Wed 28 Oct · 15:30 – 15:45
Welcome! 10 years and we are only starting
Marina Franolić
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, HESA Group
I began my hospitality career at the Glion Institute of Higher Education and the Hotel Savoy, Rocco Forte group, in Florence. After several years outside of the hospitality industry, in 2012 I established my own company with the goal of bringing global trends to the regional industry.
In 2013. Adria Hotel Forum was launched with an idea of showcasing world trends, sparking the creation of new ideas and partnerships and overall development of the hotel industry. Within years, AHF confirmed to be the only internationally recognized hotel investment conference within the South Eastern Europe whose partners are global companies.
In 2017, the company started a unique event with a goal of bringing trends into everyday hotel operations – HOW /Hotel Operations Weekend/ Festival that gathers every year more than 500 participants.
In 2018, the company has been rebranded as HESA Group and served as the connoisseur of the regional market and opportunities.
In 2019, I got the offer from Bench Events for acquisition of Adria Hotel Forum. From June 2016, AHF is part of Bench Events and I became their Managing Director for CEE with new project coming up – set of events for CEE/SEE/CIS – IDEEA Hotel Investment Forum.
In addition, I serve as the Industry Advisory Board Member at Glion Institute of Higher Education.
Wed 28 Oct · 15:45 – 16:30
Keynote: Five Stars, Zero Memory
Dr. Thomas Trautmann
Founder, Happy Brains
Dr. Thomas Trautmann is an executive coach, author and speaker dedicated to making business owners unforgettable in 11 seconds. As the founder of Happy Brains, Thomas deploys the Science of Ethical Persuasion to transform lives and businesses, building communities that thrive on mutual growth and success.
With a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence and an engineering degree in computer science, Thomas built his early career inside some of the world's most demanding organisations: IBM, HP, AOL, Bosch and Steelcase. He did not learn business from a classroom. He learned it from inside revenue targets, product launches and enterprise sales cycles that forgave nothing. He then became an entrepreneur and founded various companies.
As a former Certified Neuromarketing Instructor, Thomas spent years deploying cutting-edge brain science in service of corporate marketing machines. He was good at it. He was also uncomfortable with it. NeuroMarketing optimises for the company's result at the expense of the individual in the room. That discomfort became the Ethical Persuader System: the only framework designed to get the decision you want from someone while ensuring they experience it as entirely their own.
Central to Thomas's work is the conviction that you cannot make yourself great by trying to make yourself great. You make yourself great by making your clients great. This is not a philosophy. It is neuroscience. The brain responds to contribution before it responds to acquisition. The Make Me Great! system is built on that sequence.
As a 10X Certified Business Coach with Grant Cardone, Thomas combines the neuroscience of decision-making with Cardone's expertise in money mindset, marketing and sales. The combination produces something neither alone could: clients who understand why they buy, how to make others want to buy from them, and how relentlessly to pursue the growth they deserve. His clients become Unforgettable in 11 seconds.
Thomas lives in the south of France with his wife and three children. He has two marriages, one divorce, and a career built on understanding the exact same pressures his clients face. He is not advising from a distance. He is the client. That makes him the only coach in this space who can say so honestly.
Wed 28 Oct · 16:30 – 16:45
Presentation: 2027 Travel Predictions, by Booking.com
Nikolina Zrinšćak
Market Team Manager, Booking.com
Nikolina Zrinšćak brings more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry. During the first decade of her career, she progressed through various roles in domestic and international hotel chains, building a broad understanding of hotel operations and the industry landscape.
Fifteen years ago, Nikolina joined Booking.com as part of a team that helped drive the company’s rapid growth across the region. Since 2014, when she became a Senior Account Manager, she has led teams of account managers responsible for partner growth across several Southeast European markets.
Today, as a Market Team Manager, Nikolina brings together her experience in hospitality, partner relationships, and people leadership to support a strong team and help drive growth across the region. She is closely connected to the hotel community and the wider industry, with a deep understanding of the markets, partners, and competitive landscape across Southeast Europe. Through partner visits, industry events, and conferences, she shares insights and builds connections that contribute to practical, lasting results.
Wed 28 Oct · 16:45 – 17:10
Have a Coffee & Mingle
Wed 28 Oct · 17:10 – 17:30
HOW presents: Hospitality Operations in Numbers: the Past, the Present and the Future
Alexander Robinson
Director , STR
Alex is a Director at STR, based in London, and leads a team focused on driving business with hotel stakeholders across Europe. He began his career in New York, gaining experience in fixed income with Lazard, Merrill Lynch, and Scotia Capital. He then moved into the hospitality industry when he joined Expedia’s sales and development team, working in both their New York and San Francisco offices. Alex subsequently moved to London for HotelTonight, with responsibility of managing partnerships with global brands and industry organizations. He joined STR in August 2016.
