Latest / Suite Spot: A Hotel Marketing Podcast / 193 – 2026 Hunter Conference Preview
Transcript
- Ryan Embree: Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in and we check out what's trending in hotel marketing. I'm your host, Ryan Embree. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree here, a familiar episode, if you can believe it. I've got a jacket on because it is absolutely frigid outside, but we're thawing out. We're getting ready for conference season and covering some of the biggest hospitality events of the season with the first one being the Hunter Conference. And I am here with, even though this is the Suite Spot's, third time attending the conference, we have a first time guest, which I'm really, really happy to bring in. Maddie Thibodeaux Senior Manager, Events and Partnerships at Hunter Advisors and Conference. Maddie, thank you so much for joining the Suite Spot. Madison Thibodeaux: Thank you for having me, Ryan. I'm really excited to be here. Ryan Embree: We are going to have a constant theme throughout this episode of a lot of the things you love about Hunter, but a lot of new things on the horizon as well, which I'm sure you and your team have been extremely busy. We can't wait. Hoteliers can't wait. Sponsors can't wait. This is gonna be one for the books, but before we get into all that, Maddie, we have kind of a tradition here on the Suite Spot, especially for our first time Suite Spot guest. Tell us a little bit about your background in the industry and the journey that led you to Hunter Advisors and Conference. Madison Thibodeaux: Yeah, I would love to talk about that. So my journey almost pretty much started at Hunter, which I know you've had Sarah as a guest on your podcast as well, and I'm sure she has a little bit of a similar story. But I was a student at Georgia State University, the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality. I am one of the odd people that when I got to college, I already knew that I wanted to be in the hospitality industry, which I think is a rare story that you hear. Most people typically fall into it. But I went into school knowing that I wanted to be in event management. I wanted to plan events. And so throughout college I had a few different internships in hospitality. So I got some experience in the different sectors of hospitality. I worked with a catering company. I worked at a hotel in Cape Cod one summer, which was a lot of fun. Got some operational experience in hotels with the front desk and housekeeping. And then my junior year of college, Dr. Debbie Cannon at the School of Hospitality made me aware of the internship that was open at Hunter for their conference intern. And so I applied for the role, got it, accepted it. I worked for Hunter my junior and senior year. Got a lot of hands-on experience planning the event as the intern. And something that Hunter does really amazingly is they really give anyone on their team, even if you're an intern, a platform and a seat at the table to where you can really innovate with them and present your ideas. And some of them you can see like actually come to life. And so I had a lot of great mentors at Hunter who really, you know, prepared me as a student with my professional development. And so had a great time with Hunter once I graduated from Atlanta, moved out to Chicago and started working in the trade show side of things for an exhibitor services company called GES and got a little bit more trade show experience so that I could come back to Hunter and, you know, give a little bit of insight into other events going on in the world, even outside of the hospitality industry, and kind of bring that knowledge back to the team. And so just recently this past summer, I joined the Hunter team in this new role and it's been really exciting and really happy to be here. And I got a taste of the corporate world, but really ultimately I was missing the family feeling of Hunter. And so they welcomed me back with open arms and now I'm back with the Hunter family. Ryan Embree: It's such a cool boomerang story to hear. And you know, something we hear a lot about in hospitality, unlikely path, like you said, a lot of people don't go get into hospitality and that's something we're trying to change here on the Suite Spot. We obviously have our hospitality campus call, which teaser we're gonna talk about here in a little bit. But to get more people to think about career or careers in hospitality as more than just maybe a summer job and what exposure that must have been for you as a student. And I ran into actually the dean at FIU's Chaplain School of Hospitality, Dr. Chang at Hunter last year. And he was telling me about all the students and the involvement as a hospitality student myself, back when I graduated all those years ago. This is the type of exposure that can really open your eyes to show the hospitality is more than operations. It can be anything, events, F&B, there's so many different sides and unique spaces in hospitality. And getting that exposure I'm sure was, was really cool. And now you get to be the person to expose other students to that. So that's really cool. So give us kind of our Suite Spot audience, a little bit of a behind the scenes look at your role over there at Hunter Advisors and the role that it plays in the Hunter Conference. Madison Thibodeaux: Yeah, so I love my role. I feel like I'm really lucky to be in this position because my job is really just talking to people, building relationships, working with our partners and really being that advocate for them. They tell us what they need, like why they're attending Hunter, what their