Monday 21 October – Business sessions

Monday morning

Sustainability – what does it mean for travel?

Malcolm Preston, Global Leader,

Sustainability & Climate Change, PwC

Sustainability and its impacts are now material business matters

and have moved to the top of the corporate agenda for many

industries, influencing employees, shareholders, regulators and

consumers alike. Most organisations know it’s an area that has direct

consequences on their business, but many travel companies are at different stages

of understanding and involvement.

In this session, which will include case studies from outside of travel with relevant parallels,

Malcolm Preston will set out the issues, identify the key challenges, explain what the travel

industry is already doing and what it could do better.

Welcome to The Travel Convention

Moderator, Daisy McAndrew

Seasoned journalist and presenter Daisy McAndrew opens the

Convention business sessions with an overview of this year’s event

which has been developed to provide inspiration to delegates through

an outstanding programme of content, with thought-provoking ideas

to challenge the way you think and approach your business.

The leadership challenge

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive, ABTA

In this scene-setting presentation, ABTA’s Chief Executive, Mark Tanzer,

will touch on some of the existing and new forces that are shaping

our world and our industry. From the opportunities and challenges

of globalisation to longer term mega changes, Mark will question

the visions and values needed for the industry’s leaders to create a

sustainable and successful travel industry.

Sponsored by

Tides of change

Guest speaker: Dr Graeme Codrington

Dr Graeme Codrington is an expert on the

new world of work and multi-generational

workplaces. He is an author, futurist and

strategy consultant working across

multiple industries and sectors with a

particular interest in trends affecting how people live, work,

interact and connect with each other. He studies the tides

of change, and in this opening keynote session he will talk

about some of the disruptive forces that he believes will shape

our world in the next decade, including: institutional change,

demographics and shifting social values.

2015 and beyond

Guest speaker: Iain Dale

Iain Dale is one of Britain’s leading political commentators, noted for

his insight into Conservative party politics. He hosts LBC’s daily drive-

time show and is the managing director of Britain’s leading publisher

of political and current affairs titles, Biteback Publishing.

Iain will bring his wide knowledge of politics to The Travel Convention

stage. As we move towards the 2015 election, he will provide an insight into where the

battle lines are drawn; what the next five years might bring; the role of Government in the

21st century business economy, and some of the latest news from the Westminster village.

CROATIA // 20-22 OCTOBER 2013 // THE TRAVEL CONVENTION

Our World panel

This morning’s speakers come together for a panel session where they’ll debate the issues

raised throughout the presentations. The audience will also have the opportunity to ask the

panel questions.

The “internet of things”

Matt Warman, Head of Technology, The Telegraph

The “internet of things” will change the way we all live, work, shop

and travel. Matt Warman, will examine what that brave new world

looks like, starting with what it will do for each individual, and look

at what it will also mean for cities (when every traffic light,

electricity meter and security system is online, things start to look

a bit different...) as well as the future for global companies.

Matt Warman is The Telegraph’s Head of Technology, and has covered the rise of Google,

Facebook and the launch of the BBC iPlayer. Matt joined The Telegraph on work experience

in 1999, and has since covered television, motoring, books and arts. He has focused on

technology since 2008.

Monday 21 October – Business sessions

Introduction

Noel Josephides, Chairman, ABTA

In his first Travel Convention address as ABTA Chairman, Noel

Josephides will set the scene for the afternoon’s business sessions,

which will focus on travel.

With ABTA representing such a diverse industry, Noel will highlight

the industry’s challenges, opportunities and successes since last year’s

Travel Convention, and provide his views on the challenges that lie ahead.

The remainder of this afternoon’s sessions will focus on the

travel industry, when we’ll be addressing the trends that travel

businesses need to adapt to in order to thrive in a connected

world.

What’s trending in travel? What does the consumer journey

look like? How do we provide a connected shopping

experience? How can technology bridge the gap between E-Tail

and Retail? How are travel companies innovating and evolving

their products to meet the needs of future holidaymakers?

Trending in travel

Sponsored by

Looking, booking and sharing – the consumer journey

Nigel Huddleston, Industry Head, Travel, Google

In this session Nigel Huddleston will present the results of Google’s

latest research which illustrates how the travel customer journey

is changing; how travellers are jumping between offline and online

sources of information and using more types of devices to access the

internet than ever before when looking, booking and sharing their

holiday. Nigel will explain how the number and types of sites consumers are looking at

has changed over the last few years including: tour operators, OTAs, maps, reviews,

pictures and social media, and will demonstrate some of the latest Google offerings.

Monday afternoon

CROATIA // 20-22 OCTOBER 2013 // THE TRAVEL CONVENTION

Product design and evolution

Lucy Huxley

Travel Weekly

Group

Nick Longman

TUI Travel

Andy

Washington

Expedia.com

Jo Rzymowska

Royal Caribbean

Cruise Lines

James

Berresford

VisitEngland

Travel providers have been tailoring and customising their products to meet their customers’

needs for many years. This session will explore how travel companies are continuing to

innovate and evolve their products to ensure they satisfy customer expectations.

