, the pediatric health centre of Canada’s capital. There she led a 22-person team and portfolio that included communications, advocacy, innovation programs, media relations, health education, audiovisual production, the 500+ person volunteer program and information services. As Director of Corporate Public Affairs for Egg Farmers of Canada, Alison championed the Canadian egg industry and the beloved Get Cracking brand. Through advocacy, public and stakeholder relations and cutting-edge campaigns, her teams ensured public trust in Canadian producers remained high in the face of international trade negotiations and other pressures on the industry. Prior to joining EFC, Alison worked for more than a decade on behalf of Canada’s universities, promoting the value of higher education and the benefits of university research. At both Universities Canada and the Federation for Humanities and Social Sciences, she advocated for the value of all disciplines and investments in an era of increased targeting and competition for funding. Earlier in her career, she worked in the high technology sector, gaining valuable experience as a marketer and corporate brand manager, working with some of North America’s largest agencies and designing co-marketing and partnership programs. Alison is a proud graduate of the University of Guelph and is committed to lifelong learning, having completed many courses, diplomas, certificates—most recent of which was the Niagara Institute’s Leadership Development program. Outside of work she spends time with her two sons, playing sports or coaching, volunteering and travelling. |
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8:50AM-
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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. |
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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. MICHELE ROMANOW Michele has worked driving new digital solutions to many of the world’s leading brands, including P&G, Netflix, Starbucks, and Cirque du Soleil, and she was also the Director of Strategy for Sears, where she led apparel growth strategies at the company — a $2.5 billion category. Michele was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award; the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards; and was a Cartier Women’s Initiative Award global finalist. She is also the winner of the Toronto Board of Trade Award for entrepreneurs under 30, among many other honours she has received. During her Civil Engineering undergrad at Queen’s University, Michele founded The Tea Room, the first zero-consumer-waste coffee shop. At Queen’s, she was given the Queen’s Tricolour — the highest honour awarded by the university — and, after completing her Queen’s MBA, she founded Evandale Caviar, a vertically integrated commercial fishery. Michele is also a director for Vail Resorts, Freshii, and Shad Valley, a transformational program that develops the entrepreneurial potential of exceptional Canadian youth. |
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10:00AM- |
NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK WITH SPONSORS |
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BREAKOUTS: THE CHOICE IS YOURS A1, A2, A3, A4 or A5 |
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10:45AM- |
A1: LABOUR RELATIONS- INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP Back by popular demand: Ready to have a frank and open conversation about labour? This session is all about perspective, managing expectations, employee relations and driving hotel performance in a unionized or non-unionized environment. This STRATEGY session explores best practices for management to create employee success, collectively. Bring your questions! |
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10:45AM- |
A2: REVPARBLEMS This session looks at the top 10 problems with managing REVPAR. This solution focused presentation discusses tactics and strategies to improve your business. |
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10:45AM- |
A3: TBA |
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10:45AM-
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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: Matthew Carter | MODIO Guestroom Acoustic Control
Sponsored by:
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10:45AM- |
A5: TOURISM HR CANADA: FUTURE SKILLS FRAMEWORK 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: TBA Sponsored by:
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11:45AM- |
NETWORKING BUFFET LUNCH WITH SPONSORS Sponsored by:
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1:00PM-
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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: Nik Nanos | NANOS RESEARCH Group of Companies David Goldstein | Destination Canada |
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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, B4 or B5 |
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2:45PM-
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B1: 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. |
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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. |
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2:45PM-
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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: David Lund | Hotel Financial Coach |
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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: Alana Baker Speakers: TBA |
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2:45PM- |
B5: TBA |
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3:45PM- |
NETWORKING COFFEE BREAK WITH SPONSORS |
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4:15PM-
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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. ERIC TERMUENDE Prior to NoW Innovations, Eric co-founded DRYVER Group, a consultancy focused on the attraction and retention of top talent. Here he co-developed a tool that quantifies workplace culture. Eric and his team helped pinpoint strengths and opportunities in an organization to optimize culture, improve attraction, and mitigate poor retention numbers. Believing that collaboration is a key to success, Eric has helped develop a partnership network in Canada to emphasize the importance of teamwork and the delivery of great work. |
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5:00PM- |
CLOSING REMARKS & PRIZE GIVEAWAYS |
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