TOWARD Europe , the pioneering organisation created to maximise the profitability of travel industry companies, has announced it will hold its first annual conference in Nice, France from 8-9 February 2004.

The event - taking place at Amadeus’ Executive Briefing Centre - will see delegates brainstorming the key issues central to improving travel industry profitability, to agree TOWARD Europe’s agenda for the year.

TOWARD Europe is already committed to continuing its work in the tour operator and hotel sectors, following the organisation’s creation of two white papers, which will be launched to the industry in January 2004. Additionally, TOWARD Europe’s working groups have agreed to conduct surveys in the airline and car rental sectors, where they hope to replicate the success of the organisation’s pioneering work on hotel distribution.

 

Keynote speaker Andy Owen-Jones, business strategy director of Amadeus, will address the main profitability issues in the travel industry and the need for a collaborative strategy in 2004. RWA’s Mark Bradbury from TOWARD Europe’s Tour Operator to Distribution Channel working group will highlight the main findings from the tour operator white paper, and William Hennessy from Hertz Europe will update delegates on the results of the Travel Supplier to Tour Operator working group’s white paper on hotel distribution through tour operators.

 

The event’s afternoon session will be run by Professor Garry E Hunt from international management consultancy Elbury Enterprises, who will facilitate the audience debate to produce TOWARD Europe’s goals for the year ahead. Delegates will be divided into groups, which will then be represented by one delegate in an end-of-day panel debate to decide the organisation’s strategy for the 12 months ahead.

 

Alister Beveridge, TOWARD Europe’s acting-chairman and group IT director of Cosmos, said: “We believe the level of delegate involvement at TOWARD Europe’s first conference will ensure we collectively create the next important objectives for our organisation.

 

“We look forward to the event, and to building on the progress already made by TOWARD Europe during its first year.”

 

TOWARD Europe members will be able to attend the event for free, and the conference will also be open to non-delegates at a cost of £295 for tour operators and £395 for the rest of the industry.
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