The panel will debate the challenges of developing a product when customers’ needs are so

diverse and when there is an increasing emphasis on quality and personalisation. Is there

still a role for a mass-market product? How do you reconcile the competing demands of

holidaymakers from different markets? What are we likely to see next and how are we going

to get there?

Moderator:

Victoria Bacon

ABTA

Alistair Rowland

Midcounties

Co-operative

Travel

Delivering a connected shopping experience

High street, online, call centre or mobile… the lines are blurring between in-store commerce,

ecommerce and mobile commerce. In this panel session we’ll talk about the results of

ABTA’s latest consumer trends research; consider which channels travel companies should

be focusing on to reach and retain their customers, and discuss how travel companies are

providing a connected shopping experience for their customers.

Moderator: Panel:

Daniel Pearce

TTG

Nigel

Huddleston

Google

iTransformation

John Straw, Chairman, Digital Advisory Board, Thomas Cook Group

Today’s world is smaller than ever. Technology has put the remotest

corners of the planet within reach, and changed the way we interact.

So what does this mean for holiday companies, and how will they

adapt to an ever-evolving digital landscape? Building on a unique,

pioneering heritage, Thomas Cook – which itself has gone through

something of a transformation in recent times – is driving a ‘high-tech, high-touch’

strategy that sees it focus on enhancing the customer experience in every channel and

at every touch point.

Thomas Cook’s John Straw – a search engine marketer and digital marketing entrepreneur

– has been charged with exploiting the technological potential of a business where the web

is important, but an omni-channel environment is critical. John’s presentation will illustrate

how technological innovations can help bridge the gap between E-Tail and Retail, allowing

companies to provide a truly modern travel experience pre and post-sale.

Panel:

Monday 21 October – Business sessions

Sponsored by

The Package Travel Directive

In July 2013, the European Commission finally published its proposal for a

revised European Package Travel Directive. Picking up on the debate from

last year’s Convention, this panel session will look at the key changes

being proposed in the Directive and explore what these may mean for UK

travel businesses. Will the changes being proposed improve protection for

consumers? Will they provide additional transparency and a fairer deal

for travel businesses? With the Parliamentary process in Brussels moving

forward swiftly, do we still have an opportunity to influence the thinking of

the European policymakers?

Breakout forum

Panel:Moderator:

Luke Pollard

ABTA

Andrew Cooper

Thomas Cook

Michel de Blust

ECTAA

Simon Bunce

ABTA

Richard Downs

Iglu.com

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Delivering a quality customer experience

21st Century leadership

Guest speaker: Andrew McMillan

Andrew McMillan will draw on his many years’ experience at John

Lewis and as well as the private and public sectors, to dissect and

simplify the different elements of an overall customer experience.

He will focus on the less tangible elements of employee and customer

engagement and how businesses can create their own strategy to

define, develop and deliver a distinctive customer experience through their employees.

Andrew will also talk about the need to define the desired behaviour within an organisation

that leads to customers experiencing a distinct personality when they come into contact

with that business through any channel. He will go on to explain the critical part that

leadership plays in supporting and sustaining that behaviour.

Guest speaker: Baroness Susan Greenfield CBE

At last year’s Travel Convention, Baroness Greenfield talked about

the significant impact that new technologies are having on the 21st

century mind. We’ve invited her back this year to give us an insight

into 21st century leadership – from a neuroscience perspective.

Susan will remind us how the connected world is changing our brains

and provide us with her thoughts on how business leaders will manage risk, creativity

and teams in the future.

We live and work in a consumer-centric age. Advancements in

technology mean that our customers have become ‘always on’

– permanently connected to the internet wherever they are in

the world, 24 hours a day. What can travel brands do to succeed

in this new media environment?

Sponsored by

Your business in a connected world seminar

Tuesday 22 October – Business sessions

Building a valuable brand in a connected world

Graham Hales, CEO, Interbrand London

The CEO of Interbrand London – the world’s leading brand consultancy

– will provide an expert insight into the principals of branding in a

connected world. He will explain how brands create value; how to

recognise the role your brand plays across your customers’ journey,

and how to build a strong travel brand for the future.

Graham’s work has taken him across a diverse range of business agendas, geographies and

cultures in consulting for some of Interbrand’s most high profile clients. Graham became

global head of the firm’s corporate communications in 2007, and oversaw the worldwide

marketing and brand-building activity for the business.

Tuesday morning

CROATIA // 20-22 OCTOBER 2013 // THE TRAVEL CONVENTION

Are you ready for the mobile-first generation?

