DRLondon: WTM London will once again host a series of high-profile industry conferences and seminars showing that Ideas Arrive Here. The leading global event, taking place between the 4 – 6 November 2019 at ExCeL London, has lined-up esteemed speakers including the President of Hilton Hotels in the EMEA region, top easyJet boss and the CEO of Virgin Atlantic. Following on from last year’s successful introduction of the Regional Inspiration Zones, WTM London 2019 will continue to host a varied selection of informative sessions in each of the areas – fitting with the region in which the stage is located.
On the opening day of WTM London (Monday 4 November) the Global Stage will play host to a panel discussion moderated by the Telegraph’s Deputy Head of Travel Ben Ross focusing on the current state of UK Travel Markets and what to expect in 2020.
Speakers will discuss what they think the key factors developing the travel trade will be heading into 2020 and will highlight the new possibilities for the industry. Speakers such as Jo Rzymowska, VP and Managing Director of Celebrity Cruises, Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel at Euromonitor and Neil Slaven, UK Country Director of EasyJet. They will all be sharing their views and addressing issues from consumer confidence to changing holiday preferences and the ever-present effect of Brexit.
On Monday afternoon, visitors will have the chance to listen to Simon Vincent OBE, the Executive VP and President of Europe, Middle East & Africa for Hilton Hotels. The company celebrates its centenary this year as one of the leading players in the global travel industry. As a crucial part of the travel and tourism industry, Simon will be expressing his views on the future of both Hilton and the hotel industry in general.
Tuesday’s schedule will include the Ministers’ Summit hosted by the UNWTO’s Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili and WTM London’s Senior Director, Simon Press on the Global Stage. This summit will provide a practical platform for tourism leaders in the public and private sectors to share best practices and create new innovative perspectives for the travel sector. The session will run for two hours and include a networking opportunity.
Later in the day, Shai Weiss, the CEO of Virgin Atlantic will be talking to John Strickland of JLS Consulting on the European Inspiration Zone stage. Virgin Atlantic is taking off in a new direction this year with a new CEO and ownership structure so this interview will provide a fascinating opportunity for the audience to understand how they plan to compete in the airline industry over the coming decades. What will they plan to do with newly acquired Flybe? What are the airline’s plans regarding the delivery of its brand new Airbus A350s? And, what does the airline plan to do should London Heathrow build a third runway?
Wednesday will host World Responsible Tourism Day – the largest day of responsible tourism action in the world. The event schedule is also filled with specific talks designed to benefit all sectors of the industry. Travel Perspective will be taking over the Global Stage in the afternoon to host a talk focusing on the past 40 years of travel and what we have learned from this, which will assist in plans for the future of the industry.
For those interested in travel technology, Genesys will be hosting their own panel session in the UK and Ireland Inspiration Zone on the Future of Digital Travel. Paul Richer, Founder and Senior Partner of Genesys, will moderate in this talk. He will be asking Daniel Wishnia of Aroundtown SA and Joel Brandon-Bravo of TransPerfect what it takes to succeed in the online travel world through their efforts to inspire fresh thinking.
Simon Press, Senior Director of WTM London, said: “To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of WTM London, we couldn’t be more pleased with the stellar line up of speakers and panellists speaking at this year’s event. We have speakers coming from every corner of the world to spread their wisdom on every element of the travel industry and there will be something of interest to everyone who works in the travel industry over the three days of talks at WTM London 2019.” To view the confirmed Event Programme for 2019 and to register to attend WTM London visit – london.wtm.com
