Four Days. Two Events. One Conference.

Did you miss the free Search Marketing Webcast held on August 30?
Online Travel Search: Tapping into Consumer Trends featuring Bill Tancer, General Manager, Global Research of Hitwise Inc. and Lorraine Sileo, Vice President, Research of PhoCusWright Inc. is available for download.

Monday and Tuesday, November 12 and 13, 2007

It's a fact. Consumers rely on the Web most to plan, book and share their travel experiences. For marketers, the variety of travel sites - search engines, destinations, social media and aggregators - offers a target-rich environment to generate bookings. If used effectively and economically.

Industry specialization is a competitive advantage for search marketers - and the travel industry is among the largest verticals globally. Spending on travel, tourism and hospitality in North America exceeds $275 billion annually. The majority of U.S. travelers research their trips online and nearly half buy that way. Is it any wonder that travel marketers are focusing on search?

Search Marketing Expo - SMX Travel@PhoCusWright will create the definitive resource for travel and tourism marketers by combining the search marketing expertise of the SearchEngineLand.com editorial team with the travel and hospitality industry knowledge of PhoCusWright's analysts. The result will be a must-attend two day event that educates travel marketers about the latest organic and paid search and delivers presentations from best-of-breed travel and hospitality industry providers.

Conference chair Chris Sherman is a leading search marketing authority, having programmed scores of leading search marketing events, including SMX Local & Mobile, and written several books on search marketing, including Google Power: Unleash the Full Power of Google published by McGraw-Hill.

The first day of SMX Travel@PhoCusWright is dedicated to organic and paid search education. Search Engine Land executive editor Chris Sherman will lead an all-star cast of search marketing and travel industry experts. You'll learn actionable tips and techniques, and get the jump on the issues (such as personalized and mobile search) that will be keeping search marketers up at night. Attendees will learn:

Cutting edge search marketing methods and tools that convert mainstream travelers as well as those wanting novel experiences.
To integrate tried-and-true search marketing practices with successful out-of-the-box guerilla tactics.
To leverage "Long Tail" media opportunities to connect with customers most likely to seek out and spend on rare or unusual experiences.

The second day of SMX Travel@PhoCusWright will feature workshops conducted by leading SEM solution providers. Workshop presenters are screened and accepted based on the knowledge they will share. The presentations will focus on how marketers can maximize ROI on their travel marketing budgets.

WHY ATTEND?
By 2008, online reservations will account for more than:

60% of travel booked in the U.S.
40% of travel booked by Europeans
20% of travel booked in Asia Pacific

Are you prepared to stay ahead of the ever-changing face of search, the most important element of your online marketing plan?

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
SMX Travel@PhoCusWright is for the experienced search marketer who wants to enjoy sessions conducted at a high-level and continue to stay ahead in the fast changing world of search. If you're fluent in search marketing, this event is where you can converse with others who speak your native language.

BEYOND SESSIONS - NETWORKING & FUN!
Learning doesn't just happen during formal conference sessions. Networking is a big part of the SMX Travel@PhoCusWright program. Lunches are included on both days, and a cocktail party will take the edge off after a long day on Monday. On Tuesday, in addition to the Workshops, take advantage of the Network Exchange which will provide you with the opportunity to meet with the exhibitors, sponsors and other attendees.

CHRIS SHERMAN: EXECUTIVE EDITOR, SEARCH ENGINE LAND
Chris Sherman is executive editor of SearchEngineLand.com and president of Searchwise LLC, a Boulder Colorado based Web consulting firm. With over 25 years experience in interactive technologies, he is frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week, USA Today and other publications, and has appeared on CNN, NPR, CBS and other television and radio networks.

Chris is a Web Search University faculty member, and is an honorary inductee of the Internet Librarian Hall of Fame. He is the author of "Google Power: Unleash the Full Power of Google" from McGraw-Hill. His previous books include "The Invisible Web: Uncovering Information Sources Search Engines Can't See" (with Gary Price) from CyberAge Books; The McGraw-Hill CD ROM Handbook, and The Elements of Basic, The Elements of Cobol and The Elements of Pascal from John Wiley & Sons.

Chris has written about search and search engines since 1994. His clients have included International Data Corporation, Accenture, Motorola, Levi-Strauss, Nokia, Ortho Biotech, Porsche, United Technologies, and the Scripps Clinic. From 2001 through 2006, Chris was executive editor of SearchEngineWatch.com and conference chair of the international Search Engine Strategies events in Canada, China, France, Italy, Sweden and the U.K. From 1998 to 2001, he was the web search guide for About.com.

Chris holds a master's degree in Interactive Educational Technology from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree in Visual Arts and Communications from the University of California, San Diego. Chris has been unsuccessful in his attempts to persuade Stanford to strip his degree so he can join the founders of Yahoo! and Google in boasting about *not* graduating from the university.

Add The PhoCusWright Conference dates to your calendar.

Top photo courtesy of VRX Studios Inc.