Xenios, Vol. 14, No 2

The Global Meetings & Events Exhibition Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain

30 November – 2 December 2010 www.eibtm.com

Where The World Meets Best for Business, Education and Networking The leading global event for the meetings and events industry.

With over 3,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, )-&81 MW XLI SRP] TPEGI XS ½RH RI[ WYTTPMIVW ERH QEOI FYWMRIWW GSRXEGXW

Register now at www.eibtm.com/xenios

Topics & Trends

New Ideas and Inspiration EIBTM 2010 Means Business

With just two weeks to go, EIBTM 2010 (www.eibtm.com), taking place from 30 November – 2 December in Barcelona, is set to deliver dozens of new initiatives to maximise business for both suppliers and buyers.

This year, there will be more than 35 new exhibitors, from destinations to hotel companies, venue services to conference organisers. In addition, eight companies that did not exhibit in 2009 are returning this year, and over 48 exhibitors have increased their stand size to accommodate more partners, wider product ranges and greater choice for the event’s Hosted Buyers and Trade Visitors.

Professional Education Initiatives EIBTM’s cutting edge professional Education Programme comprises a comprehensive and diverse series of seminars, workshops and conferences, addressing the latest issues and meetings industry hot topics, which underlines the event’s commitment to raising industry standards and encouraging learning and development. All sessions in the EIBTM Education Programme are CMP accredited, increasing personal development and allowing delegates to earn CEU (Continuing Education

Units) points.

This year, over 50 sessions are available, covering subjects such as Women in Business, Brand Development, Focus on China, Bringing your Meetings to America, and a special look at South Africa post the FIFA World Cup. As usual, there will be specific Association, Corporate and Agency programmes available to all Hosted Buyers.

A new 150 seat Lecture Theatre has been built on the show floor to enable visitors to “drop in” to the Technology Hour sessions, the Spanish Seminars, and also attend the presentation of the annual Industry Trends Report – the familiar annual research presentation by Rob Davidson that takes place on Day One (repeated on Day 3). This year, the report also includes a unique piece of up-to-date research undertaken with meeting planners, national and city CVB’s.

EIBTM Association Programme Over 250 international Association executives will attend this year’s EIBTM (30 November – 2 December), joining over 3,300 suppliers from the global meetings and events industry. The Association Programme at EIBTM (www.eibtm.com) is now in its ninth year, and has evolved to meet the needs of the busy Association meeting planner.

This year’s professional education programme will address the key issues encountered by Association planners to ensure maximum return on investment.

This year, Congrex has invited Matthieu Berkx, an Indirect Tax Specialist with accountancy firm Deloitte based in Amsterdam, together with Caroline Mackenzie, Regional Business Development Director for the UK and Benelux region for Congrex, to host a session entitled The VAT Trap – what should you do to get it right? A further seminar entitled Getting a Fair Deal? with Congrex’s Lena Fletcher and EAACI’s Susanne Rothschild will give insights from both the PCO and Association perspective.

On Tuesday 30 November (13.00 – 18.00), the Association Programme begins with a welcome lunch and a keynote session for Hosted Buyers, in association with ASAE, PCMA, Congrex, and the Personal Connections Networking Event, in conjunction with ICCA. The Great Association Debate held on Wednesday 1 December (9.30 – 11.30) will be facilitated by Dr. Layth Bunni, Congrex Group CEO. It allows an open forum for all attendees to discuss the key issues and challenges faced in today’s market.

The networking element allows time to talk face to face with their peers, bringing together Association planners from across the globe.

Congrex has also recently launched the new Event App, which will enable delegates to capture the full information of the Association Programme at EIBTM and use it as a networking tool.

Exhibition Director Graeme Barnett, said: “Every year, we ensure that the dedicated Association Programme sessions include relevant topics, created as a result of listening to Association Hosted Buyers. Networking is also key to the programme, and illustrates that the attendees remain buoyant for our event this year.”

EIBTM’s partnership with Congrex over the past two years has enabled EIBTM to enhance the quality and content of the Association Programme, by drawing on its expertise in the field.

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Attending EIBTM and the Association Programme enables the Association meeting planner to keep up to date on the trends within the association market. The Association Programme is available to Hosted Buyers only. For further information about becoming a Hosted Buyer or for visiting information, please visit www.eibtm.com. Alternatively, you can contact the EIBTM Hosted Buyer team directly on +44 (0) 20 8271 2127 or at eibtm-hosted@reedexpo.co.uk.

Sustainability Initiatives Sustainability is top of the agenda and EIBTM is leading the way in the industry with its CSR programme and BS8901 accreditation. A new feature of the show, the Green Room, incorporates an entire day of seminars focusing on sustainability with nine dedicated sessions, taking place on Wednesday 1st December. There is also a stand made entirely of 100% recycled cardboard, a scheme to incentivise exhibitors, and the EIBTM Green Team will be available at the close of the show to help recycle unwanted items left behind by exhibitors. All donations will go to the Catalan Federation of Volunteers, to benefit 285 local charitable groups.

Extending EIBTM to a 365-day-a-year product once the show closes, EIBTM TV will go online at www.eibtm.com, providing the industry with a source of information throughout the year.

CEO Summit, new independent Chair Created in 2005 to bring together C level industry leaders, the EIBTM CEO Summit will deliver a new format this year in order to become a global meetings industry thought leadership group. Designed to discuss major issues and challenges affecting the industry, the CEO Summit will now benefit from the appointment of industry professional, Jeremy Garbett, as the new independent Chair. This appointment is part of a re-engineering of the CEO Summit, which will look to widen its global membership and provide a valuable resource for not only the RTE portfolio of events, but also to harness issues and debate within the industry on a year-round basis. This year, three top international speakers will present topics covering the Global Economy, the Power of Live Events, and the Impact of Social Media.

Meetings and Events Because of the stature of EIBTM, many companies and associations choose to hold their annual events around the show. This includes the first Project Meeting Architecture Board Meeting (EIBTM recently became a Gold Sponsor of Meeting Architecture 2011 Project), as well as the GMIC Board meeting, GNET Board Meeting, Congrex Client Forum and JMIC Board Meeting.

The EIBTM Stand Awards will be introduced for the first time, where a panel of judges and the Hosted Buyer community will judge exhibitor stands on eight categories, focussing on design, business, personnel, features, attractions, technology, sustainability, and the environment. The awards will take place on Wednesday 1st December.

Technology – new initiatives Developments have been made around the Hosted Buyer appointments system, fundamental to the success of EIBTM, with a new online Rating Tool. The tool will allow exhibitors to rate the business potential of each pre-scheduled appointment online at www.eibtm.com as they happen.

Graeme Barnett, EIBTM Event Director comments: “The information will help us to gain a better understanding of how an exhibitor views value and quality (in terms of buyers and appointments). Equally, it will help to identify potential trends so that we can make changes and develop further ROI for exhibitors and buyers, ultimately creating an even more valuable EIBTM. This is an important and valuable tool in helping us make continuous refinements and deliver further value to our customers”.

EIBTM is extending its reach via TV and new online initiatives. The introduction of EIBTM TV will take the event to a multi-channel platform, expected to reach a community of 14,000 industry professionals in Barcelona. EIBTM TV will broadcast from a studio hub via a network of highly visible screens on the show floor throughout the event. EIBTM TV will capture keynote interviews with industry speakers, flagship educational sessions, and a news ticker service via the Show Daily team from Eventoplus, together with TV advertising intermixed throughout the daily schedule.

Extending EIBTM to a 365-day-ayear product once the show closes, EIBTM TV will go online at www.eibtm.com, providing the industry with a source of information throughout the year.

The new EIBTM online community, Connect@EIBTM will enable connections to be made even before the event for all pre-registered visitors, through a business led social networking site. A closed online community has also been created for the CEO delegation to connect.

Graeme Barnett, EIBTM Event Director, comments: “With over 100 events taking place during EIBTM week, including officially scheduled EIBTM events and others organised by EIBTM partners and associations, our aim is to provide inspiration and a platform to maximise the business potential for all show attendees. As the forum for industry events, EIBTM has a packed programme that also includes a range of networking events aimed at helping buyers and suppliers drive business and make the most of their time at the show.”

For further information about these new and inspiring highlights and other show features, please visit www.eibtm.com.

Attendance to the event is free for all pre-registered attendees at www.eibtm.com/register.

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Topics & Trends: WTM 2010

Business experts advise SMEs to find a USP Owners of small travel firms must find a niche instead of trying to compete on price.

That was the message from industry experts at World Travel Market’s Talk Business debate at ExCeL on Thursday 11 November.

Richard Carrick, former Chief Executive of Hoseasons, advised the audience: “Develop a product that no one else sells – fill those niches.”

Other experts on the panel agreed, and argued that SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) cannot compete on price with larger firms.

Steve Byrne, Managing Director of Travel Counsellors, said: “The UK travel industry is almost paranoid about customers wanting the right price – but it’s about the right level of service. Focus on value and the quality of your people – not the price.”

Klaus Ehrlich, General Secretary of EuroGites, the European Federation of Farm and Village Tourism, also offered tips at the debate organised by WTM, the premier global event for the travel industry.

Ehrlich said: “Use the huge amount of information on the internet to define your product and find out what the customer will buy – and what they will pay for it.”

Red tape was the main challenge that he saw for micro-entrepreneurs, citing the “ridiculous” example of one business that was fined for a breach of fire regulations in a tent.

The top tip for businesspeople from Matt Stuart, Managing Director of Getabed, was to establish robust controls and discipline in the business.

And looking back at the volcanic ash crisis earlier this year he also advised: “Think the unthinkable…and try to mitigate that.”

Banker Chris Lee, Head of Travel at Barclays Corporate, echoed the sentiment of the panellists when he said the key was quality management and recruiting quality staff.