Wed 28 Oct · 17:30 – 18:15
HOW X Talks & Panel Discussion: Global Trends
Alexander Carstens
Corporate Food & Beverage Director, Ruby Hotels
Alexander Carstens is Corporate Food & Beverage Director at Ruby Hotels, where he leads the strategic development and evolution of the group’s F&B operations.
With nearly two decades of international hospitality experience across Germany, the UK, Mexico and China, Alexander has built his career around rethinking how hotel F&B can be more innovative, efficient and relevant to the modern guest. Having had leadership roles within Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Kempinski, BUDERSAND Hotel, Golf & Spa, the Vila Vita Group and Morten, he was able to gain experience within the finest hotels and was able to design and create innovative concepts within different types of hospitality.
His expertise spans F&B concept development, digitalization and process optimization, hotel openings, operational excellence and the creation of scalable F&B solutions. Having worked across luxury hospitality, Michelin-starred gastronomy and multi-property hotel operations, he brings together a strong understanding of both high-end guest experiences and commercially sustainable operations.
At Ruby Hotels, Alexander’s focus is on the future of hotel F&B – exploring how digitalization, smart processes and innovative concepts can simplify operations while creating distinctive guest experiences and building F&B models fit for the next generation of hotels.
Jakob Linhart
Head of Sales, Schani Hotels
Jakob Linhart started as Head of Sales at Schani Hotels in September 2026, bringing over a decade of experience in hospitality sales, commercial strategy, and business development. At Schani Hotels, Jakob now focuses on accelerating commercial growth, strengthening strategic partnerships, and translating the brand's innovative, technology-driven approach into new business opportunities.
Schani Hotels is an innovative, Vienna-based hotel group that combines smart technology, contemporary design, and authentic Viennese hospitality. With a strong focus on digitalisation, seamless guest journeys, and forward-thinking hotel concepts, Schani is redefining the modern hotel experience.
Before joining Schani, Jakob spent more than 11 years at Ruby Hotels, where he played a key role in building the sales organisation from the ground up and supporting the brand's growth from an independent start-up into an internationally established hotel group within the IHG brand universe. Most recently, as Associate Director of Sales, he co-led the international sales and account management team and shaped the commercial strategy across the portfolio.
Daniel Zelling
Chief Growth Officer , ReGuest
Daniel Zelling is the founder and CEO of opensmjle, a Cologne-based digital agency specialising in hospitality, and Chief Growth Officer of ReGuest AG, the Commercial Operating Platform for hotels. After ReGuest acquired opensmjle in 2025, Daniel took on responsibility for growth across the group, which also includes Zeppelin Hotel Tech and Up Hotel Agency.
For more than 13 years, Daniel has worked at the intersection of hotels and technology. His team at opensmjle builds hotel websites on a SaaS model and runs SEO, SEA and performance marketing for properties across the DACH region. At ReGuest, he leads growth strategy, including the development of an international partner program and the company's expansion into new markets.
Daniel is one of the early voices on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) in hospitality, which is about how hotels stay visible and bookable as guests increasingly plan trips through ChatGPT, Perplexity and other AI assistants. He regularly shares his expertise through white papers, webinars on AI agents and MCP, and industry publications.
In 2015 he founded the Hospitality Industry Club, which has since hosted more than 150 events across Europe that bring hoteliers and technology providers together for honest, education-first exchange. Through the club he also co-organises and moderates the UNconference series in cities such as Vienna, Zürich and Berlin.
Wed 28 Oct · 18:15 – 19:00
Keynote: A-Z of more emotional eating and drinking experiences
Robbie Bargh
Founder & Partner , Gorgeous Group
Based in Soho London https://www.gorgeousgroup.com/ our offices are on Broadwick street, in the heart of Soho
Founder, Chief storyteller, F&B Experience guru
Consolidating the business of pleasure with the business of providing it through memorable, emotional stories for luxury and lifestyle hotels, luxury retail, travel, arts, education and work instituitions
Background: Michelin Star restaurants, five-star luxury, stand-alone boutique hotels, upscale casual and high street dining
Foreground: Perfectionist and visionary, cued to industry paradigm shifts. What you want, as you want it, before you want it.