goals are in attending Hunter. And it's my job for us to really give them that platform and that space to do business and have a positive experience at Hunter. So I'm really lucky to be in this role on a personal-professional development aspect level of everything. I get to meet so many people in the industry, hear about their roles and what they do, and really use that to shape who I am. You know, like how can I be doing a better job in my role? And so I feel like I'm in a really lucky space where my job is really just talking to people and making friends. Who doesn't who doesn't love that, right? Ryan Embree: But you be, you bring up an important point because you know, at the top of the episode I mentioned it, I mean this for a lot of people. I tell people all the time, you know exactly when the Hunter Conference is happening because it literally feels like it shuts down LinkedIn in the hotel space and everyone is there, Who's anyone, and what you said, Maddie, everyone comes for different reasons. We've seen brand launches, we've seen acquisitions in mergers that happen between management companies. We say it all the time, but as much as a few years ago we had to go virtual, the event space now is more important than ever. And that's why, deals get done in these places. Owners, brands, management companies, general managers, even all the way down to hospitality students can glean and learn so much from this event. And that's why we are so proud to be headed there back again for the third consecutive time. But as we mentioned, a lot of new things including its location now, funny enough, last year, quick story, we were at the Hunter Conference covering it as we do, and the morning of the second day we were actually at the Signia by Hilton Atlanta doing our spotlight series. So we were actually spotlighting the property, talking to some management over there, while it was at the same time being announced that Hunter would be moving locations to that. So just some, some really cool, kind of like fortune there. But what are you most excited about of this new location and what can attendees expect from being hosted here? Madison Thibodeaux: So as you know, from your Spotlight series, yeah, it's a brand new development. I think it's been open, gorgeous for three years or so, and there's so, it's so modern. It's very refreshing. There's so much natural sunlight, which when you're attending these conferences and with my trade show background being in convention centers and you're in there all day, you're like, what, what time is it? Is it still light outside? Is it dark? You don't really get that feeling here. It's very airy and refreshing. And I think the layout of it for our event too, it's really, it's an easy flow. Things are just kind of stacked on top of each other and it's really easy to get from point A to point B. So there's been a lot of opportunity over there for us. And then where Signia is located in downtown Atlanta, it's right next to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the State Farm arena. And being close to those places really opens up a lot of doors for us as well. And we're excited for our attendees to, explore that side of Atlanta a little more too. The Monday night of our event, there is a Hawks game, and the Hawks have already partnered with us and they're offering discounted tickets for attendees. And so there's a lot of new and exciting things attendees can explore within the Signia and also around the Signia in Atlanta while they're there for Hunter. Ryan Embree: It's so cool, Maddie, because you're absolutely right with it being a new build Signia property, they built that for event space. They knew exactly what they were doing the natural lighting, even the stories behind, you know, if you're an attendee or hotelier that plans to attend Hunter. And please do find out all you can about some of the names and the stories behind some of the conference rooms. It is, is really the, the, the way they described it was a love story to the city of Atlanta. Um, there's so much meaning, and I, and I love these new builds now that put so much passion and culture of their local community into these projects. And, um, it's really shown they're so excited to be headed there and, and staying there for the first time. Like I said, just a little bit of a taste of it, but excited to be there. Now, another element of Hunter that maybe new to many this year is the recent Hunter, advisors rebrand. Can you share these rebrands, especially with such a strong legacy that Hunter has, it doesn't happen overnight, right? A lot of thought process, very meticulous, a lot of intention behind a rebrand like this. Give us a little bit of a, kind of a background of the rebrand and what it means for the brand moving forward. Madison Thibodeaux: Absolutely. And I'm really glad you're bringing this up 'cause exactly like you said, there was a lot of thought behind this, a lot of intention and a lot of hours from our team internally, just going through every single detail going in there with a fine tooth comb going through our website, every single line. We wanted to make sure it was portraying the Hunter voice in the appropriate way. And my favorite thing is when people stop me and say, oh my God, I saw like your new website, a new logo. It looks so great. I'm like, you don't understand how much that means 'cause of how much time went into this. And so really our goal behind this was we wanted to have a brand that really conveyed a little bit more clarity, confidence, and connection when listening to people in the industry and not just, you know, the investors that we work