2012 InnSpire Conference Schedule

12:00 p.m.

REGISTRATION OPENS

4:30 p.m.

INNSPIRE WELCOME

4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

TRADE SHOW OPENS WITH RECEPTION

Monday, January 23

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.

WELCOME BREAKFAST WITH CABBI UPDATE

9:15 - 10:30 a.m.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

Your Competitor's Internet Strategies Revealed

Learn how to evaluate the quality of your website against your competition using independent criteria and free website evaluation tools. The average person looks at two to three websites before making an online purchase decision. How does your website compare to others in your area? In this informative seminar you will learn how to reverse engineer the success of your competition. Find out key statistics about your competition. Learn where their incoming links are from and how to surpass them in the search engine rankings. Compare your Google Places listing with their and find out how to take advantage of inside tips to increase your website presence. Practical examples and free resources will be highlight in this highly illuminating presentation.
Presented by Katie White - RezStream

Rural Tourism: Putting Heads in Country Beds

How to rise to the challenge and succeed in developing compelling reasons for travelers to visit your rural or agricultural area.  A revealing and surprisingly simple marketing approach.
Presented by Pamela Lanier - Lanier Publishing

10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

PCI and Personal Information:  Are your Systems Secure Against Identify Theft?

Most businesses think their systems and procedures to protect their guests and customers against theft of their personal information are secure -- but they are not!! Join Jim Abrams, CH&LA Member Legal Advisor, as he helps navigate you through learning -- in easy-to-understand, non-technical terms -- what it means to be PCI Compliant and how you can make your systems more secure  for all "personal information" you process. Go back to your property with at least 5 easy, inexpensive things you can do immediately yourself to help protect your data and your guests’ personal information.
Presented by Jim Abrams - CH&LA Member Legal Advisor

How to Use Advanced Google Analytics for B&Bs

Google Analytics is offering more advanced features and tools than ever before… but do you know how to use all this new information to make smart decisions about your website? There are many pitfalls to avoid: getting lost in endless analysis without taking action, jumping to hasty conclusions, or using the wrong metrics to make big decisions. In this session, Vikram Singh walks you through the most useful new (and old) features of Google Analytics, and explains how to best use them to help meet your goals. Learn:

* The difference between aggregate & segmented data
* How to properly segment data to assess visitors
* Why you need to look at multiple conversion rates
* The 7 measures of success
* What analytics can't do for you

If you are ready to start using advanced analytics to make targeted improvements to your website and messaging, this session is a MUST.
Presented by Vikram Singh - Evision Worldwide

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

BUFFET LUNCH IN THE TRADE SHOW

1:30 - 4:00 p.m.

ROUNDTABLE SESSIONS IN THE TRADE SHOW

Coupon sites: pros and cons and how they can help or hurt you

How to use Flash Sales Sites

Understanding Merchant Services

Hidden Liability Exposures for B&B Operations

What Guests Want from your Website

How Distressed Asset Sales are Affecting Market Trends

Making the Most of your CABBI Membership

4:00 p.m.

A TASTE OF SACRAMENTO SNACK BREAK

5:00 p.m.

TRADE SHOW CLOSES

6:30 p.m.

INNSPIRE RECEPTION AT THE CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM

7:30 p.m.

CABBI "STRIKE GOLD" DINNER AT THE CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM

Tuesday, January 24

8:00 - 8:45 a.m.

BREAKFAST WITH CH&LA AND AH&LA UPDATE

9:00 - 10:15 a.m.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

Ask an Innkeeper!

Join this quickfire Q&A session and you will get your questions answered. This session will be moderated by Innkeeper Bruce Abney of the El Morocco Inn & Spa. Questions will be asked to the group and all responses will be no more than 20 seconds. Questions like; "Do I need to buy a commercial washer?," "What thread count sheets does everyone use?" "How many dryers do I need for my number of rooms?" and more!
Moderated by Bruce Abney - The El Morocco Inn & Spa

Gourmet Coffee Tasting

An introduction to what specialty coffee is and how it can improve your B&B. Come and learn what specialty coffee and micro roasting can add to your breakfast experience. Taste three single origin beans and then explore a blend that can be customized to which flavors you'd like to serve your guests in the morning.
Presented by Charlie Sange - Napa Valley Coffee

10:30 - 11:45 a.m.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

Social Media 101

Should you post a tweet or tweet a post? What's the difference between Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, and which one is best to reach your customers? This session deciphers free and bargain social media tools your business needs to survive in today's technology chaos. Learn the basics of four common tools and how they can work to find and keep your clients.
Presented by Beth Ziesenis - Ask Beth Z

The Yin and Yang of Rate and Occupancy: Revenue Management for B&B Owners

Revenue management is the process of predicting customer behavior and understanding market conditions in order to maximize revenues, and despite the fact that a multi-billion dollar industry has grown up around this discipline in the past 30 years, it's easier than you think. In this class we'll talk about how to apply some simple principles that will help B&B owners maximize revenues and find that "sweet spot" between rate and occupancy.
Presented by John Spear - Hotel Drisco

12:00 - 1:30 p.m.

LUNCHEON WITH KEYNOTE SPEAKER CAROLINE BETETA OF VISIT CALIFORNIA

1:45 - 3:00 p.m.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

The ADA, how compliant do I have to be?

Chris Taylor, owner and CEO of ADA Compliance Consultants Inc. will educate innkeepers, not scare them, on the American with DisabilitiesAct (ADA). He will review how it affects you as a business/propertyowner. He will talk about how to do a brief self analysis, where thetypical problem areas are exceptions and older properties that justdon't meet ADA standards. Plus he will dispel the myths of "grandfather clauses" and the assumption that California and Federalcodes are one in the same. He will also address how to protect yourinn against "drive by" ADA lawsuits and take advantage of tax creditsand deductions for performing ADA upgrades.
Presented by Chris Taylor - ADA Compliance Consultants Inc.

Crisis Communications for B&B's: Be in Control & Be Ready

Are you ready for a crisis? Do you know what to do when disaster strikes? Join Steve Telliano and Lisa Page from Edelman, the world's largest independent public relations firm. They will give you the basic tools to recognize an issue, management techniques, do's and don'ts, and other pertinent information to help you manage a crises efficiently and effectively.
Presented by Steve Telliano and Lisa Page - Edelman

3:15 - 4:30 p.m.

GENERAL SESSION AND CONFERENCE CLOSE

50+ Free and Low-Cost Tools to Make You More Productive, Creative and Organized

Do you ever feel like everyone else is using shortcuts that you didn't even know existed? Join this fast-paced session to discover more than 50 free and low-cost online tools to help you become more efficient and creative in your business. From advanced photo editors and low-cost email services to free fonts and inexpensive logo inspiration, these online and downloadable services turn you into a marketing pro to attract and keep new customers, plus we'll spotlight a few small business tools to keep you on track.
Presented by Beth Ziesenis - Ask Beth Z