Purpose: Making experience better, through world class hospitality, ours is the business of delivering emotion per square foot
Born and raised in Manchester, now lives between London and Kent but has spent time living in New York
My loves
Hotels, travel, hospitality on every level, every cuisine and all foods Italian and Thai being my favourite
Great cocktails, Champagne and good coffee.
Running, I go trail running with my Welsh Terrier, Rufus. I go to the gym, obsess with cinema and live theatre, cabaret – anything which is putting on a show
Anything with cheese on it
Room service menus
London the best city in the world, followed closely by Manchester
My hates
Airplane delays
Avocado (I am allergic)
Hot buffets
Ordering pads, self check on and food delivery platforms
We are lucky to work with the world best
Gorgeous Group are working across five continents
Our north star, our purpose: Making experience better, through world class hospitality, ours is the business of delivering emotion per square foot
We do this for:
Six Senses, Four Seasons, Belmond, Oetker, Hyatt, Starwood, Marriott, Hilton and Waldorf Astoria, Intercontinental, The Ritz and Kempinski
We also work with Dishoom, Lufthansa, Guinness Storehouse and Manchester City
Areas of Expertise
Strategic F&B concept design
Experience design (F&B Retail / Hospitality / Work place / Co-Living)
Branding
Current Projects
The Ritz London
Six Senses London
Guinness Storehouse Dublin
Le Meridien Paris
Grand Hotel Bad Ragaz Switzerland
Hyatt Regency Rome
Six Senses Red Sea, Saudi Arabia
QANTAS
MCFC
The Vinetta Palm Beach
Wed 28 Oct · 20:00 – 23:00
HOW Good – Our New Welcome Cocktail Concept with a Purpose
Thu 29 Oct · 09:00 – 09:50
Masterclass: The HYROX Effect: Turning a Fitness Trend into a Hotel Offering
Edin Mehmedović
Licensed Kinesiologist & Certified Personal Trainer
Fitness is my life, and hotels are my passion. I have dedicated more than twenty years of professional experience to working with various types of clients and developing effective, functional fitness concepts. I built my career in leading Zagreb hotels such as the Esplanade, Sheraton, Westin, and Hilton, where I learned how to turn every square meter of space into an opportunity for movement.
Today, I focus on sales, consulting, and education in the field of professional fitness equipment and collaborate with internationally recognized programs and certifications. As a guest lecturer, I regularly appear across the region (Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Budva), and the wider public knows me from my television role in the show Život na vagi, where I served as a trainer for contestants for six seasons.
Thu 29 Oct · 09:00 – 09:45
Masterclass: How and When Does Robotic Hotel Floor Cleaning Pay Off?
Klemen Fajmut
Business Development Manager, GreatRobot
Klemen is an economist with master's in anthropology. With 20 years of experience in the real estate and tech industry, he is engaged as a Business Development Manager for GreatRobot d.o.o. working on robotics solutions and Simplify Consulting d.o.o. delivering business processes intelligent automation.
Thu 29 Oct · 09:50 – 10:35
Masterclass: Hospitality HR: Recruitment for the 2027 Season Started Yesterday
Mirko Latković
Co-Founder, Globirò
Mirko Latković and Anita Rosić are the Founders of Globirò, a Croatian agency specializing in international recruitment and workforce solutions.
With backgrounds in economics, auditing, and law, they combine their professional expertise with experience in international recruitment dating back to 2018.
They have recruited across various industries, with a particular focus on hospitality, workforce planning, and connecting international talent with employers. Their approach is built on practical experience, an understanding of employers' needs, and long-term business relationships.
Anita Rosić
Co-Founder, Globirò
Anita Rosić and Mirko Latković are the Founders of Globirò, a Croatian agency specializing in international recruitment and workforce solutions.
With backgrounds in economics, auditing, and law, they combine their professional expertise with experience in international recruitment dating back to 2018.
They have recruited across various industries, with a particular focus on hospitality, workforce planning, and connecting international talent with employers. Their approach is built on practical experience, an understanding of employers' needs, and long-term business relationships.
Thu 29 Oct · 09:50 – 10:40
Masterclass: From Reviews to Revenue: AI Tools for Reputation Management
Andrija Birtić
Head of AI Department and Projects, ISTRA TECH
Andrija Birtić leads the AI department and projects at ISTRA TECH, building the company's artificial intelligence solutions from early research and architecture through to production. His focus is on turning AI into tools that solve real operational problems for hospitality businesses.