But the scale of the challenge faced by entrepreneurs in SMEs was summed up by Lord Digby Jones, former Director General of the CBI. “You need a total, relentless, absolute, demoralising focus – kiss goodbye to your personal life, family, holidays, sleep…just manage the balls off your business,” he advised.

“And in 20 years from now people will think you’re lucky and a fat cat.”

SAADIYAT ISLAND WINS ‘BEST STAND’ AWARD AS PART OF Abu Dhabi’s 2010 WORLD TRAVEL MARKET EXHIBITION Abu Dhabi, 16th November 2010 – Saadiyat Island has been awarded ‘Best Stand’ at the 2010 World Travel Market for its unique and interactive display as part of Abu Dhabi’s World Travel Market showcase.

Saadiyat Island, developed by Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) is one of Abu Dhabi’s flagship leisure and tourism attractions. With exciting plans for 2011, visitors to the Abu Dhabi stand were treated to an exclusive and in-depth experience, highlighting TDIC’s current and

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future projects.

The award was presented to Sheika Mahra Al Qassimi, Senior Communications Manager Abu Dhabi Projects during the World Travel Market, where visitors had the chance to see the scale of Abu Dhabi’s ambition in the tourism and leisure sector.

For more information on Saadiyat Island visit www.saadiyat.ae or www.tdic.ae

WTM 2010 Experiences 10% Increase in Visitors

World Travel Market 2010, the premier global event for the travel industry, experienced an impressive 10% increase in visitors.

Almost 27,000 (26,908) visitors attended WTM 2010 over the four days (Monday November 8 – Thursday November 11) compared to 24,402 visitors who attended WTM 2009, reveals unaudited figures of the event.

The 10% increased was fuelled by a record number of visitors attending the event under the My Invitations system on the first day of WTM 2010 (Monday 8 November).

The first day at World Travel Market is invite-only, allowing exhibitors to invite the key contacts they want to conduct business with over the four days of the event. Unaudited figures show a 22% increases in visitors with 6,700 senior industry buyers attending WTM 2010 on the first day.

This increase in My Invitations visitors led to an amazing participation in the expanded Meet The Meridian Club Buyers (Speed Networking) session. Almost 250 senior industry buyers took part in the five sessions compared to around 87 when the programme was launched in 2009.

The Impressive visitor figures continued on Tuesday with a 41% increase in ministers and aides attending the fourth UNWTO Ministers’ Summit at WTM, making it a record attendance for the event.

tors with almost 13,000 travel industry delegates attending.

The revamped final day of WTM 2010 (Thursday 11 November) – including the Talk Business with Lord Digby Jones session saw unaudited visitor numbers increase by an impressive 34%.

Furthermore, overall participant figures increased by almost 5% (4.7%) compared to WTM 2009. WTM 2010 saw 47,719 travel industry professionals take part compared to 45,571 at WTM 2009.

There were more than 5,000 exhibitors including 628 Main Stand Holders, compared to 607 in 2009.

World Travel Market Exhibition Director Simon Press said: “I am delighted with the attendance figures for WTM 2010. The impressive increase in My Invitations visitors participants in the Meet The Meridian Club Buyer (Speed Networking) session on the first day supports the conversations I had with exhibitors and buyers that a high amount of business was conducted at WTM 2010 “The fact the number of year on year visitors increased every day of WTM – including the 34% increase in visitors on the final day – is particularly impressive and is great news for exhibitors, allowing them to conduct even more business across all four days of the event.”

Overall, unaudited visitor figures for Tuesday 9 November were up 18% on the equivalent day in 2009 with almost 17,000 visitors attending WTM 2010 to meet and negotiate contracts with exhibitors.

Unaudited figures for Wednesday 10 November showed a 16% increase in visiXenios

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Topics & Trends: WTM 2010

Travel industry is the “Gatekeeper of the world” World Travel Market 2010, ExCeL London: WTM World Responsible Tourism Day 2010 Opening Ceremony.

Tony Juniper, International Environmentalist speaking.

Jeffery joined forces with environmental heavy weight Tony Juniper to officially kick off the day, which seeks to highlight the industry’s role in encouraging and promoting health and happiness to all it touches while remaining mindful of cost and enormous responsibility that comes with that role.

The importance of happiness of both holidaymakers and communities should not be estimated, Jeffery told those gathered at the WRTD opening ceremony with ‘Gross National Happiness’ increasingly nudging its way up the political agenda with officials from 100 countries meeting last year to consider policies focused on happiness.

With 2010 named the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations, now is the time to build on consumer awareness and the progress made so far in understanding and protecting biodiversity.

The global travel and tourism industry should be viewed and treated as the “Gatekeeper of the World” as it strives to safeguard this vast resource for our children and grandchildren, was the key message from World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery as she opened the event’s World Responsible Tourism Day (Wednesday 10 November).

issues. As well as Earth UK, Juniper and sustainability able society at all

The WRTD programme takes off with a talk between Juniper and BBC TV presenter Stephen Sackur on key environmental being a former director of Friends of the has written extensively on environmental issues and worked towards a more sustainlevels.

Mobile applications are short term bet, experts tell WTM 2010 delegates Mobile applications are a ‘short-term bet’ according to a mobile expert speaking at the Does Mobile Matter? session at World Travel Market, the premier event for the global travel industry(Tuesday 9 November).

Giving his top 10 tips for mobile, CX Partners Managing Director Giles Colbourne said although applications deliver the best experience today, they are costly to develop and require specialist skills to build and manage.

“Applications cost between £20,000 and £100,000 to develop and a good one is at the top end of that range. I think apps are something that are going to grow but then be replaced by something else.”

World Travel Market 2010, ExCeL London - Colbourne said that HTML 5 could take over WTM Global Trends providing many of the advantages of appliReport. Fiona Foster, cations such as offline access of websites BBC

and geo-location services.

He also claimed mobile would become the centre of all businesses and advised companies to think about mobile first and build out from there.

Colbourne was joined by lastminute.com’s Head of Innovation Marko Balabanovic, who said the company was seeing consumer behaviour rapidly changing when it comes to searching for and booking travel and lifestyle products.

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He said the company’s understanding of mobile had changed in the past year in line with consumer behaviour.

“One of the more extreme cases we have started to see is people looking extremely local and extremely soon and the interesting thing for us to think about is our relationship with suppliers. The way the travel industry works is that we won’t necessarily have a lot of products for this but people with mobile devices are creating expectations around it.”

Balabanovic added that location-based services could mean a deep change in the travel industry if this behaviour becomes more common. He also pointed to figures from companies showing a massive increase in mobile activity such as Accor which has seen a 100% increase in mobile bookings in two months and Tripadvisor which has experienced a doubling in mobile page views in the past three months.

Lastminute.com recently added a hotel booking section to its mobile website and the company plans to unveil a new version of its Snaffle application featuring deals from across the UK. A further new development around theatre booking using mobile devices is also on the cards.

“We want to start working much more aggressively now in this area. We’re called lastminute.com but what we would really like is to be able to literally sell something in the last minute.”

The WTM Global Trends Report, in conjunction with Euromonitor International, predicts mobile phone manufacturers are poised to take over from Google as the most powerful technological players in the European travel and tourism industry as smartphone penetration increases.

Topics & Trends: WTM 2010

Rabee Zureikat, Founder Of Jordan’s Zikra Exchange, Wins Prestigious World Travel Market Global Award Rabee Zureikat, Founder of Jordan’s Zikra Exchange, has secured a prestigious World Travel Market Global Award in recognition of his work which is making a difference to some of the poorest people in Jordan.

World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery presented the award to Rabee Zureikat, Founder of Zikra Exchange, at (Monday November 8) WTM VIP Opening & Reception Ceremony.

WTM’s Global Media Network, comprising key travel industry media around the world, put forward organisations and individuals which have contributed to their region’s travel and tourism industry. Zureikat was nominated by TTN Middle East. Its Publishing Director Kim Thomson, jointly presented the award with Jeffery and the Boeing Company’s Managing Director, Airline Marketing Services, Jeff Cacy.

Rabee Zureikat has pioneered the exchange tourism programme in Jordan through the foundation of the Zikra Exchange travel initiative. Exchange tourism encourages urban dwellers to visit rural areas to understand the different culture and traditions. Revenue generated is ploughed back into the economic development of the local community. The initiative also bridges the gap between the often isolated rural communities and the more affluent urban population.

An average trip generates about £630 and to date about 400 trips have taken place with visitors participating in a range of activities including tomato-picking, basket weaving and cooking traditional dishes. The model is simple and can be easily replicated with Zureikat already exploring opportunities to extend it across the Arab world.

World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery said: “Rabee Zureikat’s entrepreneurial spirit has seen a simple project, carried out on a local scale, touch and change the lives of the local community in a sustainable way. The prospect of exchange tourism being widened out to help other communities in the region is very exciting going forward.”

Every year, World Travel Market Global Awards are presented.

The other 2010 winners are: China International Travel Service Co, Collette Vacations’ Collette Foundation, Canada’s Transat A.T. Inc, Iberia, Brazil-based Trend Operadora, Italy’s Associazione Nazionale Alberghi Diffusi, India’s Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts, Russian Express and Portugal’s Turismo do Alentejo.

Iberia Wins Prestigious World Travel Market Global Award Hosteltur. Its Editor, Joaquin Molina, jointly presented the award with Jeffery and the Boeing Company’s Managing Director, Airline Marketing Services, Jeff Cacy.

For the past five consecutive years Iberia has been selected to join the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, which measures the performance of the world’s sustainability leaders based on longterm, economic, environmental and social criteria. Some 318 corporations are involved in the Indexes but only 11 companies in the travel and leisure category.

