HOSPA, the Hospitality Professionals Association, has appointed Ryan Haynes as Head of Industry Engagement to lead programme development for the National Hotel Marketing Conference 2027, scheduled for Thursday 27 May at Hilton at St George's Park.

The hire follows HOSPA's acquisition of the conference, announced in September. The deal adds a 20-year-old fixture on the hotel marketing calendar to an association best known for serving professionals across hospitality's commercial disciplines — finance, revenue management, IT and marketing.

Haynes will work alongside both HOSPA and the Hotel Marketing Association (HMA) to set the event's future direction. He brings two decades of experience in hospitality marketing and PR, with credits across leading industry events including the Hotel Marketing Awards, HOSPACE, the International Hotel Technology Forum Europe and the Independent Hotel Show London. He also founded and hosts the Hoteliers' Voice podcast and the UK Roundtable Roadshow. HOSPA has partnered with him on initiatives over the past year.

The programming brief is concrete. Over the coming 12 months, HOSPA and the HMA will consult members, delegates and industry partners on how the conference should evolve to reflect the changing needs of hotel marketing professionals — a function undergoing rapid change as distribution, brand-building and demand generation shift toward direct channels and data-driven decision-making.

"There's a lot to look forward to as we shape the future of hotel marketing through the National Hotel Marketing Conference," Haynes said. "The role of marketing is massively evolving, and this provides great opportunity to create a programme that reflects the challenges and opportunities facing professionals today."

He signalled a practical bent for the 2027 agenda. "We want the conference to be a place where people share ideas and learn from one another, while taking away practical insights that support them in their roles," he said. "I'll bring my certain flair working with HOSPA and the HMA to build on the strong foundations that already exist."

Jane Pendlebury, CEO of HOSPA, framed the appointment as a continuity play rather than a rebuild. "Ryan has felt like an extended member of the HOSPA team for some time, having worked closely with us through a number of initiatives over the past year," she said. "His experience and energy, combined with his wider understanding of the hospitality landscape make him a natural fit to help us develop the National Hotel Marketing Conference."

Pendlebury positioned the acquisition as complementary to the HMA's existing work rather than duplicative. "The acquisition of the conference provides another opportunity for HOSPA to support the marketing community, complementing the work of the Hotel Marketing Association and creating more opportunities for professionals to connect, share knowledge and learn from one another," she said.

For an association that has spent years building out its events portfolio — HOSPACE among them — owning the National Hotel Marketing Conference outright gives HOSPA a year-round touchpoint with the marketing segment of its membership, rather than a one-off partner arrangement.

The National Hotel Marketing Conference 2027 takes place on 27 May 2027 at Hilton at St George's Park. Programme and registration details will be announced in due course, with the consultation phase with members, delegates and industry partners shaping the agenda over the next year.