Business guru Lord Digby Jones is to headline the new World Travel Market Business Day on Thursday 11 November 2010.
Lord Jones will help Britain’s struggling small and medium sized travel businesses (SMEs) as the country remains gripped by the longest slow-down on record.
“Experts are predicting that up to 20 travel companies will go to the wall by the end of the year in the UK alone – far more than usual – with three going bust in just one month this summer,” said Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of World Travel Market.
“As we face the challenges of the future for SMEs in the UK and Europe, it is essential that we do everything possible to help travel companies address the problems, maintain market share and bottom line. We have brought together first rate business speakers whose advice and guidance is much valued.
“World Travel Market’s Business Day is practical, independent and unmissable for senior and middle management.”
Highlight of the Business Day is a speech by Lord Jones at 11.00am on ‘Talk Business’ (London ExCeL, Platinum Suite 4), a free keynote interactive session chaired by Michael East, Managing Director, Eastcastle Management Group.
Reviewing the problems that face businesses, Lord Jones will then be joined by a panel of senior executives to discuss how SMEs can survive and grow in such a difficult economic climate.
Senior executives joining Lord Jones on the panel include;
- Former Hoseasons Chief Executive Richard Carrick
- Travel Counsellors Managing Director Steve Byrne
- Getabed.co.uk Managing Director Matt Stewart, and
- Barclary Commercial Head of Travel Chris Lee
The panel will examine what trading issues are particular to the travel sector and what should be done and is being done by companies to ride the downturn and take real advantage of current trading.
Lord Jones was Director-General of British business organisation Confederation of British Industry between 2000 and 2006. He was knighted in 2005 for his service to business, became the first and only director-general to serve a second consecutive term as the Director-General of the CBI. On leaving the CBI Lord Jones took up the unpaid role of UK Skills Envoy before become Lord Jones of Birmingham when accepting the role of Minister of State for UK Trade & Investment.
Business Advice Clinic
Free one to one advice from industry experts
11:00 - 13:00 - Meridian Club Lounge - North Hall AF700
During these free 15-minute one-to-one sessions, visitors will have the chance to quiz experts on the areas pertinent to their business. A high-profile team of travel professionals from all sectors including technology, gay marketing, spa & wellness, adventure travel and responsible tourism will be prepared to give hints and advice on dealing with challenges faced by today’s industry.
About World Travel Market:
World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
Almost 46,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL - London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM.
WTM, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2009, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals. WTM 2009 will generate £1,139 million of travel industry contracts, revealed independent research by Fusion Communications.
WTM is owned by the world’s leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which organises a portfolio of other travel industry events including Arabian Travel Market and International Luxury Travel Market.
RE holds more than 500 events in 38 countries throughout Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific covering 47 industry sectors including aerospace & aviation, healthcare, manufacturing and sport & recreation.
In 2008 RE, part of the Reed Elsevier group, brought together more than six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.
Contact:
Nicole Collett, Press and PR Executive, World Travel Market, Tel: 020 8910 7836, Fax: 020 8334 0624
Reed Exhibitions Ltd, Gateway House, 28 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1DN