The airline has already established itself as a leader, connecting Europe and the Americas. Its merger with British Airways will create one of the largest airline groups in the world, with the capacity to carry passengers to every corner of the globe.

Iberia has secured a prestigious World Travel Market Global Award in recognition of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and global transportation.

World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery presented the award to Víctor Moneo Ocaña, Spain’s Sales Director, Iberia at (Monday November 8) WTM VIP Opening & Reception Ceremony.

WTM’s Global Media Network, comprising of key travel industry media around the world, put forward organisations and individuals which have contributed to their region’s travel and tourism industry. Iberia was nominated by industry publication, 12

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World Travel Market Chairman Fiona Jeffery said: “Iberia is a worthy Global Award winner for its far-reaching sustainability initiatives recognised not only by Dow Jones but also PricewaterhouseCoopers and the FTSE4Good Ibex Index as well as its continued presence as a major player on the world’s airline stage.”

Every year, World Travel Market Global Awards are presented.

The other 2010 winners are: China International Travel Service Co, Collette Vacations’ Collette Foundation, Canada’s Transat A.T. Inc, Brazil-based Trend Operadora, Rabee Zureikat of Jordan’s Zikra Exchange, Italy’s Associazione Nazionale Alberghi Diffusi, India’s Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts, Russian Express and Portugal’s Turismo do Alentejo.

WTM helps SMEs World Travel Market 2010, ExCel London: Talk Business.

Matt Stuart, MD of Getabed

The fourth and final day of World Travel Market was focused on helping small and medium-sized businesses trade their way out of the downturn.

New for 2010, the WTM Business Day featured a debate with business guru Lord Digby Jones and a panel of industry experts, as well as a range of forums and advice clinics for entrepreneurs.

And, as is traditional for the fourth WTM day, the spotlight was also shone on the needs of travel agents and tourism students.

Lord Jones, former Director General of the CBI, told WTM that only business can create wealth and generate taxation to help the UK recover.

He highlighted the vital importance of globalization, outlining the opportunities presented by 1.3bn people in China, 1bn in India and 180m in Brazil.

He was joined on stage by prestigious panelists who offered business advice for small travel firms battling against the continued lack of consumer confidence.

Richard Carrick, former Chief Executive of Hoseasons, advised developing a USP, while Steve Byrne, Managing Director of Travel Counsellors, urged: “Focus on value and the quality of your people – not the price.”

Recalling the volcanic ash chaos, Matt Stuart, Managing Director of Getabed, advised: “Think the unthinkable…and try to mitigate that.”

Banker Chris Lee, Head of Travel at Barclays Corporate, said his bank was willing to lend to travel SMEs but admitted many were wary of borrowing money in the downturn.

World Travel Market 2010, ExCel London: Talk Business with Lord Digby Jones

ly facing businesses and the need to be brave, take the plunge and invest in order to acquire new customers.

A Bournemouth University Tourism Futures Forum highlighted a potential positive of APD for the UK when economics lecturer Professor Adam Blake said it was not necessarily a bad thing because it takes the place of VAT currently not levied on transport.

The role of travel agents was recognised in the inaugural WTM Pride of Agents Awards, presented this afternoon at WTM, the premier global event for the travel industry.

Mark Mauder, from the Co-operative Travel Llanelli Morrisons, won the top award in the ceremony, run in association with TTG and Travel Channel and sponsored by Virgin Holidays.

The awards are designed to recognise agents who have gone the extra mile helping their clients during the past 12 months.

There was also a comprehensive programme of destination briefings aimed at travel agency staff during the fourth day.

Quizzes, competitions and training presentations were held on stands across the exhibition halls, with prizes and goodies up for grabs.

Amy Atkinson, from Miles Morgan Travel, won the Made in Germany Quiz, scooping two nights in the Hilton Mainz with her knowledge.

Richard Carrick also highlighted the biggest challenges currentXenios

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Topics & Trends: World Travel Awards

WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS WINNERS SPEARHEAD TRAVEL RECOVERY

Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica, Adam Stewart, CEO, Sandals Resorts and Beaches, Graham Cooke, President & Founder, World Travel Awards, John Lynch, Director of Tourism / Chairman of JTB, Jamaica Tourist Board World's Leading All-Inclusive Company

World Travel Awards capped its year-long search for travel and tourism’s finest with its glittering Grand Final 2010 Ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House hotel.

After a challenging year for the industry, organisations including American Express, Kuoni, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Europcar and Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority all demonstrated their world-class pedigree as they spearheaded the global travel and tourism recovery.

Hailed as “The Oscars of the Travel Industry” by the Wall Street Journal, the World Travel Awards is recognised worldwide as the ultimate travel accolade.

London beat off the likes of New York, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney to win “World’s Leading Destination” in a year that saw tourist arrivals in the capital rise to 27 million as the excitement builds ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

Etihad Airways continued its meteoric rise by picking up “World’s Leading Airline” for the second year in succession, following a

year that saw the UAE flag carrier launch five new routes and play a leading role in a resurgent year for aviation.

A host of VIPs attended the gala ceremony, including His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al Faisal of Saudi Arabia, who collected “Leading Personality of the Year” for his development of religious tourism in the Holy City of Makkah, and his pioneering philanthropic work for the King Faisal Foundation.

Meanwhile, German businesswoman Regine Sixt, President of Sixt, was voted “Woman of the Year” for her pivotal role within the organisation that has navigated its way through the downturn.

Other VIP attendees included David Scowscill, President & CEO, WTTC; Sally Chatterjee, CEO, VisitLondon; H.E. Chumpol SilapaArcha, Minister of Tourism & Sports, Thailand; Fiona Jeffery, Chairman, World Travel Market & Just a Drop; Alec Sanguinetti, CEO & Director General, CHTA; Josef Forstmayr, President, CHA; Tan Sri Dr.Mohd Munir bin Abdul Majid, Chairman, Malaysia Airlines; Dato' Lee Choong Yan, President & COO, Resorts World

Greg Ward, Sales Director, Von Essen Hotels, Graham Cooke, President & Founder, World Travel Awards World's Leading Boutique Hotel Group

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Regine Sixt, President, Sixt

Genting; Hon. Ed Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica and Adam Stewart, CEO, Sandals Resorts International.

The WTA Grand Final marked the climax of a year-long search to find the very best travel companies in the world, and follows heats in Dubai, Johannesburg, Antalya, Delhi and Jamaica.

WTA 2010 nominations featured 5,000 companies in 1,000 categories across 162 countries. The winners were selected by thousands of industry professionals and consumers worldwide who have been voting online.

Graham Cooke, President and Founder, World Travel Awards, said: “This year, like the last, continues to challenge every strata of travel and tourism. However tonight’s World Travel Awards winners see struggle not as sign of weakness or failure, but as an opportunity for growth and renewal, and a chance to put their business model through the ultimate test.”

Established 17 years ago, World Travel Awards is committed to raising the standards of customer service and overall business performance throughout the international industry.

Consumers are increasingly using the list of winners as a reliable guide and means of reassurance when choosing their holiday. Companies and destinations that make it on to the winners’ podium receive global coverage and commercial benefits.

Log on to www.worldtravelawards.com for a complete list of World winners.

He added: “By combining flair and ambition with savvy business acumen, these organisations are spearheading the worldwide recovery of travel and tourism. In doing so they are also reinforcing our industry’s role as one of the mainstays of the global economy.”

Vassilis Fragoulakis, Commercial Director, Aldemar Royal Mare James A Khan, Global Sales & Marketing Director, World Travel Awards World's Leading Thalasso & Spa Resort

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Topics & Trends

10 Prestigious Accolades in 2010 as AKMC Celebrates 10th Anniversary of its Flagship Development Al Faisaliah Center in Riyadh

London, United Kingdom. The 2010 World Category Award by World Travel Awards for “Leading Mixed-use Complex” marked the tenth major award the Al Khozama Management Company (AKMC) has enjoyed within the year 2010, crowning the Al Faisaliah Center’s tenth anniversary, also celebrated this year.

The award was announced at the 17th Annual Grand Final Gala Ceremony of the World Travel Awards, which took place on Sunday 7th November in London at the Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel.

AKMC developed, owns, and manages the acclaimed Al Faisaliah Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Designed by the world renowned Lord Norman Foster, Al Faisaliah Center has been described as a city within a city, combining an ultra-luxury 5-star hotel which offers full butler service to all rooms and suites, the country’s largest column-free conference and banqueting facilities with a capacity of 4,000 guests, a lavish shopping mall housing the world-class department stores such as Harvey Nichols, Al Faisaliah Office Tower with the leading blue-chip companies’ corporate offices therein, and the iconic Globe, located atop the Al Faisaliah Tower. The Al Faisaliah Center was the product of a visionary initiative fashioned by HRH Khaled Al Faisal and executed by HH Prince Bandar Bin Saud Bin Khaled.

In a city that gracefully melds tradition with sophisticated style, the tower has transformed Riyadh’s skyline, and the complex has had a major positive impact on business and lifestyle in Saudi Arabia. Enjoying the distinction of being the first modern mixed-use development in the Kingdom, it offers a unique environment where people can work, live and relax – all in one place.

Commemorating its tenth anniversary this year, AKMC also opened a new ultra-luxury wing at the Al Faisaliah Hotel, offering 106 premier rooms and suites including the country’s largest Penthouse completed with a Spa, and an open-kitchen concept Italian restaurant, La Cucina.

“At AKMC, we pride ourselves on setting new standards and offering many ‘firsts’ for tourism, real estate development and hospitality in Saudi Arabia”, commented Chairman of AKMC, HH Prince Bandar Bin Saud Bin Khaled.