Andrija joined ISTRA TECH as a software developer and has since grown into leading its AI team. Since then, he has led various AI projects. MISH Chatboot - multilingual AI assistant that answers users' questions about the company's software from thousands of pages of its technical documentation. MISH PISCAN - id document scanner powered by a vision-language model that reads guests' identity documents from scanners or cameras and save data to MISH. MISH SentimentAI platform that reads public guest reviews on OTA platforms, social networks, forums, review platforms, analyzes them and turn them into prioritized and actionable reports to help hotels to boost their ratings. He is currently working on an AI recommender system for hospitality.
Alongside his work at ISTRA TECH, Andrija conducts independent research into memory modules for language models.
Thu 29 Oct · 10:40 – 11:30
Masterclass: Every Plate Counts – Procurement Strategies That Protect Your F&B Margins
Alexander Carstens
Corporate Food & Beverage Director, Ruby Hotels
Alexander Carstens is Corporate Food & Beverage Director at Ruby Hotels, where he leads the strategic development and evolution of the group’s F&B operations.
With nearly two decades of international hospitality experience across Germany, the UK, Mexico and China, Alexander has built his career around rethinking how hotel F&B can be more innovative, efficient and relevant to the modern guest. Having had leadership roles within Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Kempinski, BUDERSAND Hotel, Golf & Spa, the Vila Vita Group and Morten, he was able to gain experience within the finest hotels and was able to design and create innovative concepts within different types of hospitality.
His expertise spans F&B concept development, digitalization and process optimization, hotel openings, operational excellence and the creation of scalable F&B solutions. Having worked across luxury hospitality, Michelin-starred gastronomy and multi-property hotel operations, he brings together a strong understanding of both high-end guest experiences and commercially sustainable operations.
At Ruby Hotels, Alexander’s focus is on the future of hotel F&B – exploring how digitalization, smart processes and innovative concepts can simplify operations while creating distinctive guest experiences and building F&B models fit for the next generation of hotels.
Ivana Kevrić
Procurement Manager, Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Kvarner Bay
Ivana Kevrić is Procurement Manager at Mövenpick Kvarner Bay Resort in Novi Vinodolski, Croatia, part of the Accor group. With nearly 20 years of experience in procurement and commercial roles across retail, HoReCa and hospitality, she brings a broad business perspective to procurement, combining strong cost discipline with an in depth understanding of operations, quality and supplier markets.
During the pre-opening of Mövenpick Kvarner Bay Resort, Ivana built the procurement function from the ground up, leading end to end sourcing across food, beverages, OS&E, FF&E equipment from tendering and supplier negotiations to budget management, implementation and supply chain coordination.
Ivana believes that effective procurement goes far beyond securing the lowest purchase price. She sees procurement as a strategic business function with a direct impact on F&B margins, operational efficiency and the overall guest experience. Her approach focuses on protecting profitability without compromising quality, while building long term supplier partnerships based on transparency, mutual value, sustainability and supply chain resilience.
Thu 29 Oct · 10:50 – 12:10
Masterclass: Beyond the Comp Set – Finding Your Real Competition
Dr. Natalia Bovsovers-Carette
Lecturer, EHL Hospitality Business School
Natalia brings nearly 20 years of hospitality experience, including 14 years with Kempinski Hotels. After gaining extensive operational expertise in Food & Beverage and Rooms Division management in Saint Petersburg, Russia, she progressed into senior leadership roles, serving as Hotel Manager and General Manager across a variety of hospitality properties in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Since 2019, she has been Director and Co-founder of 8Solutions SA, a Swiss-based company providing management support and advisory services to hotel owners.
Since 2021, Natalia has been a Lecturer at EHL Hospitality Business School, teaching within the BOSC, MiHM, and CREM programs, while also serving as Course Representative for Food & Beverage Cost Control.
Thu 29 Oct · 11:40 – 13:00
Masterclass: How to Win Every MICE Client: Tailoring Your Approach to Different Personality Type (delivered in Croatian)
Davor Bilman
Chief Executive Officer , Faktor B
He’s a graduate economist from Zagreb and has spent the last 51 years in the world of sales. For 36 years he worked hands-on in sales, and for the past 21 years he’s been sharing his knowledge as a soft-skills trainer, teaching sales, communication, leadership, and negotiation. He also developed his own method called the Personality Scanner, which helps to read people’s character through things like their shoes, clothes, jewelry, watch, glasses, tattoos, or even the car they drive. In 2018, he wrote a book on the subject called I Want to Wear My Color.
