A former Paralympic swimmer and ex-Red Arrows pilot have been announced as the two keynote speakers at The Travel Network Group conference next month (December 4-6).
They will join delegates at the Munich event, which will have the theme of ‘Your Story, Your Success’.
Giles Long MBE was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 13 and had feared that his dreams of being a professional swimmer would never come true.
However, he became a competitive swimmer and broke his first World Record at the age of 17. In 1996 he qualified for the 100m Butterfly at the Atlanta Paralympics and was ranked world number one.
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At the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, Long again took gold, setting a new world record. Since retiring, he has written a book, Changing To Win, and has hosted numerous sporting TV shows.
Justin Hughes is a former RAF Tornado F3 fighter pilot and executive officer of the Red Arrows.
Now as a keynote speaker and strategic adviser, he partners with senior leadership teams to improve organisational effectiveness.
During his three years with the Red Arrows, he performed more than 250 displays worldwide.
Just over 500 delegates are set to attend the conference at the Westin Grand Hotel, including 350 members and about 100 business partners.
The first sessions on December 4 will include an update from the TTNG leadership team about achievements in 2023 and plans for 2024.
During the evening, delegates will visit Munich’s Christmas market ahead of the Best of Munich Welcome Party in the famous Hofbräuhaus beer hall.
The second day will feature workshops, the Business Partner Forum, and the ‘Your Story, Your Success’ with five consortium members sharing their stories of success.
There will be a gala awards dinner in the evening, with the option for mini-excursions on the final day before heading to the airport.