“We enjoy a unique position in the real estate development and management, and our wide range of portfolio includes owning or managing luxury hotels, apartments, office spaces and a retail mall with world-class brands. The hospitality collection includes 16

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leisure resorts and business hotels to those in religiously significant location such as the two holy cities. Our experience of managing our own properties such as Al Faisaliah Center, Al Khozama and Al Khairiah Centres in Riyadh, as well as managing a 5-star hotel in Makkah, has been quite enriching and rewarding, and we are proud to continue to contribute to the lifestyle development in Saudi Arabia”, added Prince Bandar.

AKMC’s future projects include the development of Al Faisaliah Resort & Spa in Durrat Al Riyadh in Riyadh and the management of two hotels in Madina which are planned to be opened in 2011.

Additionally, AKMC is currently reviewing a number of real estate development opportunities in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

On the occasion of receiving the award at the World Travel Awards in London, Musaed Al Said, CEO of AKMC, stated: “Winning this award is testament to the unstinting support we had from the AKMC’s Chairman of the Board and the Directors, business partners, investors and moreover the dedication of our entire workforce”.

This year AMKC has received a number of other notable accolades, including the Middle East’s “Leading Architectural Concept” Award for the iconic geodesic dome; The Globe, and “Makkah’s Leading Hotel” Award for the AKMC-managed Al Shohada Hotel. The Chairman of the Board of AKMC; HH Prince Bandar Bin Saud Bin Khaled, was recognized by WTA as the Middle East’s “Leading Personality of the Year 2010”. The “CEO of the Year Award” for the Tourism & Hospitality sector was bestowed to Musaed Al Said, the CEO of AKMC, by ITP KSA CEO Middle East Awards.

Governor of Makkah named Leading Personality of the Year at World Travel Awards industry- those players with vision, courage and dedication in making tourism a force for good and a force for change”. “The Award for Leading Personality of the Year goes to HRH Prince Khalid Al-Faisal who embraces vision and innovation as part of his life,” added Cooke.

HRH Prince Saud bin Khalid Al-Faisal was present at the event to receive the award on behalf of HRH Khalid Al-Faisal.

As one of the most prestigious international awards, The Leading Personality Award is a rare gem amongst the other annual awards by WTA, and was offered only 3 times since the start of WTA IN 1993.

Governor, philanthropist, poet, artist and visionary, HRH Prince Khalid is most renowned in relation to the development of Asir Region, Makkah Region, King Faisal International Prize and the Arab Thought Foundation. He is also celebrated for his love of the arts having held many international painting exhibitions, two of which were combined exhibitions with HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Whales.

HRH Prince Khalid Al-Faisal HRH Prince Khalid Al-Faisal Recognized as a Pioneer in International Tourism November 2010, London, United Kingdom. Recognizing the pioneering role of HRH Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdel Aziz, the Governor of Makkah Region in International tourism, he has been bestowed with “Leading Personality of the Year” at the World Travel Awards Grand Final ceremony held in London.

The 2010 World category winners were announced by the World Travel Awards at the 17th Annual Grand Final Gala Ceremony which took place on Sunday 7th November at the Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel, in London.

Announcing the award to HRH Khalid Al-Faisal, the President & Founder of Word Travel Awards, Graham E. Cooke commented: “At the World Travel Awards, our goal is to seek out those who are doing more than anyone else to transform the tourism

As a Governor, his region includes Islam’s holy capital – Makkah, Saudi Arabia’s principal commercial hub, main seaport and the Kingdom’s second largest city – Jeddah, and the tourist destination Taif which is known for an annual event, Souq Okaz.

A city, deeply rooted in history, Makkah is one of the most ancient tourist destinations known to Mankind. Acknowledging its significance, the Governor of Makkah emphasized the importance of making the city one of the most beautiful, clean, civilized and advanced destinations in the world.

In Riyadh, he has masterminded the formation and execution of the country’s first skyscraper, Al Faisaliah Tower which has transformed the Riyadh skyline since 2000. Al Faisaliah Center has also been awarded the “Leading Mixed-use Complex” for 2010, recognizing the achievements of Al Khozama Management Company, a subsidiary of King Faisal Foundation.

The Complex was designed by the world renowned architect Lord Norman Foster.

HRH Prince Khalid’s contributions to the Tourism Industry have been internationally far reaching. His impact on the international economy, education, culture and the philanthropic initiatives will be enjoyed by generations to come.

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Topics & Trends SPA Destinations by Julia Ushakova

HOW TO CHOOSE A SPA With thousands of spas offering countless ways to relax and revitalize you in so many different settings, how do you find the spa that's right for you? The best place to start is with you. Do your homework. Decide why you want to take a spa vacation or have a spa experience, what programs and services interest you, what type of setting you would like and how much you can afford.

Identify what you'd like to accomplish, then select a spa that enables you to concentrate on an area of emphasis such as: Fitness--Work out in fitness classes, enjoy invigorating body treatments, participate in outdoor sports activities or sign up for programs to lose weight, get fit or adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Stress Management--Learn relaxation techniques, how to manage stress, and other strategies for feeling more in balance and in control.

Peace of Mind--Pursue a spiritual journey of introspection and reflection through meditation, yoga, tai chi, chi gong and other practices or activities that lead to serenity, understanding and self acceptance.

Pampering and Pleasure--Guests indulge their senses with massages, facials, mud or aroma baths and other delightful treatments as they enjoy a completely relaxing vacation. It can be anything from a girl's makeover, make up classes, precious moments shared by couples, mothers and daughters...to special occasions like weddings and graduation.

Health and Wellness--Explore your health, learn to deal with issues such as smoking or medical concerns and discover how lifestyle choices can lead to optimal wellness.

Before you go Who goes to a spa? Aren't they just for the wealthy to get pampered?

While spas may have had a reputation as havens for the wealthy to be pampered, that misconception is rapidly being dispelled.

ISPA research indicates there were more than 111 million spa visits made in the United States in 2006, and the spa lifestyle is appealing to virtually everyone. Women continue to represent the majority of spa-goers; however, men account for approximately 30% of spa-goers, and teenagers are quickly incorporating spa visits into their lives as well.

With an increased emphasis on wellness, people are recognizing the health benefits of regular spa visits as a way to aid in treatment of health concerns and as a preventative measure as well.

Proper pedicures can assist diabetics, massage treatments can reduce stress, facials can help those with acne and the simple act of going to the peaceful atmosphere of a spa can help everyone relax and unwind. Stress is at the center of many illnesses.

For those who think spas are expensive, it's important to note that spa experiences range dramatically in price. You may wish to invest in a spa getaway to a destination spa, book a vacation at a resort spa, seek a physician's services at a medical spa or plan a lunchtime visit to your neighborhood day spa. Whatever you choose, explore the vast array of spa treatments available and select what best suits you and your budget. Be sure to inquire about the amenities your spa offers and take advantage of them. Extend your spa visit by relaxing in the steam room, sauna or mineral pool. Or simply lounge in the peaceful ambiance of the relaxation area, enjoying a cup of herbal tea and a magazine.

Make your spa experience extraordinary, regardless of your budget.

CLUB SPA A facility whose primary purpose is fitness and which offers a variety of professionally administered spa services on a day-use basis.

CRUISE SHIP SPA A spa aboard a cruise ship providing professionally administered spa services, fitness and wellness components and spa cuisine menu choices.

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Cosmetic spa--specializes in medical enhancements such as skin smoothing laser treatments, facelifts, Botox or treatments for cellulite, body shaping and cosmetic dentistry.

There are several ways to learn more about spas including: Checking out our Search For A Spa tool.

Calling spas directly that are of interest to you, or viewing their Web sites.

Asking travel agents. These ISPA members specialize in spa travel and are happy to help you.

Reading spa guides and other travel books or magazines, including the ISPA site to learn more.

Asking your friends, family and colleagues for recommendations.

Don't forget to ask if the spa is a member of ISPA! In order for a spa to become an ISPA member, the facility must meet requirements pertaining to staffing, safety, guest relations and service per the association's Standards & Practices and Code of Ethics.

ISPA defines spa as places devoted to overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit. Depending upon what your goals are, and what you are looking for in a spa experience, you will want to know differences in spas and what they offer. Below are the primary types of spas and examples of the kinds of services you could expect. For example, if you're looking for a spa getaway that includes lodging and other amenities, you should consider cruise ship, hotel/resort and destination spas. If you simply need a wax or single service a day spa could fit the bill.

Serenity Spa Elysium Resort & Spa Rhodes

DAY SPA A spa offering a variety of professionally administered spa services to clients on a day-use basis. Day spas offer many of the same services and procedures as cosmetic spas.

DESTINATION SPA A destination spa is a facility with the primary purpose of guiding individual spa-goers to develop healthy habits. Historically a seven-day stay, this lifestyle transformation can be accomplished by providing a comprehensive program that includes spa services, physical fitness activities, wellness education, healthful cuisine and special interest programming.

MEDICAL SPA A facility that operates under the full-time, on-site supervision of a licensed health care professional whose primary purpose is to provide comprehensive medical and wellness care in an environment that integrates spa services, as well as traditional, complimentary and/or alternative therapies and treatments.

The facility operates within the scope of practice of its staff, which can include both aesthetic/cosmetic and prevention/wellness procedures and services.

MINERAL SPRINGS SPA A spa offering an on-site source of natural mineral, thermal or seawater used in hydrotherapy treatments.

RESORT/HOTEL SPA A spa owned by and located within a resort or hotel providing professionally administered spa services, fitness and wellness components and spa cuisine menu choices. In addition to the leisure guest, this is a great place for business travelers who wish to take advantage of the spa experience while away from home. In many cases resort/hotel spas also act as day spas for local clientele and may offer special rates for people that live in the community. If you have a resort/hotel spa in your area be sure to ask if they accept local clientele.