Thu 29 Oct · 12:15 – 13:00
Masterclass: The Operational Anatomy of a Michelin Star Restaurant
Jeffrey Vella
Corporate Food and Beverage Director, Chef & Concept Curator , Michelin Star Restaurant Cap Aureo at Maistra Hospitality Group
Maltese Jeffrey J Vella comes from a family of hoteliers, so hospitality has been since ever part of my DNA. I used to love watching the chefs working at the hotel, prepping and creating fantastic plates, and by the age of 10 started preparing food for the family and whoever else came along. During my career as a professional chef, I have worked with some of the greatest names in the industry, managed some of the most prestigious properties around the globe, and now for the past years set my anchors in a place I call home Istria - Croatia
“My forte is Mediterranean cuisine based on locally grown ingredients. I prepare menus exclusively from fresh ingredients, which I procure almost entirely in Istria. I have green and poor cuisine, which means that I use it in the preparation of meals lots of vegetables, fish and meat categories that are “forgotten” and from which I can prepare amazing dishes for Cap Aureo my Michelin Star restaurant at the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj
My approach towards food was always based primarily on defining locality, how to use more local, seasonal and territorial significant products and create a story about it. That is why since the opening the Cap Aureo we work closely with fantastic local producers, fishermen who are dedicated to what they deliver and produce. We could say locality is now my lifestyle as after living for years in big cities around the world, I am now enjoying life in Maružini - a small Istrian village only 20km from Rovinj with just a few inhabitants from which most have their own farms so there is no lack of local cheese, prosciutto, vegetables and Istrian liquid golds – Malvazija wine and extra virgin olive oil.
Thu 29 Oct · 13:00 – 14:15
Lunch
Thu 29 Oct · 14:15 – 14:50
Panel Discussion: The COO Table – Leading Operations in an Industry That Never Stands Still
Igor Nekić
General Manager, Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Kvarner Bay
Igor Nekić is an experienced, passionate, and results-driven hospitality industry leader known for his commitment to excellence and adaptability in navigating industry challenges. His career continues to be marked by great achievements and a dedication to shaping the future of hospitality. In his GM position in Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Kvarner Bay, Igor is leading a 502-key resort through a transformative rebranding and repositioning journey. His deep experience and strategic vision are key in refining the property’s identity, enhancing guest satisfaction, and aligning operations with premium market expectations.
Jelena Papeša Ekar
Director of Operations, Aminess Hotels & Resorts
Jelena Papeša Ekar is a senior hospitality executive with over 15 years of leadership experience in complex, multi-property environments across Croatia and the region. As Director of Operations at Aminess Hotels & Resorts, she is responsible for a portfolio of 33 properties, overseeing more than 2,000 employees and driving operational performance across diverse destinations. She brings extensive expertise in operational leadership, P&L management, and large-scale transformation, with a strong track record in improving efficiency, service quality, and overall business performance. Prior to her current role, she held senior leadership positions at Maistra Hospitality Group and Liburnia Hotels & Villas. Jelena is recognized for her strategic mindset, disciplined execution, and ability to lead high-performing teams in dynamic and demanding environments.
Juraj Šikonja
Board Member, Maistra Hospitality Group
Juraj currently serves as a Member of the Management Board of Maistra Hospitality Group, one of Croatia’s leading hospitality companies, operating 35 hotels, resorts and campsites, as well as more than 100 restaurants and bars. Prior to his current role, he held the positions of Director of Operations and Head of Business and Digital Transformation, leading key initiatives during the company’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Before joining Maistra, Juraj built his career at the renowned international consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he worked with some of the world’s leading companies in the financial services and retail sectors.
In addition to earning an MBA from the prestigious French business school INSEAD, Juraj holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, where he also completed his undergraduate studies in Mathematics. Alongside his studies at the Faculty of Science, he attended the Zagreb School of Economics and Management, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management.
Boris Simm
Hospitality Professional
With a strong focus on innovation and performance, he is dedicated to building future-ready hospitality concepts that balance efficiency, guest-centricity, and sustainable growth.
With a background in strategy and transformation, Boris has extensive experience driving change across hospitality organizations. He combines a deep understanding of operations with a forward-looking perspective on technology and evolving guest expectations, enabling businesses to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing market.
Thu 29 Oct · 14:45 – 15:45
Presentation: The Worst Shift Ever – Can Your Hotel Team Fix It in 30 Minutes?
Thu 29 Oct · 14:50 – 15:30
Keynote: 10 lessons from a decade of hospitality concept development
Youri Sawerschel
Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Creative Supply
Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Creative Supply, a branding and experience design agency in Zurich and Paris. He has helped create, launch and manage hospitality brands across Europe, China and the Middle East - for names as diverse as Kempinski, Airelles and Marriott.
