HEDNA President's letter

Our HEDNA community is coming out of a worldwide pandemic that has created the largest travel crisis in recent history. What is often coined the “new reality” feels familiar, but it is very different. While we emerge from the pandemic, we are also going through a generational change that ushers in an emerging new customer colloquially termed Zoomers. Hundreds of thousands of workers across the United States are enjoying their first Fridays off. This trend is permanent. I will leave it to you to ponder what impact this will have on travel and hospitality.?

HEDNA is not standing still amidst these changes. We are adapting as the world around us is quickly evolving. The board of directors recently met in Atlanta to align our strategic priorities with the challenges and opportunities our industry is facing. Here are the most critical takeaways and decisions I want to share with you today.?

• We are breaking down the Pillars into recurring roundtable discussions and working groups providing our membership a platform to exchange ideas on current and relevant issues.? The working groups will be agile, and responsive, with a particular focus on the challenges that hoteliers are facing.?
• HEDNA is expanding its event application HEDNA 365 App to facilitate the exchange amongst hoteliers, technology providers, working groups, and even peer-to-peer discussions establishing an industry-leading collaboration platform that provides year-round engagement.?
• HEDNA is recruiting an Executive Director to lead the association on an ongoing basis providing continuity and additional support.?
• Education is a crucial deliverable of HEDNA and our HEDNA University Program is expanding to provide continuous education in partnership with leading hospitality schools around the world.?

There isn’t a better place for Hospitality, Technology, and Travel Executives to share, inform and educate each other on current and future trends.?

We have the great opportunity to gather in person once again in Atlanta from May 23-25 at the upcoming HEDNA Global Distribution conference to reconnect and collaborate.?

The conference team around Natalie Kimball, Sandra Sari, and Gianna Rivera have done a fantastic job capturing the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in creating a forum for our members to come together. I look forward to seeing all of you in Atlanta.?

Sincerely,

Sebastien Leitner?

HEDNA President?