KUONI: Top 10 for wellness

TAJ GREEN COVE RESORT Recharge your batteries at one of top 10 hotels for soothing your mind, body and soul. We’ve personally visited these incredible resorts and handpicked them for their dedication to relaxation and rejuvenation – blissful spa treatments, rebalancing yoga and tai chi, mouth-watering food and impeccable service. You won’t want to leave.

TAJ GREEN COVE RESORT From £999 Save up to £211 per couple.

Country / Region: India holidays, Kerala holidays Set in 10 acres of tropical gardens above the golden sands of Samudra, this backwater retreat is in our top 10 thanks to its palm-fringed beach and rejuvenating Jiva Spa, a sanctuary with private waterfall, fountains and streams and surrounded by lush garden courtyards. After a day spent relaxing, savour Keralan coastal cuisine alfresco while gazing out over the ocean.

Superior garden room, 7 nights, room & breakfast, 16, 17 & 24 Nov 2011. Flights based on Air Mauritius from Heathrow.

SUGAR BEACH RESORT From £1396 Save up to £870 per couple.

Country / Region: Mauritius holidays A grand and beautiful plantation-style hotel, Sugar Beach delivers amazing style and service in a laidback, intimate atmosphere, which made it perfect for our top 10. After a blissful shiatsu massage in the incredible spa or a black soap massage in the hammam, chill out in the cool beach bar illuminated by firepits.

Standard room, 7 nights, half board, 19 & 23 Jan 2011. Flights based on Air Mauritius from Heathrow.

PANGKOR LAUT RESORT From £1469 Save up to £552 per couple.

Country / Region: Malaysia holidays, Pangkor holidays One island – one resort. Voted Number One in the World by Condé Nast Traveller magazine, and with over 35 awards for its spa and luxury, it’s easy to see why Pangkor Laut made our top 10. The resort is nestled amidst pristine beaches, sweeping bays and ancient rainforest. Rejuvenate in the Spa Village’s unique bathhouse, set amongst waterfalls and hot pools, or relax in your amazing luxury villa.

Garden villa, 8 nights, room only, 1 – 18 Nov 2010. Flights based on Malaysia Airlines from Heathrow.

LASOURCE From £1569 Save up to £1004 per couple.

Country / Region: Grenada holidays Revive your body and soul at La Source, a soothing, relaxed retreat. It’s in our top 10 because you’ll be spoilt with a daily complimentary treatment at the awardwinning Oasis Spa. Make the most of free waterskiing, golf, diving – or a yoga class on the beach at sunset. At dinner time, savour mouth-watering dishes with a healthy twist, created by the award-winning chef.

Luxury room, 7 nights, all inclusive, 4, 11 & 18 Nov 2010.

Flights based on Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick.

THE BODYHOLIDAY AT LESPORT From £1677 Save up to £834 per couple.

Country / Region: St Lucia holidays ‘BodyHoliday’ says it all – this is the ultimate pampering retreat and a must for our top 10. On this award-winning all-inclusive package, you’ll be pampered with a daily 50-minute spa treatment at the Wellness Centre. Holistic ‘masters’ visit to teach classes including Pilates and meditation, and after working up an appetite, you’ll dine on fresh dishes prepared using local and organic ingredients.

Luxury room, 7 nights, all inclusive, 5 Dec 2010. Flights based on Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick.

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Topics & Trends SPA Destinations by Julia Ushakova

TAJ EXOTICA RESORT & SPA

VIVANTA BY TAJ – CORAL REEF From £1921 Save up to £1280 per couple.

Country / Region: Maldives holidays This stunning island features 62 thatched roof villas, and was picked for our top 10 for its all-tranquil facilities. Unwind in the infinity pool or take a dip in the turquoise lagoon, before heading to the peaceful Jiva Spa for a blissful treatment. Scuba dive on a pristine house reef with its own sunken shipwreck, and dine on sumptuous pan-Asian cuisine as the sun sets.

Beach Villa, 7 nights, half board, 2, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19 & 21 Nov 2010. Flights based on SriLankan Airlines from Heathrow.

THE OBEROI From £1855 Save up to £2270 per couple.

Country / Region: Mauritius holidays Voted the Indian Ocean’s Leading Hotel at the 2009 World Travel Awards and a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, you’ll find total chill-out at this luxurious retreat. The Oberoi Spa secured its place in our top 10 – a sanctuary of peace and harmony with a rejuvenating sauna and steam bath; private jacuzzis; and traditional Mauritian treatments using natural, local oils and fruit.

Luxury pavilion, 7 nights, room & breakfast, 28 Nov & 1 Dec 2010. Flights based on Air Mauritius from Heathrow.

TAJ EXOTICA RESORT & SPA From £2299 Save up to £1681 per couple.

Country / Resort: Maldives holidays Voted among African and Indian Ocean’s top 100 hotels by the Daily Telegraph’s Ultratravel and with a plethora of other accolades, Taj Exotica was included in our top 10 for Jiva Grande Spa’s fantastic signature treatments and thrilling watersports.

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Book dinner at any spot on the idyllic island – or stroll along a torch-lit jetty to the over-water pavilion and dine on incredible fusion dishes as baby sharks and stingrays glide through the lagoon.

Lagoon villa, 7 nights, room & breakfast, 12, 14 & 21 Nov 2010.

Flights based on British Airways from Gatwick.

SIX SENSES SANCTUARY From £2369 Save up to £1407 per couple.

Country / Resort: Thailand holidays, Phuket holidays TATLER’s Spa of the Year 2008, this is one of the world’s most exclusive wellness retreats, which is why it’s in our top 10. On arrival, a health programme is tailored to your needs, including personal consultations, holistic treatments and wellbeing activities. Explore the stunning island, savour healthy cuisine or relax in your private pool. You’ll leave feeling truly revitalised.

Hill pool villa, 7 nights, full board, 2 – 23 Nov 2010. Flights based on Eva Air from Heathrow.

SONEVA GILI BY SIX SENSES From £2794 Save up to £2151 per couple.

Country / Region: Maldives holidays Recuperate in blissful luxury at this serene retreat, basking in one of the Maldives’ largest lagoons and included in our top 10 for its awardwinning Six Senses Spa. Re-energise your mind and body with blissful signature treatments, gazing down through a glass floor panel into the lagoon. Then soothe your soul with yoga on the tranquil deck as the sun sets over the sea.

Villa Suite, 7 nights, room & breakfast, 12, 14 & 21 Nov 2010.

Flights based on British Airways from Gatwick.

Meet the world face to face...

For information on the world’s top travel trade shows and how to join us, visit

www.ittfa.org INTERNATIONAL TOURISM TRADE FAIRS ASSOCIATION

SPA Destinations: Rhodes

Rhodes’ prestigious 5 star resort hotel & spa

Step into a world of true comfort where impeccable style and attention to detail is complemented by a blend of contemporary facilities, sophisticated services and culinary splendour creating an exquisite holiday environment for those seeking the very best of Rhodes hotel luxury.

Set in a unique beachfront location, the Elysium Resort and Spa stands in a class entirely of its own. Modern and chic in nature with minimalist design, grandiose public areas and spacious rooms overlooking the beach, the five-star Elysium hotel is the perfect example of a high standard luxury hotel in Rhodes.

The Elysium Resort and Spa occupies a prominent position in the blue-flag awarded beach of Kallithea and a superb location in Rhodes just a few hundred meters away from the famous monument of Kalithea Springs.

Staying at the Elysium hotel in Rhodes brings closer a whole world of choices since Rhodes town is just 8 km / 5 miles away while the popular resort of Faliraki with its numerous water sports activities, shops and busy night life is at 4 kilometres / 2.3 miles to the south.

Families and water slides fans are one breath away from Europe’s second largest waterpark (500 meters away from the hotel), while the island’s main dual carriage road allowing fast and safe transfer to most of Rhodes’ key attractions is within a short driving distance.

Transportation from and to our luxury resort in Greece couldn’t be easier with a bus station just opposite the hotel’s entrance and a car hire company available within the resort. The international airport of Rhodes is located 15 km / 9.3 miles away with Rhodes’ commercial harbour being at only 8 km / 5 miles accommodation At the Elysium 5 star hotel in Greece you can expect to find pure elegance combined with the highest of standards and in-room comfort to be found nowhere else on the island.

All of our luxury rooms are carefully designed and equipped with stylish furniture and top class amenities with unsurpassed views of the sea (98% sea view rooms), while suites and elite guestrooms go one step further in offering the 22

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very best in décor and space.

Our great variety of deluxe rooms and luxury suites ensure that you will find exactly what you are looking for at the price you are willing to pay! elite club The Elite Club undoubtedly provides an exclusive holiday experience with the very best of what the Elysium Resort and spa can offer!

Our two luxury executive floors consist of 64 premium sea view rooms of upgraded aesthetics, a dedicated lounge bar and an enriched American Breakfast Buffet in a rooftop restaurant strictly available for the Elite club members.

Elite Club exclusive services include: Private area for check-in and check-out, late check-out until 16:00 based on availability, dedicated Elite Club lounge, All-day complimentary juices, refreshments, coffee /tea, canapés, light snacks and fruits (served in the Elite Lounge), wide selection of international newspapers and magazines, free use of PC with internet access, exclusive Guest Relations Executive, exclusive use of the rooftop panoramic restaurant during breakfast (Senses Cafe) Elite Club rooms and luxury suites feature: Free Internet access, wooden floors hydro massage bathtub, upgraded room design, furniture and fabrics, turndown service, pillow menu, branded personal care amenities, bathrobes & sleepers, satin bed sheets (cotton 100%), electronic locks, CD/DVD player (in suites only), cordless telephone and voicemail service, bottle of mineral water on a daily basis throughout your stay, coffee & tea maker, courtesies upon arrival.

serenity spa

meetings & events

Unwind, rejuvenate and revitalize. Experience the ultimate luxury spa holiday in Greece at the Elysium Resort and spa!