Youri Sawerschel is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Creative Supply, a branding and experience design agency present in Zurich and Paris. Solicited for his creative thinking skills, Youri has been involved with projects focused on creating, launching and managing hospitality brands in Europe, China and the Middle East. He has worked with brands as diverse as Kempinski, Airelles and Marriott. Youri is also the author of dozens of articles on the topics of brand strategy, storytelling and entrepreneurship and is a lecturer at CEIBS, ESSEC, EHL Hospitality Business School and at EPFL. Youri graduated from the École des Arts Décoratifs in Geneva and holds a Bachelor from the EHL (where he also co-founded the Young Hoteliers Summit).
Thu 29 Oct · 15:30 – 16:10
Keynote: Do Hotels Dream of Electric Guests? 5 Macro Trends Rewriting Hospitality
Simone Puorto
Head of Emerging Trends and Strategic Innovation, Founder & CEO, Hospitality Net & Travel Singularity
Simone Puorto is a techno-philosopher, strategic consultant, keynote speaker, and the author of five bestselling books exploring the intersection of technology, artificial intelligence, and hospitality.
With more than 25 years of international experience, he serves as Head of Emerging Trends & Strategic Innovation at Hospitality Net, a leading global platform for hospitality professionals, and as a board adviser to more than a dozen global technology companies, including RobosizeME and dAIrect.
He is the founder of Travel Singularity and Elegia, two boutique consulting firms specialising in digital transformation and the future of hospitality.
An early adopter of podcasting in the hospitality industry, in 2019 he launched “Digital: The Top Ten Travel News Stories of the Week. Day In, Day Out”, a weekly recap of the most important developments in travel and technology.
In 2022, he organised the HN Meta Meetup, the world’s first hospitality event held entirely in virtual reality, followed by Polybius, a recurring metaverse series that he hosted for two years.
Simone lectures in MBA and executive education programmes at leading institutions, including EHL and Les Roches, and has published more than 300 articles and academic papers, in addition to numerous ghostwritten works.
His research has introduced several concepts now widely referenced across the hospitality industry, including “Humans-as-Luxury”, “Post-Human Hospitality”, “Reverse Uncanny Valley”, the “Olympia Effect”, “Lacanian Hospitality”, and the “Anthropocentric–Technocentric–Hybrid Hotels” framework.
He also conducts academic research on music tourism and dark tourism. His published work includes “Ghosts in the Suite: Automation, Identity, and the Disappearing Human in the Hotel Room”, “Pilgrimage of Joy”, and “Polaroids from Hell: Photography, Ritual Practices, and Virtual Ghost Tourism in the Fatal Frame Video Game Franchise”.
His new book, “A Cactus in a Dead Land: Pilgrimage and Ritual in the Cultural Afterlife of Ian Curtis and Joy Division (and the Forgotten Story of Cornelia F.)”, containing previously unpublished information about the posthumous history of the post-punk band Joy Division, will be published in October 2026.
In 2026, he was named one of the Top 100 Digital Thought Leaders in Global Hospitality by the International Hospitality Institute.
Thu 29 Oct · 15:30 – 16:30
RIEDEL Wine Glass Experience
Thu 29 Oct · 16:10 – 16:25
HOW presents: Future of Travel With 1 Click
Thu 29 Oct · 16:25 – 16:50
Have a Coffee & Mingle
Thu 29 Oct · 16:50 – 17:30
Keynote: The Red String Theory of Hospitality Marketing
Lucy Johnston & Sophie Harrold
Co-founders & Creative Consultants, Able Agency
Working across global hotel brands and European hospitality groups, they develop creative strategy, connected marketing ecosystems and intelligent systems built around the modern guest journey - helping hotels adapt as the way people discover, book and experience travel continues to evolve.
Their work spans brand, content and experience, with independent hotel projects featured in Vogue.
Thu 29 Oct · 17:30 – 18:15
Keynote: Purposeful Leadership Under Pressure: Creating Focus, Energy and Trust in Hospitality Teams
Marco Truffelli
Co-Founder, Resilire
Marco is a respected leader in the global hospitality and tourism sector with more than 38 years of unparalleled experience. Originally from the Portofino Coast in Italy, he has directed some of the world’s most prestigious hotels and resorts, including senior executive roles at Trust House Forte in London, Premier Resorts & Hotels in the Caribbean, The Town House Collection in Scotland, Borgo Egnazia in Puglia and Rocco Forte Verdura in Sicily.
