The Millennium Seoul Hilton is pleased to announce that its General Manager, Eric M. Swanson, was named the new president of Skal International Seoul for 2011. As the new club president, Mr. Swanson is faced with the important responsibility of laying all the groundwork for the upcoming 2012 Skal World Congress to be hosted in Korea.
Eric Swanson, general manager of the Millennium Seoul Hilton and also president of Skal Seoul Club, said the world congress to be held in Korea next year will be the biggest challenge I ever had. Not to mention that, "With this great honour, I feel a sense of tremendous responsibility and opportunity to lay the groundwork for a very successful event, thus ensuring that both SKAL Seoul-Incheon and SKAL International are favourably represented and ensure that the club's core values remain intact," he added.
He also plans to develop the new "Young Skal" program, which will help build a strong base for the future of Skal International. "I intend to further develop and nurture Young SKAL so as to help establish the next generation of SKAL members in line with the objectives and vision of SKAL International," Eric Swanson expressed. Mr. Swanson is no stranger to the Skal organization. In 2009, Mr. Swanson headed up the SKAL Asia Congress, a convention of hotel and tourism industry professionals, which took place in Korea. The 2009 Skal Asia Congress in Incheon gave a good first impression to senior executives from Europe and Asian clubs. "That gave us credibility, so when we went to bid for the 2012 World Congress, that landed us credibility. That's what we gained from hosting the Asia congress."
The new president said the congress will increase exposure of Korea. "If we are able to bring 1,000-1,500 travel professionals, bring them into Seoul during that period of time, you'll never have an event that brings these types of people together under one roof at one time," he said, adding Korea is not yet top of the list in the European market.
The preparation team has also been booking event venues and making a logo. "My goal is to get everything done by the end of this year. So in 2012 we will just go out and actively promote to make sure many people come and make this the biggest world congress in history. That's my goal," he said.
As for the future plans for SKAL Korea, the 52-year-old general manager says, "With respect to SKAL Korea, I would say the most pressing matter is the upcoming 2012 SKAL World Congress. I will need to lay the groundwork so that my successor will be able to host a successful World Congress where SKAL Korea is well represented and our Club earns the reputation of being one of the most dynamic clubs within the Travel industry and the SKAL community. "
Millennium Seoul Hilton
The hotel enjoyed a good performance last year with G20 Seoul Summit and other events, exceeding its revenue goal and profitability. His forecast for this year and next year are also optimistic. "2011 may not be as robust a year as 2009 and 2010, when we were helped by the Japanese travel boom, the currency devaluation, the G20 etc. While I am positive that it will be a successful one, I don't believe that it will be a mega year. Records are not likely to be broken, but there is likely to be healthy growth within the sector," the general manager said.
As for the Korean industry the hotelier said, The Korean hotel industry has caught up with the global hotel industry in developed countries in terms of hardware and software. However, the level of development in terms of tourism infrastructure expansion has not kept pace with investment in hotel development." Also he added, "Korean's are more open-minded and accepting and I believe the Korean government is largely responsible for this positive shift in attitudes. Korea is a global player and having hosted the G-20 Summit must now deliver on global expectations."
For the Chinese market, General Manager, Eric M. Swanson said,"Travel from China will be a big factor as Korea's image continues to grow rapidly and in positive ways. We should see the return of healthy corporate travel and certainly larger attendance at MICE events. Barring any conflict or epidemic I think it will be a decently productive year for us." The strategy includes preparing welcome letters and restaurant menus in Chinese, a Chinese section in breakfast and CCTV channel and giving Chinese lessons to staff on basic phrases and courtesy, as the hotel did for Japanese travelers.
The Millennium Seoul Hilton provides their employees with three types of education programs, which are designed to develop "blue energy" that delivers services from the core; makes employees reflect on their work and come up with more efficient ways on doing the task; and to develop mid-level managers in correlation to the traditional Korean organizational hierarchy.
Mr. Swanson took over the helm of the Millennium Seoul Hilton in 2006. Prior to that, he managed various hotels worldwide including the Ritz-Carlton, Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt; the Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida; the Leeela Palace Kempinski Hotel in Bangalore, India; as well as the Marco Polo Parkside in Beijing, China. Mr. Swanson also served as a member of the United States Coast Guard for five years.
Since moving to the Millennium Seoul Hilton, he has been involved in social welfare work and helping several charity organizations. Swanson received a special commendation from Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in 2007 for his contribution to the local community, and was named an honorary Seoul citizen in 2009.