Whether you are planning a meeting, a conference, an incentive, a product launch, a training course, a private dinner or a wedding, you will find that the Elysium Resort & Spa is the perfect venue for organizing such an event.

If you are looking for a luxury spa hotel in Greece then look no further. Our goal is to help guests reach a greater sense of equilibrium through a range of treatments and activities, which are individually planned according to their state of being.

At the Serenity Spa, every detail is an important part of the experience and every sense is indulged, from the rituals that accompany each treatment to the exclusive premium aromatherapy products using the finest indigenous ingredients, from cactus to flowers. In recognition of the many different ways each of us respond to the stresses of life, the entire spa philosophy pivots around three pillars, entitled unwind, rejuvenate and revitalize.

Guests can journey through the full Serenity Spa experience, commencing by unwinding mind and body to release nervous tension and improve sleep patterns. Once relaxed, the body, mind and skin are ready to be rejuvenated through purifying treatments to cleanse and rebalance. Finally, the revitalize collection of treatments focuses on raising energy levels, resulting in a sense of renewed vitality and well-being.

You can take the opportunity of the Elysium’s beach location and enhance your event even further through various teambuilding activities including a private cocktail evening and/or dinner at the exclusive setting of the nearby Kalithea Springs.

Elysium Resort & Spa Kallithea 851 00 Rhodes, Greece Tel : +30 22410 45700 Fax : +30 22410 87060 E-mail: info@elysium.gr http://www.elysium.gr

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For a short trip on cold days Top spa hotels in Europe London, November 2010 – Spa treatments and pampering are not only very popular amongst private travellers. Business travellers also value the possibility of being able to benefit from one or the other relaxing services offered by the hotel. They can work off the stress of the day in the fitness studio or merely relax in the steam bath – on cold days the guests are especially happy when the hotel has facilities to enable them to relax body and soul. hotel.info, the free online hotel reservation service with more than 210,000 hotels worldwide is now featuring its best-loved spa hotels. Sauna, pool or massage – many hotels that increase the sense of well-being and thus increase the guests’ satisfaction are to be found here.

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Relais & Chateaux Hotel Jagdhof Glashütte Bad Laasphe (Germany) Hotel Lac Salin Spa & Mountain Resort Livigno (Italy) Alpenherz Hotel Gerlos (Austria) Grand Resort Bad Ragaz Bad Ragaz (Switzerland) Lagoas Park Hotel Oeiras (Portugal) Park Holiday Hotel Wellness & Spa Prague (Czech Republic) Hotel Prestige Palmera Plaza Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) Hotel Anel Sofia (Bulgaria) Sankt Jorgen Park Resort Göteborg (Sweden) Ramada Resort – Aquaworld Budapest Budapest (Hungary) Meriton Grand Conference & Spa Hotel Tallinn (Estonia) Best Western Premier Hotel Krakow Krakow (Poland) Best Western Prezident Hotel Novi Sad (Serbia) Mercure St. Paul’s Hotel and Spa Sheffield Sheffield (United Kingdom) Hotel Kongebrogaarden Middelfart (Denmark) Hotel Les Dryades Golf & Spa Pouligny-Notre-Dame (France) Palace Hotel CL Noordwijk (Netherlands) Hotel Premier Palace Kiev (Ukraine) Hotel Le Royal Luxemburg (Luxembourg) Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul (Turkey)

Stars

Evaluation

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9.4 9.4 9.3 9.3 9.2 9.1 9.0 8.9 8.9 8.8 8.7 8.7 8.4 8.4 8.3 8.3 8.2 8.2 8.2 8.0

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Topics & Trends

Social Media users likely to change their holiday choice Tripadvisor users predominantly seek out the service for inspiration and to refine their choice of destination according to research the user-generated specialist revealed at the Social Media Revolution session at World Travel Market, the premier event for the global travel industry.

Head of Sales for the UK Martin Verdon-Roe said 32% of users come to the site for inspiration and know the type of holiday they want to go on but have made no firm decision on the destination.

Verdon-Roe added that the site had run some destination focused advertising with online travel agencies with about 47% of users choosing a different destination to the one they originally searched on.

Travel Market which found that the majority of social media users are likely to change their holiday choices after consulting the networks.

Panellists were also tackled on how social recommendation and social media becoming more personal would change travel and Verdon-Roe touched on Tripadvisor’s plans to build on its TripFriends initiative, launched in June, combining its current user-generated content with more relevant, personal content.

“We’re trying to take it to another level. Tripadvisor is the wisdom of the crowds but this is an opportunity to get the wisdom of friends. It’s potentially content that is not out there especially in the travel space.”

EyeforTravel Managing Director Tim Gunstone advised companies not to waste time on social media if their customers weren’t using it.

The WTM research of 1,200 holidaymakers revealed that only one-in-three used social media to help plan their summer holiday.

Tripadvisor’s findings support research carried out by World

Kuoni wins

VOK DAMS Scoops Several Prizes at European Best Event Awards 2010

Kuoni has won five new British Travel Awards, as voted for by consumers.

category “Best BtoB Event”. VOK DAMS was the lead agency and was supported in the event’s implementation and realization by Mindact, Atelier für Marken(t)räume and S&T Wirth.

We are pleased to tell you Kuoni have just scooped a heap of awards at the British Travel Awards 2010, as voted for by consumers. The awards include: Best Safari, Wildlife & Nature Tour Operator Best Tour Operator to the Caribbean and Bermuda Best Tour Operator to Central and Southern America Best Tour Operator to Sub Sahara Africa Best Tour Operator to The Middle East The British Travel Awards are the largest independent judge of public opinion when it comes to travel and the British Travel Awards’ accolade is one of the most coveted prizes in the travel industry. At the awards, Kuoni also picked up bronze awards for Best Tour Operator to Asia and Australasia, plus Small Travel Retailer of the Year.

Gold and silver for Swiss urban hacking Likewise, the success story of the “Urban Hacking” campaign that VOK DAMS implemented for Swisscom continued, adding further precious metal to the awards won so far: silver in the category “Best European Event” and gold as “Best Unconventional Event”.

Silver for trade fair presence

At the European Best Event Awards 2010, which were presented at Spazio Eventiquattro in Milan on 15 November 2010, the Wuppertal communications agency took home five awards for several outstanding projects.

Gold and silver for Porsche project The dealership launch of the new Porsche Cayenne under the motto “To the Point” took second place in the category “Best Product/Service Launch” and, leaving all other shortlisted entries behind, won gold in the

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The Volkswagen trade fair presence at the International Motor Show 2009 won silver in the category “Best Staging/Set Design”.

The European Best Event Award was first awarded in 2008 and since then has honoured exceptional live communications projects every year. It is the first prize specifically honouring European projects, thereby fast becoming an international competition for live-marketing and events. The award is taking into account by the official ranking of w&v and Horizont.

Copenhagen home of ‘World’s Greenest Hotel’ am confident that the reason behind our success is that our green way of thinking goes all the way – small and big initiatives side by side. We involve our guests in our climate friendly way of thinking and by that our green approach extends beyond the actual hotel stay”, says CEO Allan L. Agerholm, Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers.

TOP INDUSTRY AWARD WINNING The Athenaeum InterContinental Athens has been awarded Greece’s Leading Conference Hotel and Greece’s Leading Business Hotel for 2010 at the World Travel Awards Europe.

Skål International: World’s largest organization of travel and tourism professionals

Wind turbines. Biomass. Electricity and hydrogen powered cars. Denmark is already renowned for its many climate initiatives.

Now, Denmark can also pride itself of being home to the world’s greenest hotel. The world’s largest travel and tourism organization, Skål International in Sydney, Australia presented the Danish Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers with this year’s EcoTourism Award.

Technology, creativity and imagination The EcoTourism Award highlights and acknowledges best practices within eco and sustainable tourism around the world. Indeed, technology as well as creativity and imagination have been used to create the carbon neutral Copenhagen Towers hotel building: The largest facade integrated solar panel park in Northern Europe delivers electricity. Air condition runs on the first groundwater-based cooling and heating system in Denmark. Low energy light sources, light management and water saving are integrated everywhere.

Shampoo bottles, tooth brushes and shower caps are bio-degradable. The restaurant uses local and organic raw materials, and food waste is turned into bio gas and fertilizer. Just to mention a few of the hotel’s many big and small climate friendly initiatives.

First carbon neutral hotel building in Denmark The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers is first mover in many ways. It was the first hotel in Denmark to meet the standards of the EU Green Building Programme and the Danish Building Regulations for Low Class 2 buildings, as well as the first to have a carbon neutral hotel building.

Hotel guests lend a helping hand Even the hotel guests are encouraged to lend a helping hand to the climate via a ride on the hotel’s electricity-producing bikes. Anyone who produces 10 kWh can enjoy a meal free of charge in the hotel’s Nordic restaurant.

The EcoTourism Award is presented by the world’s largest travel and tourism organisation, Skål International. Skål International was founded in 1932 in Paris and promotes global tourism and friendship.Today, Skål International has approximately 20,000 members in 89 nations.

EcoTourism Award: Presented to best practices within eco and sustainable tourism The EcoTourism award was launched in year 2002, the UN ‘Year of Ecotourism and Mountains’. The aim is to highlight and acknowledge best practices within eco and sustainable tourism around the globe as well as to put emphasis on the importance of the interaction of the physical, cultural and social environment, the traveler’s responsibility and the need for active community participation for Ecotourism.

Founded in 1993 and described as the “Oscars” of the travel industry, the World Travel Awards represent the ultimate accolade celebrating excellence in product and service worldwide.

