Schedule of events

Delegate Arrivals, Registration Opens, and Exchange Hub Setup

Time Location Description
10:00am – 6:00pm
Trident Ballroom
Registration & Exchange Hub Setup
4:00pm – 5:00pm
Trident Ballroom
Speed Networking
5:30pm – 6:30pm
Trident Ballroom
Opening Session & CHIEF Awards: Leading with Purpose, Celebrating Caribbean Excellence
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Trident Ballroom
Welcome Reception at the Exchange Hub

Exchange Hub Open, General Sessions, Breakout Sessions

Time Location Description

8:30am – 9:15am

Trident Ballroom
Social Cafe at the Exchange Hub
9:30am – 9:45am
Trident Ballroom
Kick-off session

9:45am – 10:00am

Trident Ballroom

CHIEF Talks 1: From Greeting to Goodbye: Moments That Make or Break
a Stay | Speaker: Janelle Hopkin, Spice Island Beach Resort

10:00am – 11:00am
Trident Ballroom
General Session 1: Staffing Smarter: Building Flexible Teams for an
Unpredictable World | Moderator: Brittany Brathwaite, Ocean Hotels Group Barbados | Panel Speakers: Néstor J. Ruiz Doreste, IHP Hospitality, Karyn Williams-Sykes, Attune Consulting Inc.

11:15am – 11:30am

Trident Ballroom

CHIEF Talks 2: Cyber Alert: Defending Your Business in the Digital Age | Speaker: Adam Mogelonsky, GAIN

11:30am – 12:30pm
Trident Ballroom

General Session 2: Digital Futures: AI, Automation, and the Caribbean
Guest Experience | Speaker: Lisa Hamilton, USVI Hotel and Tourism Association, Adam Mogelonsky, Hotel Mogel Consulting Ltd. & GAIN, Charlie Osmond, Triptease

12:30pm – 1:15pm

Trident Ballroom
Networking Lunch
1:15pm – 1:45pm
Trident Ballroom
Exchange Hub Networking
2:00pm – 2:30pm
Trident Ballroom

Breakout Sessions – Set 1: Smart Upgrades, Stronger Stays: Planning CapEx That Pays Off | Moderator: Bill Clegg, BWH Hotels | Speakers: Patricia Affonso-Dass, Ocean Hotels Group – Barbados, Michelle Leotaud, Apple and Iron Concepts LTD, Nicholas Ganaselal, IDB Invest
Breakout Sessions – Set 1: Wellness 360: Building a Healthier Business,
Team, and Planet | Speaker: Adam Mogelonsky, Hotel Mogel Consulting Ltd. & GAIN 

2:35pm – 3:05pm
Trident Ballroom

Breakout Sessions – Set 2: Personalization at Scale: Using Tech to Surprise
and Delight | Speaker: Carlos Lugo, GAIN and Lugatti Consulting, Alberto Santana, Alliants, Jon Whyte, Cocobay Resort Antigua
Breakout Sessions – Set 2: Tourism for Us: Reclaiming the Caribbean
Experience from the Inside Out | Speaker: Sharon Banfield-Bovell, Caribbean Tourism Organization, Arlene Friday, Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association

3:10pm – 3:40pm
Trident Ballroom

Breakout Sessions – Set 3: Ground Up Leadership: Developing the Caribbean’s
Next Generation of Hospitality Leaders | Moderator: Stacy Cox, Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association, Speaker: Brittany Brathwaite, Ocean Hotels Group, Ryan Forde, Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association
Breakout Sessions – Set 3: Certifiably Sustainable? Measuring the ROI of Certification | Moderator: Denaye Hinds, JustaTAAD 

3:45pm – 4:45pm
Trident Ballroom
4:45pm – 5:00pm
Trident Ballroom

CHIEF Talks 3: The Real Cost of Doing Nothing | Speaker: K. Denaye Hinds, JustaTAAD, LLC

5:15pm – 6:15pm
Trident Ballroom
Exchange Hub Networking

Exchange Hub Open, General Sessions, Breakout Sessions, Closing Remarks

Time Location Description
8:45am – 9:15am
Trident Ballroom
Social Cafe at the Exchange Hub
9:30am – 10:00am
Trident Ballroom

CHTA in Action: Building a Stronger Caribbean Through Collaboration and Smarter Short-Term Rental Policy | Speaker: James Hepple, Tourism Analytics

10:15am – 10:30am
Trident Ballroom

CHIEF Talks 4: Clicks That Count: Turning Social Media Into Direct Bookings | Speaker: Mikael Doumeng, Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Craig Marshall, Royalton Hotels & Resorts

10:30am – 11:30am

Trident Ballroom

General Session 4: Sales Saved Us: Building a Direct Booking Machine in a Crisis / Moderator: Sanovnik Destang, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association & Bay Gardens Resorts; Speakers: Jason Craparo, Hovr, Craig Marshall, Royalton Hotels & Resorts

11:45am – 12:15pm
Trident Ballroom

Breakout Sessions – Set 4: The Direct Booking Playbook: Turning Browsers
Into Buyers | Speaker: Gillian Harper, GH Tourism Solutions, Charlie Osmond, Triptease

Breakout Sessions – Set 4: Sourcing Smarter: Partnering Locally for Profit
and Purpose | Speaker: Geoffrey (Jeff) Allain, Lubeco, Patrick Antoine PhD, CARICOM Private Sector Organization 

12:15pm – 12:45pm
Trident Ballroom
Networking Lunch
12:45pm – 1:15pm
Trident Ballroom
Exchange Hub Networking
1:30pm – 2:00pm
Trident Ballroom

Breakout Sessions – Set 5: Workforce in Flux: Winning the Talent Game
in a Global Market | Speaker: Desiree Edwards, Wyndham Grand Barbados
Breakout Sessions – Set 5: Cybersecurity in Action: Practical Protections
for Hotel Operations | Speaker: Carlos Lugo, Lugatti Consulting Group

2:05pm – 2:35pm
Trident Ballroom

Breakout Sessions – Set 6: Wired for Success: Building Smart Tech Infrastructure in Caribbean Hospitality | Speaker: Carlos Lugo, GAIN and Lugatti Consulting 

Breakout Sessions – Set 6: Rethinking Retention from the Inside Out | Speakers: Brittany Brathwaite, Ocean Hotels Group Barbados, Desiree Edwards, Wyndham Grand Barbados, Sheba Wilson, Grace Bay Resorts

2:40pm – 3:10pm
Trident Ballroom

Breakout Sessions – Set 7: Creating the Experience — Integrating Personal and Cultural Narrative Into Contemporary Caribbean Dining. | Speakers: Chef Erin Metivier, Foodlingo, Chef Debra Sardinha, Foodlingo, Liz Wunderlich, U.S. Meat Export Federation

3:15pm- 4:15pm
Trident Ballroom

General Session 5: Turning Staff to Stakeholders: Redesigning
the Employee Experience | Moderator: Patricia Affonso-Dass, Ocean Hotels Group – Barbados, Speakers: Crescenzia Biemans, Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort, Nicole Antonio-Gadsdon, Banana Pepper HR

4:15pm – 4:30pm
Trident Ballroom

CHIEF Talks 5: Flavors with Intent: Elevating Caribbean Cuisine | Speaker: Carlos Portela, Orujo Taller de Gastronomia (PR)  Darron Turnquest, Cable & Wireless

4:30pm – 4:45pm
Trident Ballroom
Wrap-up