with on a day-to-day basis, but the broader hospitality landscape. There's a lot of people out there that don't know Hunter Advisors and Hunter Conference are under one entity under the Hunter name. And so we wanted a brand that conveyed that connection a little bit better. So people know that when we're planning the Hunter Conference, we really have this unique perspective where our organization we're in this business on a day-to-day basis. And so really wanted to have that give a little bit more clarity and bridge that gap a little bit better between Hunter Advisors and Hunter Conference. And then going a little bit deeper with the actual design of the rebrand, you'll see that it's very modern and contemporary. It has a very clean look. And I think that is a testament to Hunter's commitment to always evolving and innovating and growing and showing that, you know, we are adaptable and we listen to the industry and we want to bend with where it's gonna take us. But at the same time, still remaining very true to our core values and what Hunter is. And it's being that organization that's very personal and people centric. So we're not compromising those core values. But you don't, evolution doesn't mean that you have to compromise those things. And so it's a very exciting time for us. And I'm glad you brought it up because it's something I love talking about. Ryan Embree: I bet. Yeah. It's exciting new chapter, and it still pays tribute. I mean, you, you mentioned the word family at the very beginning, you, it's a legacy here, there's a family, this is a family business at the end of the day. So, you know, to be able to have this rebrand still stay kind of true to what you said to its roots, but also see that it's evolving into this new era is super exciting. And that along with the, the location change for the Hunter Conference this year, really, really excited. So we're gonna get into it. Let's, let's talk about the conference. You know, a lot of work, you know, Sarah, always comes on these preview episodes and talks about how day one after the conference is done, you're already looking to next year. So a lot of time, a lot of, sweat equity has gone into this conference. Give our audience a little bit of behind the scenes, look at what that process is like, and as you start to plan the programming for the event. Madison Thibodeaux: Yeah. So, I actually wanna correct, 'cause I was watching that video with Sarah and I was like, Sarah, come on. We don't start just day one after the conference. We're planning this year's conference and already making notes of like, oh, let's do this different next year. So it's a really exciting time and especially this year with the opportunity to do everything new and in a different way. There's a lot of things like our gears are turning. So it is a really exciting year, but with our programming in particular, I would say we approach it the same way that our advisors approach a transaction. And, you know, it's very intentional, it's very disciplined, and we have a deep respect for our audience. We're always listening to them and we wanna be, you know, respectful to that and give them information that they're here and want to hear. And so I attend a lot of industry conferences too. And so there are, there are a lot of buzzwords that go on in our industry. And for example, AI is one of them. And there's a lot of confusion out there still, and it's still very new and people don't really know where to go and where to turn in that realm. And so something that Hunter wants to do, it's something we're being very intentional about, is when we're hosting a session, we don't want it to just be like a broad overview of this topic. We wanna get into those details in a sort of case study format. Like these are the tools that we, as a hotel owner, this is what we're using, these are the partners that we have that are providing these tools to us, and this is what's worked for us. And so something that is new this year, we're introducing what we're calling focus sessions. And so it's similar to a breakout session. We'll still have a normal breakout session track, but these focus sessions are 20-minute conversations with two to three speakers. And it's truly, it's a conversation, it's a case study, here's what's working for us. And so these hotel owners can leave with, you know, actual actionable items. Like, this is what I should be implementing with my organization. And so we're, we're really trying to lean into that and be really intentional with our programming this year. Ryan Embree: It's so important because it really sets the tone, especially for when you have a lot of investors. You have a lot of owners at an event. You know, some of that programming makes for great icebreakers, great sessions on, you know, maybe the start of a conversation, about something that they heard, something that resonated with them, something that they can use in that conversation when talking to an owner or a management company that's gonna further the conversation there. And that's where I think, again, the live event space conferences right now is in this special place because we're in a very tricky place. I'm sure we're gonna talk about it and, and it's within programming, within the programming of this year's event. But it's going to be those, those human connections, quite frankly, that are going to move deals forward and move our industry forward, quite frankly, with some of the challenges that, that are going, the cost of labor, you know, just rising costs in almost every element of hospitality it feels like. But those conversations really spur kind of change and might