Almost every event, seminar or workshop at World Travel Market touches the concept of marketing your brand, product, or destination – whether in an online or offline world.
See below for Travel Weekly’s guide to the highlights of the WTM calendar.
Monday November 10
What? Tourism Society Question Time: How to Achieve the 2012 Legacy
When? 3pm to 4pm
Where? Platinum Suite 4
A panel of top speakers have been lined up for this event, including
- James Bidwell – Visit London chief executive
- Simon Vincent – Hilton UK and Ireland director
- Georgios Drakopoulos – Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises
- Tourism Australia general manager Europe Rodney Harrex
The issues up for debate will be learning from past experiences, forming lasting partnerships with businesses and ensuring the investment ploughed into the London 2012 Olympics continues to reap the benefits for the UK economy for years afterwards.
Tuesday November 11
What? EyeforTravel Conference – Mobile Technology in Travel
When? 9am to 5.30pm
Where? South Gallery
The three-day conference kicks off with a day dedicated to mobile technology. As destinations such as India and China strive to reach new audiences, mobile will increasingly be viewed as an important method of distribution.
Speakers from British Airways, social networking site WAYN.com, Google and lastminute.com will share their views on the mobile landscape.
EyeforTravel will unveil its latest research on how travel companies can make money from mobile.
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What? Make the Most of the Web
When? 11am to 12pm
Where? North Gallery Rooms 4 and 5
For destinations looking to the online world and new marketing opportunities such as blogs and online communities, Tuesday’s session on Making the Most of the Web should prove useful.
The event is run by travel technology consultancy Genesys and will look at how to tackle social media and using online tools such as Google Analytics. This session is repeated on Thursday.
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What? WTM Global Trends Report
When? 11am to 12pm
Where? North Gallery Room 8
World Travel Market is holding a presentation of its Global Trends Report for exhibitors and visitors for the first time. The session will highlight the key trends and look at specific destinations and regions.
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What? Country as Brand: Unveiling the Country Brand Index 2008 Rankings
When? 11am to 12pm
Where? South Gallery Room 9
FutureBrand plans to unveil its Country Brand Index 2008 rankings as well as the latest trends and behaviour patterns. The study is now in its fourth year and attempts to treat destinations as brands rather than commodities.
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What? Marketing Travel and Tourism in the Downturn
When? 12.30pm to 2pm
Where? North Gallery Room 8
This will be a key session on how the travel sector should weigh up the need to reduce overheads with the need to be close to customers. An expert panel will provide advice on building loyalty and keeping brands and the forefront of consumers’ minds.
Wednesday November 12
What? EyeforTravel Conference – Travel Leadership Forum: Evolution of Online Travel
When? 9am to 5.30pm
Where? Platinum Suite 1
Wednesday is the second day of the EyeforTravel@WTM conference with the debate centred on the evolution of online travel.
Issues up for debate include managing a travel company through economic turbulence and the future of travel.
The speaker line-up features expert figures such as Expedia North America president Paul Brown and Opodo chief executive Ignacio Martos.
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What? Making the Most of Ancillary Revenue and Boosting the Bottom Line
When? 3.30pm to 4.30pm
Where? North Gallery Room 8
This session will look at how to boost the bottom line and get the best out of the direct channel. The expert panel includes Travel Weekly group editor-in-chief Penny Wilson and Isango head of partnerships Jessica Butcher.
Thursday November 13
What? EyeforTravel Conference – Online Content and Conversion Strategies
When? 9am to 5.30pm
Where? Platinum Suite 1
The final day of the EyeforTravel@WTM conference looks at online content and conversion strategies. The session includes speakers from easyJet, TUI Travel and Microsoft and will focus on making websites stand out, smoothing the customer journey and making the sale.
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What? Get the Latest from Google Travel
When? 11am to 12pm
Where? North Gallery Room 6
This will be a key event, with members of the search giant’s team on hand to provide answers on how Google works and how the industry can get the best from it.
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What? Tourism Futures
When? 11am to 1pm
Where? North Gallery Room 6
Tourism Futures will look at how tourism is changing and major trends in supply and demand. The panel includes academic experts and senior figures from Google, Tourism Egypt and youtravel.com.
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