HSMAI’s 2026 Mike Leven Conference Sets Leadership Agenda

Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International is set to turn Los Angeles into a hub for chapter innovation and leadership recognition as the 2026 Mike Leven Leadership Conference brings together commercial strategists, board members, and rising leaders for two days of learning and the celebrated Frank W. Berkman Best of the Best Chapter Awards.

Image by International Hotels News, Hotel Industry & Hospitality News

Los Angeles Hosts HSMAI’s 2026 Leadership Gathering

The 2026 edition of the HSMAI Mike Leven Leadership Conference is scheduled for March 17 and 18 at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport, positioning the event at one of the busiest gateways for global travel. Publicly available information shows that the invitation-only gathering draws more than 100 chapter leaders from over 30 HSMAI chapters across the Americas, along with the association’s regional board and commercial advisors.

The conference is hosted by HSMAI and supported by the Michael and Andrea Leven Foundation, continuing a long-standing partnership that focuses on advancing leadership in hospitality sales, marketing, and revenue optimization. Reports indicate that the event is designed as both a thank-you to volunteer leaders and a working session to refine strategy at a chapter level.

Concentrating the meeting in Los Angeles connects the program directly to one of the world’s most competitive tourism markets, where visitor volumes and large-scale events continue to test commercial strategies. For chapter leaders, the West Coast setting adds a live backdrop of airport hotels, convention business, and destination marketing that mirrors many of the opportunities and challenges discussed inside the meeting rooms.

Registration details published by the organization show tiered pricing for chapter presidents, board members, collegiate leaders, and alumni, underlining that the conference is structured as a leadership investment for individuals who influence local programming and engagement across the HSMAI network.

Program Emphasizes Leadership Skills and Chapter Impact

The published agenda for March 17 opens with a dedicated session for chapter presidents and managing directors, followed by a networking lunch and a conference opening focused on aligning expectations. The schedule then shifts quickly into content that blends leadership theory with practical chapter applications.

According to the program overview, one of the early anchor sessions, “Level Up Your Leadership Game,” is led by Adam Burke, president and chief executive of the official tourism organization for Los Angeles. The session places destination-level insights in front of chapter volunteers, connecting local leadership work to broader trends in visitor demand, branding, and stakeholder coordination.

Additional segments provide updates on HSMAI priorities across sales, marketing, and revenue optimization, supported by workshops that examine chapter membership strategies. One session, facilitated by HSMAI’s marketing and communications leadership, focuses on how chapters can refine outreach, event promotion, and community-building tactics in competitive urban and regional markets.

The second day expands the focus with a “Chapter Success Showcase” that highlights programs and initiatives from across the Americas, offering peer-to-peer learning on topics such as member engagement, event design, and partnerships. Training on storytelling for chapter events, using both photo and video, reflects a growing emphasis on digital content and visibility in attracting volunteers and sponsors.

Best of the Best Awards Spotlight Chapter Innovation

Central to the conference is the Frank W. Berkman Best of the Best Chapter Awards, which recognize outstanding chapter performance in areas such as membership, education, communications, partnership, special events, and leadership. The awards program, named after a former executive director of HSMAI, has evolved into one of the association’s most visible recognition platforms.

Recent years have seen chapters from regions including South Florida, Ontario, and Puerto Rico highlighted in membership, communications, and education categories. Publicly available coverage from prior conferences indicates that winning chapters are evaluated on clear objectives, execution, and measurable outcomes rather than size alone, ensuring that smaller markets can compete alongside major metropolitan chapters.

At the 2026 conference, the Best of the Best luncheon in Los Angeles is positioned as both a recognition moment and a learning opportunity. Chapter leaders in attendance can observe how top-performing peers structure programming, leverage partnerships, and measure results, then apply those insights to their own local calendars and sponsorship strategies.

The awards also provide a benchmark for chapters seeking to raise their profile within the HSMAI network and in their home markets. Recognition in categories like communication or special events can help unlock new partnerships, attract emerging leaders to board roles, and encourage chapters to pilot more ambitious educational content.

Leadership Development Connects Local Chapters to Global Trends

Beyond awards, the 2026 Mike Leven Leadership Conference is framed as a bridge between chapter boards and global industry shifts. Workshops and roundtables on topics such as revenue optimization, cross-functional commercial strategy, and volunteer leadership are intended to equip participants with tools they can use in both their chapter roles and their day-to-day positions in hotels, destination organizations, and travel companies.

The program includes a leadership keynote titled “The Leadership Multiplier: 3 Keys to Leading Smarter,” presented by consultant and author Alain Hunkins. The session underscores a growing emphasis on scalable leadership skills that can be applied in lean teams, hybrid work environments, and rapidly changing market conditions.

Additional segments, including an “Ask Me Anything” exchange with the HSMAI Americas board and updates on the HSMAI Mentor Program and Foundation initiatives, tie chapter work to talent pipelines and diversity of leadership. The intent, based on available materials, is to ensure that chapters help identify and support future leaders who can guide the industry through cycles of disruption and recovery.

By organizing networking breakfasts, showcase presentations, and closing receptions around these learning blocks, the Los Angeles event is structured to maximize informal connections and knowledge transfer among participants who rarely gather in the same room despite collaborating within the same association framework.

Shaping the Future of Hospitality Through Chapter Networks

The 2026 conference continues a pattern in which HSMAI uses its chapter leadership gathering to recalibrate how local groups contribute to broader commercial strategy in hospitality. Annual reports and partner prospectuses emphasize that chapter boards are increasingly viewed as strategic nodes, responsible for surfacing regional insights, testing new event formats, and aligning educational content with emerging revenue, distribution, and marketing challenges.

Sponsor materials for the Los Angeles meeting describe engagement opportunities that connect brands with the association’s leadership community, positioning support for the conference and the Best of the Best luncheon as investments in the industry’s next generation of decision-makers. Visibility at this event signals alignment with HSMAI’s long-term focus on data-driven commercial strategy, cross-discipline collaboration, and continuous learning.

For Los Angeles, hosting the 2026 Mike Leven Leadership Conference reinforces its role as a laboratory for hospitality innovation, where large-scale hotel operations, boutique properties, and destination marketers all contend with shifting traveler expectations and intense competition. For HSMAI, the event offers a chance to translate that environment into actionable guidance and recognition for the chapter leaders who carry the association’s mission back to cities and regions across the Americas.

As the hospitality sector continues to navigate economic uncertainty, changing group demand, and evolving digital behavior, the combination of leadership training and chapter awards at the 2026 Mike Leven Leadership Conference positions HSMAI’s local networks as critical drivers of resilience and growth in the years ahead.