be the first step towards that. So anything you're most excited about on the agenda when you look at it? Madison Thibodeaux: So we do have some really exciting keynote sessions this year. Chris Nata, the CEO of Hilton is one of our keynote speakers. We have kind of parallel to the hotel industry, but we have a speaker coming to talk about the World Cup that's gonna be hosted in Atlanta. So giving a little bit of that tourism perspective and what people can expect and what goes into planning this global event. And then also the Barat Shaw Leadership Speaker series that always happens at Hunter. This year the guest is Tony Ressler, who's the owner of the Atlanta Hawks. And so we have a lot of these really fun, kind of industry adjacent speakers also coming to the Hunter Conference and really excited to hear those sessions. Ryan Embree: I love that the Hunter Conference looks sometimes, like you said, kind of adjacent to the industry because it's sometimes those outside voices that can give some really great perspective. Because we talk about it all the time on the podcast, hospitality is really in everything that we do and in almost every vertical out there. So, of course they're learning lessons from us. We certainly learn lessons from them especially in a time of really, deep change right now and, and transformation. So, one of the things that has stayed that is, is a staple of the Hunter Conference and, and it looks like it's still on the agenda, is the Hunter Conference Award for Excellence and Inspiration. And this year's recipient, Glade M. Knight, Founder and Chairman of Apple REIT. Talk to us a little bit about the award, Maddie, for those that might not be familiar and why Glade was the right choice for the recognition. Madison Thibodeaux: Absolutely. Yeah. So the history of this award, it was really created to honor leaders in the hospitality industry who have shaped the investment landscape, but not just through scale and success. So not just you click on their LinkedIn and you see the steps that they took to get to where they are, but really the people who have shaped it through Integrity, vision and the impact that they made on the people in their organization and the ecosystem around them. And Glad Knight is just the perfect person who embodies that. He made a really large impact in our industry. And it's a really timely year to honor somebody from Apple Hospitality because they did just celebrate 10 years being a part of the New York Stock Exchange and also 25 years as a business. So it's really timely for us to honor the person who got them to the position that they're in today. Ryan Embree: A lot of milestones to celebrate, very strong parallels to the Hunter Conference, right. Celebrating some milestones. So 2026 will, as I mentioned, will be my personal in the Suite Spots, third time attending the conference. Love the programming that you put together. I think we shared some of that, but also the networking, right? I hear those conversations happening. We see those, you can't, you can't miss it. Everyone's kind of in the lobby, it's buzzing. That's why I love about walking into the Hunter conferences. That energy that you feel just walking in from those conversations that are happening, you're moving to a new location. I'm sure a challenge was to make sure that that buzz, that energy, that networking was gonna translate seamlessly to the new location. How have you and your team ensure that? Madison Thibodeaux: Yes, so networking is probably the most exciting part of the Hunter Conference, I would say. Like the programming is so important, but really people are coming to Hunter to do deals. So networking is a huge part. And something that's really cool about the Hunter Conference is that just having a chair at a table is like really prime real estate at our conference. People wanna sit down and network and do deals with people. And so with our new facility, there was a lot of opportunity, what are gonna be the new hotspots where people are standing and having those casual conversations. Something new this year we've rebranded our exhibit hall to now be called The Hub. And we were really intentional with the design of the hub. And it's a, the floor plan is this circular design, which was created to give that sense of the attendee, have that sense of exploration. They're not just walking up and down aisles talking to sponsors in their booth. They're really having to get in there, walk around, see what's going on. And I think we're gonna touch on it a little bit later, but our theme this year is the home of hospitality. And so the Hub is designed to look like a neighborhood. So our diamond sponsors, each of them have an activation inside the hub where, you know, their booth is thematically integrated into the neighborhood. So someone is the library, someone is the pet shop, someone is the creamery, and they're positioned in all different areas of the hub, giving people that sense of exploration. So they wanna get around and, you know, have that starting point in networking. You walk over to IHGs Booth and they're greeting you with, you know, a bottled water because they're the flower shop and you need, gotta water your flowers. And so we're really excited about that. And yeah, so there's a lot of networking that happens at the conference and the Hub I think is gonna be the hotspot for people to go and, you know, start those conversations and we're excited for people to see the design of that. Ryan Embree: I love that. I mean, you know, again, credit to you and your team for re-imagining what the sponsor floor could and should look like. Because I think you're