Experts in trends, regional airports, brand loyalty, staffing and artificial intelligence have been confirmed as speakers at the Future Global Opportunities for UK Tourism conference.
The event takes place at the International Business Festival on June 28.
Debbie Marshall, managing director of Silver Travel, Stephen Treacy, chief executive of Tribes 101 and Jon Young, research director at BDRC will discuss trends that will impact the future of the industry.
The perceptions of Brand Britain and how the country could be marketed in the future will be tackled by Kurt Stuhllemmer, partner from strategic brand consultancy Hall & Partners.
Brand loyalty and how to keep a destination front of mind with travellers, will take centre stage as James McVeigh, head of innovation and marketing at Festivals Edinburgh shares his thoughts on how the Scottish city attracts people to its festival year after year.
Airline transport consultant John Strickland will be chairing a ‘Sky’s The Limit’ regional airports and airlines session featuring John Irving, chief executive of Liverpool Airport; James Ager, director of strategy for Manchester Airport Group; Kate Sherry, deputy director of route development at Ryanair and Ali Gayward, UK country manager at easyJet.
Colin Fox, marketing manager for English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues and chairman of the Lake District China Forum will join Jennifer Cormack, sales and marketing director at Windermere Lake Cruises to discuss how successful marketing campaigns can be achieved with limited budgets.
The conference will also hear about new business models from Rhys Griffiths, partner and head of travel group at legal firm FieldFisher and about the challenge of harnessing artificial intelligence from Zoodikers’ managing director Katie King.
A ‘New World Tourism Order’ panel will feature Anthony Pickles, head of tourism affairs at VisitBritain and VisitEngland, Deirdre Wells, chief executive of UKinbound, Chris Brown, marketing director of Marketing Liverpool and Samantha Mayling, editor of TravelGBI.
The conference will end with a keynote address on the Festival’s Futures Stage by Cherie Blair, QC, CBE who will be talk on ‘The Importance of People in a Globalised Economy’.
The conference is to be chaired by Sky presenter, reporter and producer Hayley McQueen.
Conference organiser, Simon Greenbury, director of marketing and communications consultancy Cheeky Monkey, said: “This conference is a first for the three-week festival – the first time the tourism and travel sector has featured in the core of the Festival. We have brought together a terrific line-up of speakers committed to ensuring that UK tourism thrives in the future, helping define a blueprint for how the industry grows and develops. I guarantee that delegates will come away having been engaged, challenged and had their minds open to new ways of thinking.”