This year, a phenomenal 185,000 industry professionals participated in the voting process casting their votes on the best hospitaliThe judges electing the winner were inde- ty products. pendent representatives of important institutions or organisations dealing with eco and “Winning once again at the World sustainable tourism: Luigi Cabrini, Director Travel Awards Europe as we did Sustainable Development of Tourism, UNWTO; in 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2009 is a Guido Bauer, C.E.O., Green Globe brilliant achievement for the Certification; and Ed Roberts, EMA Athenaeum InterContinental Sustainability Leader, Diversey.

Athens.

This time, however, our exciteCrowne Plaza’s energy saving initiatives ment is even greater since we’ve in numbers been recognized not only as a Leading Business Hotel but also · From 5th to 25th floor, the hotel facades are as a Leading Conference Hotel.” covered by solar panels producing more stated Mr. Panos Panayotopoulos, than170,000 kWh a year – equivalent to the General Manager of the hotel. energy consumption of 55 private households.

“We strongly believe that the · The first groundwater-based cooling and driving force behind the hotel’s heating system in Denmark is expected to success is our ability to deliver reduce the energy used for heating and cool- the highest possible service staning the hotel by almost 90 %. dards whilst offering an environment of discreet luxury and com· The overall result of all energy saving initia- fort to all of our guests. Our goal tives is a 53 % reduction in the hotel’s energy is to ensure that the hotel continconsumption and an estimated 1.4 tonnes ues to consistently deliver on its yearly saving in the hotel’s carbon emission. promise to its customers.” · The only carbon neutral hotel building in Denmark.

“There is intense competition for the recognition inherited in the EcoTourism Award, and it is the first time this award goes to Denmark. I Xenios

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Topics & Trends

How to Ski for Free (well almost…!) departing from London Gatwick 7 night’s accommodation: from £71 for a room in a private house TOTAL: from £362 Borovets, Bulgaria

Skiing has never been the cheapest of sports. It’s never going to undercut the price of playing football down the park with jumpers for goalposts. But there are cheaper options out there.

And if you think about how much you would spend in an average week staying at home – weekly London rent= £90; weekly grocery bill=£60; meal and drinks out=£50; total =£200! – suddenly a week skiing abroad doesn’t seem quite so unreasonable.

Although the Brits have long favoured France as their ski destination of choice, a six day lift pass for the Three Valley area now costs a whopping £200! With food and beer in the big name French resorts equally expensive, many skiers and snowboarders are now looking for cheaper ways to get their snow fix this winter.

And there are plenty of better value alternatives out there.

Skyscanner reveals ten of the cheapest places to ski and snowboard this season.

Jasna, Slovakia Slovakia’s biggest and best resort, Jasna is situated in the Low Tatras National Park. Don’t be put off by the name, the mountain rises to an altitude of 2,024m and offers a very respectable 1,000m of vertical drop. Jasna has seen considerable investment over the last few years and is one of Europe’s most underrated snow zones. With five freeride areas and guaranteed snow for five months of the year, intermediates can happily spend a week here.

British run company Propaganda Snowboards welcomes skiers and snowboarders to their five bedroom chalet, a short drive from Jasna’s lifts. Pricewise, Slovakia is infinitely better value than France; a pint of beer will cost £1 or less; a three course meal just a tenner.

6 day ski pass: £110 Getting there: Flights to Bratislava from £42 return departing from Birmingham 7 night’s accommodation: from £179 TOTAL: from £331 Kolasin, Montenegro With a mixture of pine and birch and ample supplies of powder, Jezerine ski area near Kolasin resembles the ski resorts of Japan. New investment has brought a new high speed 6-seater chair lift, and there’s talk of more upgrades soon. The lodges that sit at the base of the slopes are beautifully built wooden structures that would fit happily in Whistler; stop in for a hot chocolate and sit around the giant log fire.

Ideal for beginners, intermediates or even advanced skiers if you’re prepared to go exploring the surrounding bowls and gullies, Kolasin is small but perfectly formed. There is very limited accommodation at the ski area itself so stay in Kolasin town – a 15 minute drive, which offers bars and restaurants.

6 day ski pass: £78 Getting there: Flights to Podgorica cost from £213 return 28

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Along with its cousins, Bansko and Pamporovo, the ski resort of Borovets is a great choice for the bargain hunter. A lively, cheap and cheerful town, Borovets is the oldest ski resort in Bulgaria.

Nestled at around 1,300m in the Rila Mountains, it’s comprised of three separate zones (which aren’t yet fully linked).

The upper half of the mountain is largely above the tree line and offers plenty of wide open pistes, most of which are fairly gentle – ideal for beginners and intermediates. The ski instruction here is top notch and the après ski is lively, so it’s particularly popular with party animals.

6 day lift pass: £124 Getting there: Flights to Sofia cost from £75 return departing from Manchester 7 night’s accommodation: £57 per person (Villa Park Apartments) TOTAL: from £256 Kopaonik, Serbia Kopaonik is perhaps Eastern Europe’s most modern ski area with 21 lifts – many of which are very new – serving the forest-lined runs. The max vertical drop of 521m may be modest by Alpine standards, but the area does offer some excellent tree runs after heavy snow. Kopaonik retains its traditional charm with thatched slope-side huts serving ‘hot wine’ and meaty snacks in front of roaring fires. After dark, Serbians know how to party, with the bars and clubs jumping until the small hours.

6 day ski pass: £70 Getting there: Flights to Belgrade cost from £45 return departing from London Luton 7 night’s accommodation: from £70 TOTAL: from £185 Livigno, Italy Duty-free zone Livigno offers excellent intermediate skiing in an area that should just about keep advanced skiers and snowboarders happy for a week if you’re happy to explore a little off piste. One of the Livigno’s big attractions is its excellent terrain park which has pro-sized jumps (think: house sized!) as well as rails and kickers for mere mortals. The price of food and drink in and around the slopes is all very reasonable – meaning it’s a place popular with the younger ski crowd who come to party.

6 day ski pass: £161 Getting there: Flights to Milan Bergamo cost from £37 return departing from London Gatwick 7 night’s accommodation: from £127 TOTAL: from £325 Vogel, Slovenia An ideal spot for couples or families, Vogel is a truly beautiful ski area. Overlooking Lake Bohinj, Vogel is part of the Triglav national park. The modern cable car hauls people up from lakeside to the mountains in minutes, allowing skiers access to the largely treeless terrain which offers ample opportunity for offpiste exploration. Night life is low key, but with capital Ljubljana a little over an hour away, a day trip is perfectly possible.

6 Day lift pass: £119 Getting there: Flights to Ljubljana cost from £45 return departing from London Stansted 7 night’s accommodation: £237 at Pension Stare TOTAL: from £401

Kuoni: Top 10 dramatic experiences under 10 won’t be allowed inside the studio and photo ID is required..

Watch a movie under the stars Maldives, Indian Ocean It isn’t hard to get lost in the romance of the Maldives’ stunning white-sand beaches and gleaming turquoise waters. But to inject even more amour into your break, why not snuggle up and watch a film by the light of the moon? Many of our incredible resorts take dinner and a movie to new levels of indulgence – just ask your Personal Travel Expert for details.

Broadway Shows New York, USA Before you take your Kuoni trip to New York, see what’s playing at the Great White Way – if there’s a show you’re dying to see, you can book your tickets with Kuoni Concierge. To name just a few – subject to availability – we can pre-book Chicago, Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys and Phantom of the Opera.

Carnival Theatre Show Venice, Italy Carnival Theatre Show takes place in the newly restored Teatro San Gallo and brings the story of Venice to life, transporting you to the worlds of Marco Polo, Casanova, Vivaldi and Lord Byron.

Understand the city’s glorious and often scandalous past with spectacular projections, music, and live performances. A standing buffet dinner is included after the performance.

Discover the story behind famous films and see spectacular shows with one of these amazing Kuoni Authentic Experiences, from Bollywood glamour to Cirque du Soleil.

Universal VIP experience Los Angeles, USA Jump into the action of your favourite movies at Universal Studios®. Go behind the scenes at this working movie studio and experience white-knuckle rides, shows, movie sets and attractions. This six-hour VIP tour gives you access to closed sets and behind-the-scenes action. You’ll learn the inside story behind the world’s most famous films and television shows, and have frontline access to shows with reserved seating.

Lord of the Rings Tour Queenstown, New Zealand This is a magical day spent visiting recognisable locations from the Lord of the Rings trilogy around Queenstown and into the valleys beyond. Your ‘safari of the scenes’ stops at breathtaking viewpoints along the way, past Glenorchy, following the Dart River to Isengard, with stunning views of Mt Earnslaw. Drive to Paradise for the Forest of Lothlorien and 12 Mile Delta to explore Ithilien Camp. X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Prince Caspian were filmed around here, too.

Hollywood Movie Star Experience Los Angeles, USA Discover historic Hollywood during a walking tour, visiting Mann’s opulent Chinese Theatre and the iconic Walk of Fame.

Then head to Beverly Hills and see where famous stars live in luxury before a tour around Warner Bros Studios. Children

Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas, USA Six shows from Cirque du Soleil play in various venues in Las Vegas. For example, Love celebrates the music of the Beatles, while in O, acrobats perform in and around water. Each extraordinary show is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world, with its own central theme and storyline. All feature the blazing talent and creativity that Cirque du Soleil is so famous for.

The Lion King Theatre Tickets at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, USA If you haven’t seen it already, The Lion King is now open in Las Vegas! Disney and Mandalay Bay introduced this award-winning Broadway phenomenon in the Mandalay Bay Theatre 2009. This ravishing production joined the six other highly successful companies of The Lion King around the world in New York, London, Hamburg, Paris, Tokyo and Fukuoka. Your Kuoni Concierge will pre-book your tickets.

Bollywood Movie Experience Jaipur, India During this truly authentic experience, you’ll discover the glitz, glam and drama of Bollywood, a kaleidoscope of bright colours, vibrant costumes and glorious dancing. The film is in Hindi, so you’ll be completely immersed in the authentic culture of the production, and the action will still be easy to follow.