absolutely right. I think events have evolved and changed and the way that, you know, these attendees, hoteliers, owners, investors, what they're looking for is also is also changed. And they're not looking for that maybe what we would call, I guess, old school style where it's going through, you know, and seeing the vendors and they're standing behind a trade show booth that's more interactive. The conversations can spur some more creativity, some activations love to see those. Because those are the things that kind of make those memorable memories, so to speak, so that you remember them after the show, which is what, which is every sponsor's goal. Madison Thibodeaux: There's something else I wanna touch on too. With the networking aspect of Hunter, something that we're really proud of and something that I've heard people say to me directly is that even though Hunter brings in around 2300 attendees, the conference feels so intimate. And I think our team does a really great job at making it easy for people to casually bump into somebody and start that conversation without having to have a designated meeting with each other. And we really want, that's a strong value of ours, is to make our event very approachable and easy for people to integrate and feel like, they can walk up to anybody and have a conversation. And something that meant so much to our team. We were just at another conference and a staff member from the University of South Carolina came up to us and we have a lot of student volunteers from all over the country that help put on the Hunter Conference on site. And she was like, our students love coming to Hunter. They say it's just really approachable and they feel like they can actually join in on these conversations with hospitality leaders. And I think that's really important because if students are saying it, then emerging hoteliers probably also feel that way. We want them to feel really welcomed at Hunter and know that this is the place that they can go and really have a seat at that table. Ryan Embree: Well, that goes back to that theme that you were talking about, home of hospitality, right? And that southern hospitality feel. So, you know, last year's theme was Elevate Your Game. One of my favorite parts of our conversation with Sarah every year is talking about the theme. And I know it's just a couple words, but it's so intentional. Like the theme to each one of the conferences that I've been to, and I've seen it integrated throughout. Like once I know what the theme is, I can see it incorporated into everything. And I love that. So I wanna talk about it and touch on it and kind of talk to our audience about the thinking behind this year's theme and the intentionality behind it. Madison Thibodeaux: Yeah, so I think it really goes back to what we were talking about with the rebrand and how we want people to know that Hunter is evolving, but at the same time, our roots are the same. Like, we're still this family business. And I think at a certain level of the theme, the Signia, that is our new home. And so we're introducing this new home to our attendees and we're welcoming them into our home and home being where family is and to kind of really tying into how Hunter is this approachable place where people should feel comfortable and feel like they're, they're home with us. And so we're just excited to really share with our industry this new evolution and new era of Hunter, but still being loud and proud about, we're still the Hunter family at the end of the day. Ryan Embree: Well, very cool and eager to see, again, how you and your team kind of incorporate that theme into the event this year. We're gonna switch gears because, you know, one interesting thing that we've found in common, you talked about at the top of the episode, was your journey as a hospitality student. I also went to UCF Rosen, so two hospitality students talking to each other. That's exactly what we want to see, right? So I mentioned we have a series called the Hospitality Campus Crawl. Georgia State has a special relationship with the Hunter Conference. Talk to us about that relationship there and then maybe kind of how the Hospitality School set you up for success and where you are for your, your hospitality career. Madison Thibodeaux: Absolutely. So the Cecil B Day School of Hospitality at Georgia State University is a co-founder of the Hunter Conference. And so we have a really deep relationship with the team over there. And similar to my start at Hunter and Sarah start at Hunter every year, we welcome on a conference intern from the Cecil B Day School of Hospitality Student Base. At the same time we also offer free admittance for all, Georgia State students. 'cause we really want them to get involved in, they are a part of our origin story. So it's a way we give back to that university for being a part of that team with us. And then we have the Barat Shaw Leadership Speaker series, which, you know, is put on by Mint Shaw from Noble Investment Group honoring his father. But that is a speaker series that was also partnered with the school for that speaker series to make that happen. And so there's a really deep relationship with the School of Hospitality at the Hunter Conference. I am forever grateful for the School of Hospitality at Georgia State for where I'm at in the professional world. I was a student that really, I wanted to get involved. I wanted to know my professors, you know, really well, and I wanted them to know me in return. And that school, it's really, you know, what you put into it is what you get back out of it. And they have a really strong commitment of fostering their