TOWARD Europe, the pioneering organisation created to
maximise the profitability of travel industry companies, is holding a
workshop for the travel sector at this year’s EyeforTravel Europe.
The panel session entitled ‘TOWARD Europe and its strategy for 2004’
will take place on Tuesday 18 May 2004 (15.30 GMT).

Four representatives from the organisation’s 36 member companies,
including William Hennessy, director of automation marketing at Hertz
Europe and Paul Mahoney, IT director at Travel2 will represent TOWARD
Europe in the workshop. The session will be jointly-chaired by Ally
Dombey a partner of industry consultants Partners in Marketing and
Philip Alford, senior lecturer/researcher at the International Tourism
Research Institution at the University of Luton.

The workshop will cover the goals and the activities of the
organisation, and profile its two new breakthrough working groups -
the Business and Cost Analysis Group (BCG) and the Inventory and
Content Group (ICG).

TOWARD Europe’s groups are respectively looking for ways for industry
companies to streamline processes and reduce costs, and to improve
distribution of inventory and content through the supply chain. Both
groups have attracted the involvement of over 25 member companies.

Speakers will also discuss the reasons they each decided to become
involved in TOWARD Europe and how the organisation’s strategic
activities are benefiting their companies.

Bill Barnes, TOWARD Europe management committee member and head of
tours business unit at Amadeus said: “The workshop at this year’s
EyeforTravel provides the perfect opportunity for representatives from
across the industry to find out all about TOWARD Europe, its goals and the activities of our two new groups.

“The organisation continues to grow quickly as companies recognise the
increasing importance of working together to find ways to improve
distribution and reduce costs. Only by taking a collective approach
will industry players effectively address the fundamental challenges
facing us all.”

For membership enquiries, European tour operators, suppliers,
technology providers and other companies across the travel industry
can contact +44 (0) 20 7691 3938, or visit www.towardeurope.org.
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