Renowned for delivering sustained growth, Marco has directed resorts generating more than £35M annual revenue with 24% GOP. He has collaborated with leading international organisations such as Google, staging the acclaimed “Davos by the Sea” symposium, and has directed world-class events including the PGA European Tour Rocco Forte Open and one of Europe’s most opulent weddings.
Currently co-owner of Rufflets Hotel, St. Andrews and Managing Director of PRAKTIK Management Consulting, Marco advises luxury hotel groups and entrepreneurial ventures worldwide, with clients including Priory Healthcare, Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, Borgo Egnazia, and Rocco Forte Hotels. His visionary leadership and strategic insights have also spearheaded the largest online tourism implementation programme in the UK during his tenure as CEO of VisitScotland.com.
Marco’s academic achievements are equally notable. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, an MBA from the University of Edinburgh Business School, and an MSc in the Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King’s College London. A graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, he is currently completing his Doctoral Research at Oxford Brookes University.
As the Co-founder of RESILIRĒ – Psychological Growth, alongside Dr. Jan Ferris, Marco is dedicated to fostering psychological growth and mind well-being among leaders. With dual Italian and British nationality, he brings a rare integration of global C-suite expertise and psychological insight, positioning him as a distinctive voice in shaping resilient, sustainable and future-ready leadership.
Outside his professional life, Marco can often be found running early in the morning through the forests of Ljusterö in Sweden or along the coastline of Edinburgh in Scotland - and, when persuaded by his wife, practising yoga in the open air.
Credentials
• Graduate Member, The British Psychological Society
• Master Innholder
• Member, European Hotel Managers Association (EHMA)
• Fellow, Institute of Hospitality
• Fellow, The Tourism Society
• Mentor, Oxford Brookes University
• Freeman of the City of London
• Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity (Cavaliere): from Italian Government, for contributions to cultural relations between Scotland and Italy
Thu 29 Oct · 19:15 – 20:15
Pub Quiz: Drink, Think, Get It Wrong, and Maybe Win Anyway!
Thu 29 Oct · 20:15 – 21:30
Dinner: Fueling the Night!
Thu 29 Oct · 21:30 – 22:00
HOW to dance Bachata; a fast course by Davor Bilman
Davor Bilman
Chief Executive Officer , Faktor B
He’s a graduate economist from Zagreb and has spent the last 51 years in the world of sales. For 36 years he worked hands-on in sales, and for the past 21 years he’s been sharing his knowledge as a soft-skills trainer, teaching sales, communication, leadership, and negotiation. He also developed his own method called the Personality Scanner, which helps to read people’s character through things like their shoes, clothes, jewelry, watch, glasses, tattoos, or even the car they drive. In 2018, he wrote a book on the subject called I Want to Wear My Color.
Thu 29 Oct · 22:00 – 02:00
10X party time! With Ante Gelo & Band
Fri 30 Oct · 09:30 – 10:20
CEOs unpanel
Zrinka Bokulić
President of the Management Board, Liburnia Riviera Hoteli
Zrinka Bokulić is President of the Management Board of Liburnia Riviera Hotels d.d., Opatija, and one of the most experienced leaders in Croatian hospitality, with more than 25 years in senior management positions. She spent 17 years at the helm of the Aminess Group as President of the Management Board, growing it into a recognized hotel brand on the Adriatic, and gained further management experience at some of the largest tourism companies on the Croatian coast - in Dubrovnik and Krk (today part of Valamar), Zadar, and Crikvenica. Throughout her career, she has led major transformation processes - from hotel repositioning and organizational development to building management teams - and has mentored numerous colleagues who now hold leading positions in the industry themselves. She considers developing people and passing on knowledge a core part of leadership responsibility, which has made her a valued mentor to young professionals and future leaders. She holds a degree from the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, an Executive MBA from the Cotrugli Business School, and is a member of the European Hotel Managers Association (EHMA).
Nuša Korotaj
Chief Executive Officer, Terme Sveti Martin
Nuša Korotaj is a hospitality leader with nearly 20 years of experience, specialising in developing innovative wellness and medical concepts, sustainable business models, and modern HR practices, with a strong focus on P&L. She began her career in Slovenia, leading sales and marketing for one of the country’s largest ski and wellness resorts, but for the past eight years, her work has been based in Croatia, where she currently serves as CEO of Terme Sveti Martin, Europe’s first Healthness Resort. Under her leadership, the company has strengthened its international market position, become a recognised trendsetter in wellness and sustainable operations, and received multiple industry recognitions.