students and setting them up for success. And there's so many opportunities there and they send their students on different trips. And when I was there, I was able to go to Prague and attend the ISHC conference where, you know, Lee, our chairman is one of the members there, and some people from our board members are members there. And as a student being able to be in the room with these industry leaders, really it sets a student up for success so that they attend these conferences and they don't feel really lost. You know, because our industry is so small, you see the same people at all of these conferences. And so it gives you that confidence and kind of helps without imposter syndrome when you're new into the industry, if you just know a familiar face and you know, from there they can introduce you to more people. And so the school does a really good job at not just educating students in the classroom, but giving students those opportunities outside the classroom to really get hands-on in the industry, start meeting those people so that when it is time for you to graduate, you have a list of people you can reach out to for jobs. And so I'm so grateful for the school and everything that they provided to me because I wouldn't, I wouldn't be with Hunter with without them. Ryan Embree: It's so cool to hear your story, Maddie. And you know, I would just say for any hoteliers listening to this, that plan on attending, talk to these students, talk to these hospitality students. Because if you're also looking for trends of where hospitality is headed, you need to be talking to the next generation of hoteliers and hospitality professionals, what they're learning, what they expect from hospitality, what they're looking for in their first job, right? We've talked about it all the time about this younger generation looking for an ease of technology, that they're going to just assume that your brand, your management company, your hotel, has already implemented it into its systems. So this could be a great kind of conversation to have with the students to say, what is your expectation when you come out of hospitality school for what a career looks like? How quickly do you wanna move up in hospitality? Do you wanna stay in one place? Do you want to travel? These are all benefits and perks of hospitality and the young minds of hospitality professionals are such a great way to try to figure out what hospitality might look like 5, 10, 15 years down the line. So, we're super excited here at the Suite Spot to announce that we will be on campus at Georgia State during the Hunter Conference to do another episode of our Hospitality Campus Crawl, at the Hospitality School at Georgia State. I'm so excited. Maddie, thank you so much for connecting me over there. We talk about hospitality connections, this is that in motion right there. So we're, we're so happy to feature that school and share some insights and see what these young professionals are getting ready for in this world, this ever changing hospitality world. So, we're coming up to the end, as we wrap up, you know, I'd love to talk to the hoteliers that are having attended a Hunter conference or are really considering joining for the first time in 2026. What would you say to them, Maddie, and maybe some of your top tips for first time attendees? Madison Thibodeaux: I would say, you know, Hunter is the place to be. You're missing out if you're not there. Aside from the things we talked about, like our programming and the networking opportunities. There's so much more that happens at Hunter beyond what you see on the program. And our partners do a great job at keeping attendees busy throughout the event. And this year, something really exciting that we've never done before. Two of our partners are hosting late night events on property, so really easy for anyone staying at the Signia to hop downstairs and attend those events. And it's gonna be a lot of fun. We have some live music, maybe even a couple big artists that people might recognize at these events. And so it's something really exciting for us. And, you have to be there to experience it. You can't just see the pictures on LinkedIn and have fomo. You gotta be there. Ryan Embree: Yeah, absolutely. Well, I cannot wait. Its gonna be an incredible conference, I would say is if you're planning on attending, obviously do. But just to exactly what Maddie said, embrace it. Every opportunity, so much is going on in our industry. It's changing faster than ever. And this is the conference again that people mark on their calendar because it marks a big brand announcement or these mergers and acquisitions or just to network and get to know more of your hospitality community, which we have been so fortunate to do these last three years and we can't wait to do again. And Marge, hopefully in some warmer conditions than it is right now, Maddie. But thank you so much for your time today. Really appreciate it. Cannot wait for March and The Hunter Conference. Any final thoughts before we wrap up? Madison Thibodeaux: I just wanna say thank you so much for having me, Ryan, and for highlighting the Hunter Conference. We love having the Suite Spot there every year as well. And yeah, I just hope to see everyone there. Ryan Embree: Alright, well thank you so much. Thank you Maddie. Thank you for listening to the Suite Spot, and we will talk to you next time. To join our loyalty program, be sure to subscribe and give us a five-star rating on iTunes. Suite Spot is produced by Travel Media Group. Our editor is Brandon Bell with Cover Art by Bary Gordon. I'm your host, Ryan Embree, and we hope you enjoyed your stay.