This year's HOW Festival brings more than 20 panel discussions, interviews and presentations with more than 60 speakers

Participants of this year's HOW Festival ( Hotel Operations Weekend ) which takes place on November 15-17.11. in Petrčani near Zadar, in the program part he expects more than 20 panel discussions, interviews and presentations with more than 60 speakers, while in the fun part of the program participants can take part in a pub quiz, speed networking, a morning run, a big party, as well as charity activities through which can be supported by a non-profit, humanitarian association.

In the first interview he says: Shaping the Hospitality Landscape: Exploring Global Trends in Hotel Operations, Dejan Popadić,  Regional Vice President of Openings and Transitions, Hyatt EMEA will share his insight and experiences in hotel operations and perspective on the current state, challenges and future of hotel operations.

In the discussion that follows immediately after, Driving Success in Hotel Operations: Perspectives from the Top Kristian Šustar, CEO of Jadran Hotel Rijeka, Hans Prins,  The General Manager of the Accor Hotel Cluster for Southeast Europe and Andrej Sovrović, the General Manager of the IHG Hotel Cluster will present their predictions about the new trends that will shape the future of hotel business.

A slight departure from hotel operations will be made by Dalibor Šumiga, CEO of Promosapiens, s presentation of Don't Believe Everything You Say where participants will hear several topics that are repeated in every conversation, at work or on social networks: what makes us happy, is money really important, are women better than men, is the Internet destroying humanity...

Everyone has their own opinion, but how much do you look at the data? This lecture will give you, in some cases, surprising answers to most of the questions you argue about with friends, colleagues and strangers on social networks.

After this interesting presentation with an interview with Luc Gesvret, Senior Vice President for Guest Experience and Loyalty Programs, Accor, on topic Customer Acquisition vs. Retention: How to Create True Customer Loyalty the participants return to hotel operations and will find out what loyalty actually is, whether it exists, how to retain existing guests and attract new ones.

The plenary part of the program ends with a presentation and an interview. Ivana Nešković from STR will give an insight into the global state of the hotel industry with a focus on Europe, where she will support with figures how we stand with room occupancy and average room price and demand, and she will comment on all the data presented in an interview with Marta Hancock, vice president for revenue management for the regions of DACH, Poland and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS from Accor for Europe and North Africa.

After the plenary part, depending on their interests, participants can listen to discussions divided by the hotel departments of human resources, housekeeping, food and beverage, sales and marketing, technology, reception, and the topics that await them are:

• New Ways of Recruitment – ​​How to Reach the New Generations Effectively? 
• What do we need to do to Bring Talented People into Hospitality from Other Industries, Instead
• Hotel Stars: A Piece of the Puzzle, But Not the Whole Picture of Quality - Do Hotel Stars Really Matter?
• Sustainable Strategies for Hotel Logistics and Supply: Minimizing Costs, Maximizing Benefits
• The Next Level of Housekeeping: Modern Standards and Best Practices
• Synchronizing Efficiency and Warmth: How Technology Enhances the Personal Touch in Hotel Check-In
• Maximizing Room Service Revenue: Optimizing Menus for Increased Profitability
• Envisioning Tomorrow's Hospitality: Hotel Rooms of the Future
• Unlocking Efficiency: The Optimization of Hotel Reception and Its Impactful Benefits
• From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Redefining Hospitality with Concierge Services
• From Leads to Bookings: Maximizing Success in Hospitality through Direct Sales
• The Power of Storytelling: Differentiating Yourself in a Crowded World
• Innovations and Trends in F&B: Vegan, Vegetarian, Alcohol-free, Local, etc. Keep it Simple – Honest Food and Drinks, Simple, but Great
• Coffee Workshop: Il vero espresso Italiano or Wiener Mocha? A journey from Vienna to Venice in one gulp

In addition to the already mentioned, only some of the confirmed speakers are:

• Srdjan Milekovic, Senior Vice President for EAME Region Operations, Hyatt
• Pawel Lewtak, Vice President and National Delegate for Central Europe,  European Hotel Managers Association
• Sabrina Regner, Director of Guest Engagement and Reservations, FMTG Services GmbH
• Jeremy Daudin, Sales Director,  The Zetter Hotels & Co
• Heribert Scheikl, Director of Human Resources, HRG Hotels
• Christina Hiedl, Director of Food and Beverage, Ruby Hotels
• Vernon Strachan, Director of Operations, Zsidai Group
• Joan Rull, Director of Food and Beverage, Canopy by Hilton Madrid Castellana

In addition to numerous sponsors and partners, the HOW Festival is also supported by the European Hotel Managers Association and the Zadar Tourist Board from this year.

More details about the conference itself, the program, applications and speakers are available on the official website HOW Festival.