HEAVYWEIGHTS LINE UP FOR FORUM

INDUSTRY heavyweights will be assessing everything from MyTravel’s recent woes to television’s role as the new agent in a wide-ranging travel forum.

The second annual Pan-European Leisure Travel Industry Forum will be held on December 10 at the London Hilton Metropole, chaired by TV presenter Russell Amerasekera and co-chaired by Travel Weekly editor Martin Lane.

The line-up includes TV Travel Shop chairman Harry Goodman, TUI UK managing director Chris Mottershead, Holiday Autos chairman Clive Jacobs and Cunard senior vice-president Europe Peter Shanks.

Among the other issues to be discussed will be the future growth of the cruise industry, selling travel on-line and operators working to establish the right balance of price and product. The forum kicks off with a session on MyTravel by leisure analyst Andrew Monk, Oriel Securities chief executive. It will consider whether the vertically integrated group’s problems are a City issue, or whether there are other factors at work.

Mottershead will give his view on the price versus product and service debate for operators, while Jacobs will discuss the industry’s innovators and entrepreneurs and Goodman will tackle whether television is the trade’s latest agent.

Lastminute.com chief executive Brent Hoberman will look at what is needed to survive in the on-line travel environment and the changing face of Thomas Cook will be debated by its tour operations managing director Manny Fontenla-Novoa. Shanks will consider whether the cruise industry has reached saturation point.

Travel Weekly editor Martin Lane said: “This is a superb line-up which should make for a fascinating debate about the state of the industry today.”

To register, call 020-7566 4810 or log on to www.travel.accessconferences.com