HTIF 2023 Agenda

October 17th

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Delegate Registration & Networking at the Sponsor Areas

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.

Welcome address and opening remarks

Zaritsa Dinkova
Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria
Adriana Angelova
Director Business Development at Sofia Hotels Management
Georgi Dutchev
Director of the Hotel & Tourism Investment Forum

9:15 – 9:45 a.m.

Travel and Tourism 2023/2024: International trends, source markets, what are the opportunities for Bulgaria?  (Panel discussion)

Frank Quante
CEO at Fraport Bulgaria, operator of Varna and Bourgas airports
Juan-Ramon Matas Sebastia
Chief Operating Officer of SOF Connect, operator of Sofia Airport

9:45 – 10:05 a.m.

Networking break at the Sponsor Areas

10:05 – 11:05 a.m.

Destination “Bulgaria”: What are the opportunities for growth? (Panel discussion, hosted by Assa Abloy Hospitality)

Burhan Nemutlu
CEO of Regnum Bulgaria and Chairman of Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Mariyan Belyakov
CEO of Pamporovo AD
Margita Todorova
Member of the Board of directors of Albena JSC.
Ivan Groshev
Managing Director at MTS Globe Bulgaria and Chairman of the BOD of the Association of Incoming Agencies in Bulgaria
Rumyana Horozova
Area Sales Representative Bulgaria ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions|Hospitality

11:05 – 11:20 a.m.

Building a sustainable business model through a sustainable event: the case of Meadows in the Mountains festival (Fireside chat)

Benjamin Sasse
Founder & CEO of Meadows in the Mountains Festival

11:20 – 11:40 a.m.

Networking break at the Sponsor Areas

11:40 – 12:10 a.m.

How to achieve and maintain a high-quality hotel product despite the challenges facing the business?
(Panel discussion, hosted by Office 1)

Adriana Angelova
Director Business Development at Sofia Hotels Management
Antoaneta Ignatova
General Manager of Alexandria Club Hotels and Alexandria Travel
Hristina Panayotova
General Manager of Villa Sintica
Nayden Naydenov
Sales representative at Office 1

12:10- 12:30 p.m.

Networking break at the Sponsor Areas

12:30 – 12:50 p.m. 

AI, robots, Big Data, IoT, Blockchain: What are the most promising technology innovations in the hotel industry, and how to make the most of them, today? (Panel discussion, hosted by Eurodesign Systems)

Anton Mihalev
CEO of Eurodesign Systems
Radoslav Rusev
Owner of Tyulenovo Hotel

12:50- 1:30 p.m.

Networking break at the Sponsor Areas

1:30 – 2:15 p.m.

Revenue management trends: How to increase revenue by optimizing hotel rates and occupancy? (Panel discussion)

Prof. Horatiu Tudori
Revenue management lecturer and consultant
Velislava Kovachka
Cluster Director of Revenue, Sofia Hotels Management

2:15 – 2:35 p.m.

Networking break at the Sponsor Areas

2:35 – 3:00 p.m.

How hotel design can add value to a better guest experience: ideas and case studies (Panel discussion, hosted by Char Design)

Vanya Dimitrova
CEO of Char Design
Petya Angelova
Cluster GM of Rosslyn Hotels Group

3:00 – 3:20 p.m.

Networking break at the Sponsor Areas

3:20 – 4:05 p.m. 

View from the top: A conversation with hotel investors and executives about the business climate in 2023 and beyond (Panel discussion, hosted by METRO Bulgaria)

Vesselin Danev
Owner and CEO of Libena Resorts
Ivelina Gatseva
CEO of Festa Hotels
Ventsislav Tanchev
CEO of tour operator Suntours and owner of mOdus hotel (Varna) and Wave Resort (Pomorie)
Georgi Garnevski
Head of "Nonfood" at METRO Bulgaria

4:05 – 4:25 p.m.

Networking break at the Sponsor Areas

4:25 – 5:10 p.m.

Sustainability and green hotels: what challenges and opportunities the hoteliers have to expect in the near future? (Panel discussion, hosted by Essity/Tork)

Boyan Rashev
Managing Partner at denkstatt
Milena Ivanova
General Manager of Sevtopolis Medical & Spa (Pavel banya)
Arch. Martin Hristov
Managing Partner at E-Arch Studio
Ivan Velkov
President of FIABCI Bulgaria, Chairman of BGFMA, Board Member of BIA
Riccardo May
Marketing Manager HoReCa at Essity/Tork

5:10 – 5:30 p.m.

Networking break at the Sponsor Areas

5:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Direct vs. Indirect bookings: how to make the most of different distribution channels? (Panel discussion, hosted by HotelRunner)

Dessislava Dimitrova
CEO of DES Management
Nikola Minkov
CEO of Serpact
Martina Bozhanska
General Manager of Metropolitan Hotel Sofia, a member of Radisson Individuals

6:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Building a strong employer brand: What are the roles of the hotel owner, GM, and team? (Panel discussion)

Zhivko Ivanov
Asset Management Director at Galaxy Investment Group
Boyko Manev
Chief People Officer (CPO) at Samex
Georgi Parvanov
CEO of CTeam

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Millennium Vibes: have a glass of wine and chat with peers and partners at the Sponsor Areas.

Draft program: changes may occur.

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