15 October 2008

TTA unveils programme for annual conference

TTA will hold its annual conference in London on December 4.

It will be the first time TTA members have met since the merger with Worldchoice.

Under the title Ã¢â¬ËœThe Future in Focus', much of the day is dedicated to networking and a chance for 23 TTA Business Partners to meet one-to-one with the membership to discuss new products and plans for 2009.

In total there is more than four hours for business discussions spread through the day.

In the opening session, TTA managing director Simon Hargreaves will outline his vision for the associationÃ¢â¬â¢s future and will explain the benefits that the merger will bring.

He will also unveil a new TTA logo designed to strengthen the associationÃ¢â¬â¢s image within the travel industry and with consumers.

TTA founding director Steve Clark and operations director Gary Lewis will then explain a number of new developments designed to help TTA members by speeding up business and reducing costs.

Jo Rzymowska of Royal Caribbean International, Kathryn Beadle of Hurtigruten and Trudy Redfern of Silversea will give presentations to show how TTA members can benefit from this growing cruise market.

Gary Grieve of Capela Travel Training will run a session on how TTA members can drive more traffic to their websites through search engine optimisation.

Andrew Burnham and Mike Kay of financial specialists MacIntyre Hudson will outline the key measures to consider when looking a to buy a company and will recommend ways to build your business with a view to selling it.

The conference will close with a moving address by Liz Jackson, MBE, whose business, Great Guns Marketing, has seen huge success since she launched it at the age of 25.

Using Henry FordÃ¢â¬â¢s famous saying Ã¢â¬ÅâœIf you think you can.......Ã¢â¬~, Liz will tell how she overcame many challenges in both her business and personal life to become one of the most respected businesswomen in the UK.

By Bev Fearis