Alongside her extensive academic background in hospitality management, she holds an Executive MBA from Les Roches Global Hospitality Education in Switzerland, which has strengthened her international perspective and deepened her strategic understanding of the field.
In 2025, she was recognised as the Croatian Best Hotel Director in the 4-star category by the Croatian Hoteliers Association and also received an award for her special contribution to the development of women’s entrepreneurship in Central and Southeast Europe at the World Congress of Entrepreneurs, both of which further reinforced her leadership and impact within the industry.
Zdenko Leko
Managing Director , CHROME - Croatian Hotel & Resort Management
Zdenko has been a successful hotelier and hospitality expert in Croatia for almost 3 decades. After returning to 'the Homeland', having grown up and been educated in Australia and South Africa, and enjoying a career with Mars Incorporated spanning almost a decade, and covering the fields of IT, finance and sales, he moved into the hotel industry and joined Zagreb’s then largest hotel company, HUP-Zagreb.
Through 9 years at HUP, he was involved in leading projects which saw the company’s portfolio double, and transform from a solely city-based hotel company to include resort hotels along the Dubrovnik Riviera.
For the past 20 years he has managed tourism projects in Istria, Central Dalmatia and Dubrovnik, and most notably has been Managing Director of Sun Gardens Dubrovnik since its opening 17 years ago.
Kristian Šustar
Chief Executive Officer & Member of the Board, Jadran Hoteli Rijeka
CEO & Member of the Board at Jadran Hoteli Rijeka, with more than 25 years of leadership across Croatian and international tourism and hospitality companies.
More than 25 years of experience, mainly in management positions within tourism and hotel companies in intensive development. In a series of key positions throughout his career, he has led companies that dictated the trends of national tourism development and that took on the role of managing the transition of the tourism development model - determining the direction of change, initiating and stimulating quality development projects, and educating the destination through the introduction of new trends. 2018–2023: Director of Development (CDO) and Member of the Board at Uniline Travel Company, one of the leading destination management companies in southeast Europe. 2011-2018: CEO of Dubrovnik Riviera Hotels Inc. and Member of the Board of HUP Zagreb Ltd. 2005–2011: CEO of Maistra d.d., part of the Adris Group, the largest national investor in the tourism industry. Until 2011: Adriatic Luxury Hotels & The Wren's Hotel Group (COO). For many years active in the local and national tourism community - member of the Council for 8 years and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Croatian National Tourist Board; President of the Association of Employers in Croatia (a national association of hoteliers) from 2009 to 2016; and, since 2011, a lecturer at VERN University of Applied Sciences.
Marina Franolić
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, HESA Group
I began my hospitality career at the Glion Institute of Higher Education and the Hotel Savoy, Rocco Forte group, in Florence. After several years outside of the hospitality industry, in 2012 I established my own company with the goal of bringing global trends to the regional industry.
In 2013. Adria Hotel Forum was launched with an idea of showcasing world trends, sparking the creation of new ideas and partnerships and overall development of the hotel industry. Within years, AHF confirmed to be the only internationally recognized hotel investment conference within the South Eastern Europe whose partners are global companies.
In 2017, the company started a unique event with a goal of bringing trends into everyday hotel operations – HOW /Hotel Operations Weekend/ Festival that gathers every year more than 500 participants.
In 2018, the company has been rebranded as HESA Group and served as the connoisseur of the regional market and opportunities.
In 2019, I got the offer from Bench Events for acquisition of Adria Hotel Forum. From June 2016, AHF is part of Bench Events and I became their Managing Director for CEE with new project coming up – set of events for CEE/SEE/CIS – IDEEA Hotel Investment Forum.
In addition, I serve as the Industry Advisory Board Member at Glion Institute of Higher Education.
Fri 30 Oct · 10:20 – 10:45
Mentorship Teams Announcement
Fri 30 Oct · 10:45 – 11:00
An Applause! Who is the First Young Leader Award Winner?
Fri 30 Oct · 11:00
We Don’t Say Goodbye. Just See You Soon!
HOW Festival · 1 hour ago
That was Day 01. 🎈
HOW Festival · 5 hours ago
Post. Tag. Win. 🎈
HOW Festival · 6 hours ago
Golden hour at HOW X. 🎈
HOW Festival · 6 hours ago
Ten years. One full room. 🎈
HOW Festival · 13 hours ago
The 10th edition of HOW starts today. 🎈
HOW Festival · 2 days ago
Our host town: Tourist Board Novi Vinodolski 🎈 our Patron partner for HOW X 2026.
