Abta has urged travel industry professionals to sign up quickly for its Travel Convention next week as there are only a limited number of places left.
There is one week to go until the hybrid Travel Convention on Wednesday (October 13) and a few places remain for in-person attendees at East Wintergarden in London’s Canary Wharf and online via the customised digital platform.
Registration for in-person places will close on Monday (October 11), with online places remaining open until the morning of Wednesday (October 13) at thetravelconvention.com/register.
With the theme of Leading the Way – envisaging and inspiring in extraordinary times, the event will host expert speakers and industry leaders who will offer advice about guiding a business through adversity; share insights on changing consumer attitudes; and discuss how companies can innovate to future-proof their businesses.
Industry leaders speaking at the event include Julia Simpson, president and chief of the World Travel & Tourism Council; Andrew Swaffield, chief commercial officer for the Virgin Group and chief executive for Virgin Red; and Ailsa Pollard, chief executive of dnata Travel Group (UK & Europe).
There will be insights about the future of aviation from Richard Carret, alliance development and communications vice-president at Star Alliance, and on the outlook for business travel from Suzanne Horner, chair of the Business Travel Association and chief executive of Grey Dawes Travel.
Advice about new trends will comes from Manuel Butler, UK director of the Spanish National Tourist Office; Tom Johnson, managing director of Trajectory, and brand and marketing expert, Graham Hales.
More: Abta unveils programme for Travel Convention
The event will host two panel discussions – one about building a responsible and resilient tourism industry and a second about new ways of working.
Journalist and broadcaster Rachel Johnson will interview TV personality and entrepreneur Jo Wood for a special edition of her LBC podcast Rachel Johnson’s Difficult Women.
Barrister, campaigner and writer Mohsin Zaidi will be discussing his memoir, A Dutiful Boy, which touches on important issues for business leaders, such as diversity and mental health.
Mark Tanzer, Abta chief executive, said: “This year’s hybrid offering comes at a particularly critical time for us to discuss the future of our sector and how we can emerge better and stronger from the coronavirus crisis.
“It also provides a much-needed opportunity for us to reconnect with our colleagues and forge new relationships which we’ve had limited chance to do so over the past 18 months. I’m very much looking forward to seeing our delegates in-person – and online – next week.”
Fees for Abta members and partners are £155 for the online event and £295 for the in-person event, while non-member fees are £255 to join online and £395 to join in-person.
Headline sponsors are Avis Budget Group; Global – the entertainment and media group; Royal Caribbean; Star Alliance; and Universal Partners FX.
Travel Weekly is trade media partner for the convention – the first to be held in-person in two years due to the pandemic.