25 July 2008

ABTA names Convention speakers

ABTA has named a number of key speakers at this yearÃ¢â¬â¢s Convention, which will be opened by CBI president and British Airways chairman Martin Broughton.

Henry Stewart, boss of IT training company Happy, will talk delegates through creating Ã¢â¬Ëœa passionate and empowered workforceÃ¢â¬â¢. Co-founders of e3unlimited Emma Reynolds and Bruce Morton and Liverpool University head of careers Dr Paul Redmond will explain the needs, interests and buying patterns of different generations, including the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y.

Manchester Airport managing director Andrew Cornish, Royal Caribbean UK & Ireland managing director Jo Rzymowska, Hays Travel MD John Hays and Ian Derbyshire from Thomas Cook will sit on the ConventionÃ¢â¬â¢s travel panel and field topical questions, including how the state of the economy will affect the industry.

A total of 647 delegates have registered for the Convention, to be held from October 6 to 9, seven per cent more than during the same booking period last year. Fewer than a third of delegates are travel agents; 46% are senior managers.

A video addressed by the Prince of Wales will launch a debate on Tourism 2023, a 15-year plan for the travel industry initiated by ABTA together with a number of tour operators including TUI, Thomas Cook, Co-op Travel and British Airways.

Topics covered will include a possible reduction in oil production, rising sea levels in popular holiday island states and a lack of water supplies.

By Linsey McNeill