Adam Levene, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Monitise Create

Mittu Sridhara, Group CIO, TUI Travel PLC

Tim Williamson, Director of Customer Experience & Marketing,

Monarch Airlines

Mobile has rapidly moved from being a novel proposition to a key

digital channel that attracts repeat customer interaction like never

before. Mobile and tablet devices provide an opportunity for travel

companies to offer their customers added value through additional

services, cross-selling relevant products, up-selling their own

products and more.

Adam Levene, Senior Vice President, Strategy at Monitise Create

– Europe’s leading mobile innovation agency – will provide

delegates with an expert insight into mobile innovation and

connecting with the mobile-first generation. We’ll also hear from

Tui Travel PLC and Monarch Airlines; two travel companies that are

using mobile to acquire, retain and engage with their customers.

Tuesday 22 October – Business sessions

Content marketing – what’s the story?

Joel Brandon-Bravo, Managing Director, UK Travelzoo

Charles Starmer-Smith, Head of Travel, Telegraph Media Group

How do travel companies stay visible and relevant when trillions

of people are producing content every second?

Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and

distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and

engage a clearly defined and understood target audience, with

the objective of driving profitable customer action. In this session

we’ll look at what other sectors are doing that travel can learn

from and consider the implications of the convergence of retail

and publishing.

Sight, sound and motion

Kevin Mathers, Managing Director, YouTube UK

Sight, sound and motion in the form of online video content is fast

becoming an essential part of the researching and booking process in

travel. Before deciding which city, resort, hotel, cruise or restaurant to

go to, many travellers now search for a video to get an emotionally

engaging, ‘real life’ view of their potential destination. Video platforms,

such as YouTube, have proven popular for travellers to share their travel experiences; and for

travel companies to advertise their products. Kevin Mathers, Managing Director of YouTube

UK, will provide an overview of the latest trends in audio visual and explain the role that

sight, sound and motion plays in a company’s brand, mobile and content marketing strategy.

Tourism in an uncertain world

Some of the world’s most appealing tourist destinations may also experience some of the

biggest challenges in terms of social, political or economic uncertainties and upheaval. What

role does the UK travel industry play in this?

Focusing on developing tourism destinations, such as Burma, and on more established

destinations, such as Egypt, which have both faced socio-political challenges, this session

will explore the challenges of developing a commercially viable

and ethically sustainable tourism product. What do travel businesses need to consider

when working with emerging destinations? What can UK travel businesses do to support

and influence the destinations they work in?

Moderated by ABTA’s Head of Destinations & Sustainability, Nikki White will be

joined by panellists from across the industry, covering tour operations, the media

and destination representation.

Breakout forums

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Panel:Moderator:

Nikki White

ABTA

Orestis Rossides

Cyprus Tourism

Organisation

Lynda St Cooke

Foreign and

Commonwealth

Lisa Minot

The Sun

Matthias

Leisinger

Kuoni Travel

Peter Hemington, Head of M&A, BDO LLP

The rise of the internet, the increasing importance of low cost carriers

and improvements in information and communications technology

have changed the travel industry forever. In fact, apart from financial

services, travel is probably the consumer sector that has been most

affected by web technology over the last 15 years or so.

Assisted in this session by a well-known special guest from the travel industry, Peter will

demonstrate how technology and market change have been behind nearly all of the major

M&A transactions in the travel industry in recent years.

How technology and new business models are driving deals in travel

The year ahead

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive, ABTA

As we bring the business sessions of this year’s Travel Convention to a close, ABTA’s Chief

Executive, Mark Tanzer will sum up his thoughts and lay out some of the key opportunities

and challenges for the industry over the coming 12 months.

Feedback forum

In this session, leading figures from ABTA’s diverse membership come together to discuss

what they consider the most pressing issues affecting the industry right now; what their

personal leadership challenges are, as well as those for the industry as a whole to address,

and their highlights from this year’s Travel Convention.

Panel:

Tuesday afternoon

Julia Lo Bue Said

Advantage Travel

Centres

Susan Hooper

Acromas Travel

Alistair

Pritchard

Deloitte

Richard Downs

Iglu.com

Mike Hoban

Thomas Cook

Closing remarks

Under wraps

Noel Josephides, Chairman, ABTA

Daisy McAndrew sums up and hands over to the ABTA Chairman to

close this year’s Travel Convention.

The Travel Convention’s lead partner, The Telegraph, is inviting a special guest to join us, so

make sure you’re in the Conference Hall on Tuesday afternoon to find out who this is – it’s

going to be a great end to this year’s event.

Daisy McAndrew

Where and when will we meet again? All will be revealed in this final

session when next year’s host destination invites delegates to attend

The Travel Convention 2014.

Destination 2014

Tuesday 22 October – Business sessionsCROATIA // 20-22 OCTOBER 2013 // THE TRAVEL CONVENTION