New York TV & Movie Locations New York, USA Yes, there really was a ‘Friends’ apartment building in New York and you can see it. Drive past the design studio where Grace of ‘Will & Grace’ worked and stop at the ‘Shop around the Corner’ owned by Meg Ryan’s character in ‘You’ve Got Mail’. This three hour guided tour of various film locations over New York is a must for TV and movie buffs.

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Global Governments should place Tourism Higher on the Agenda UNWTO Ministers' Summit. Shaping a Stronger Travel & Tourism Industry. John Penrose MP, Minister of Tourism UK.

Governments around the world should follow the Chinese approach to tourism, according to the UNWTO Ministers’ Summit which took place at World Travel Market in London.

Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), said: “China is seeing the benefits from giving tourism a very high priority within government. It is an example other countries should try to follow.”

More than 150 tourism ministers and aides attended the Summit. Qiwei Shao. Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, said that the Chinese government started to listen when he was able to show that 109 other sectors were involved in tourism. Some 15 million people are employed directly in tourism, with another 85 million indirectly employed.

The importance of tourism generally varies across the globe.

John Penrose, Minister of Tourism of the UK pointed out that he is the first dedicated tourism minister the UK has ever had; Italy and Argentina have both upgraded the importance of tourism within the structure of their government.

Mexico’s tourism minister, Gloria Guevara, said that tourism was a priority for the country, which wanted to become one of the world’s top five destinations. It is already in the top ten.

One way in which ministers can make their government colleagues listen is to rethink the data used to make the economic case for tourism. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism and Aviation for the Bahamas, said that the key metric should be economic value, not only arrivals.

UNWTO Ministers' Summit. Shaping a Stronger Travel & Tourism Industry. John Penrose MP, Minister of Tourism UK.

The role of the private sector in this is pivotal, ministers insisted, although competitive concerns and the fragmented nature of the sector often prevent companies from working together.

Sustainability was also high in the Summit’s agenda, with ministers told that they needed to be more vocal in defending tourism’s environmental record. Many ministers agreed that sustainability was not only about climate change but also culture heritage, resources and socio-economics.

Taxation was another recurring theme. The UK’s controversial Air Departure Tax (APD) was blamed for prompting other countries – Germany and Austria – to shortly introduce a similar measure.

Christopher Brown from the Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) in Australia warned that governments “could drown small island nations in a sea of taxes before the tidal waves arrive.”

Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of the World Travel Market, said; “This is our fourth UNWTO Summit at World Travel Market. We are delighted that it’s the largest-ever and includes ministers from Iraq and China for the first time.

“The discussion today has really helped set a framework for the industry going forward.”

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Topics & Trends - Travel Trade Exhibitions

Conferencing and Events During UITT 2011

UITT is Ukraine’s leading travel and tourism exhibition. Last year saw a significant increase in visitors as consumer interest in overseas travel grows – figures were up 9% compared with 2009, totalling over 17,000 visitors. The event also hosted 648 exhibitors and 51 destinations.

an insight into the industry, its audience, trends and prospects.

It also gives participants a valuable opportunity to network with their peers.

Remember, now is the ideal time to book, giving you ample time to plan your participation, make travel arrangements, etc.

UITT is officially supported by:

Latest Confirmed Exhibitors UITT has always welcomed a broad range of companies from all over the world. This year, there will be companies from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Rep, Dominican Rep, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Slovak Rep, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and Tunisia.

Also, for the first time, Portugal, US and UK will be represented at the show, through Lendatravel, American Best Getaways and BSI. More About Ukraine Ukraine’s tourism industry is expected to develop substantially once the country returns to growth. According to Mykola Azarov, Ukraine’s Prime Minister, the economy will grow by 5% this year and between 5% and 10% in 2011. With this in mind, many international companies and destinations are investing now for the future.

Events During UITT Every year, a number of events take place during UITT. This year, they included: An international conference entitled ‘Spa in Ukraine ‘11′, organised jointly with the Ukrainian Spa Association.

The 5th edition of the international business forum ‘Small Hotels & Apartments of Ukraine’, organised with the Association of Small Hotels & Apartments of Ukraine.

The 5th edition of the MICE Ukraine international conference entitled ‘Business Tourism — Ukraine’, which gives delegates

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Official Support

Ministry of Culture & Tourism of Ukraine Kyiv City State Administration UNWTO PATA ITTFA CECTA It is also an ‘UFI Approved’ event (UFI is the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry).

A Word from Exhibitors “The figures for January and February from Ukraine to Egypt are very positive. If this continues, I think we will reach 2008’s figures, exceeding half a million tourists from Ukraine.”

Ismail A. Hamid Amer, Egyptian Tourist Attache in Moscow “Yesterday, I got around 200 business cards from different tourism agencies not only from Kiev but from many other cities of Ukraine – that’s very important for us. I’m sure it’s not the last time that we are here and we’re already planning to come back next year.”

Maxim Shandarov, Tourism & Marketing Manager, Mauritius Tourism “For us, UITT is a kind of tradition – a very important event that we put in our marketing plan. We were very, very pleased with the visitors – many useful contacts.”

Oksana Kilicci, General Manager, Alitalia “Interest in European countries is huge. We are expecting an influx of tourists to our country for the summer season. At the exhibition, we can meet with partners with whom we already work, present our new products to them and find new Ukrainian partners here that will send tourists to us next season.”

Elena Gerber, Head Manager, Open Up Switzerland

ITTFA Welcomes Per Magnusson, Recently Appointed Exhibition Manager at TUR TUR, Scandinavia’s leading travel trade event welcomed a new Exhibition Manager earlier in the year, when the show’s long standing manager, Johan F Lundberg, moved on to new horizons.

Per Magnusson, originally a business lawyer, joined TUR in January 2008, following six years at the Swedish Fair and Congress Centre in Gothenburg where he worked as a project manager. He is married with two children and enjoys the dynamic and fascinating nature of the travel business which is what lured him to Svenska Massen in the first place “I think that every one of us would like to travel much more in the future. As incomes increase and more money is available, people are looking for new experiences. This is one thing that travel can provide! The challenge facing us now is the environment and the fast growth of the developing countries and how this will affect us in the longer term.”

Of his new role, Per tells us that what he enjoys most about the role is the opportunity to collaborate with different kinds of companies and organizations, to invent new ways of improving the fair for either the trade visitor, the exhibitors or the public.

“Since I started we have develop 10-15 new things for TUR, for example we have opened up a unique site where we place special fair offers, with great prices, from the exhibitors and the public can view them on the

ITTFA CALENDAR

PHILOXENIA 18 - 21 November 2010 internet but they can only buy them at the fair. International Exhibition Centre, We have developed an interactive area on the Thessalonika exhibition floor where people with specialist knowledge about a destination can wear a VAKANTIEBEURS badge encouraging people to ask questions 11 - 16 January 2011 about this particular place or theme.

We Utrecht, The Netherlands have also started up 2 new Facebook groups, each with a specific focus, developing new MOROCCAN TRAVEL MARKET business and creating a win-win situation.”

12 - 15 January 2011 Marrakech, Morocco In terms of the future, Per intends to further develop TUR, to solidify its position as the MATKA most important tourism fair in the Nordic 20 - 23 January 2011 region and to develop more tools for Helsinki, Finland exhibitors and visitors to assist them in creating even more business.

ITF SLOVAKIA TOUR 20 - 23 January 2011 As TUR Is a member of ITTFA, International Bratislava, Slovak Republic Tourism Trade Fairs Association, Per will continue the show’s long standing relationship ALPE-ADRIA TIP and participation with the Association, which 27 - 30 January 2011 he hopes to build on. “I hope to learn a lot Ljubljana, Slovenia from all the members and to hear about their challenges and opportunities in their own mar- SATTE kets. “ We at ITTFA look forward to working 27 - 29 January 2011 with Per and continuing our strong relation- New Delhi India ship with TUR. HOLIDAY WORLD ITTFA is dedicated to the continual develop- 10 - 13 February 2011 ment of the travel trade show industry, Prague, Czech Republic increasing participation and setting high standards worldwide. For details on all our mem- EMITT bers visit www.ittfa.org 10 - 13 February 2011 Istanbul IFT 24 - 27 February 2011 Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro MITT 16 - 19 March 2011 Moscow, Russia UITT 23 - 25 March 2011 Kiev, Ukraine TUR 24 - 27 March 2011 Goteborg, Sweden TOURSIB 14 - 16 April 2011 Novosibirsk, Russia KITF 20 - 22 April 2011 Almaty, Kazakhstan AITF 28 - 30 April 2011 Baku, Azerbaijan

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Congresses & Events: London

Exploring Diabetes Technology ATTD 2011 ATTD 2011 offers a platform for the discussion of the latest technologies in the treatment and prevention of diabetes and related illnesses.

The highly scientific programme is targeted at researchers, clinicians and general practitioners across all fields of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism.

This innovative conference presents the latest developments in new insulin analogues and delivery systems, insulin pumps, invasive and non-invasive glucose sensors, closed-loop systems, devices for diabetic prevention, artificial pancreas, new technologies for treating obesity and related diseases.

Anti-Aging Conference London 2011 The Anti-Ageing Conference London, an A4M supported event, is a truly unique event, combining the intimacy of a small conference with the quality, depth and breadth of speakers that any large conference would be proud to offer.

The scientific and educational conference set in the heart of historic London, provides 16 hours of Category 1 CME credits and 12 hours of CPD credits.

The conference has been specifically designed to provide maximum opportunities for delegates to mix with their peers and the speakers in a relaxed and friendly environment. Speakers will be available for one-to-one discussions with delegates, and there will also be question and answer sessions after lectures with speaker panels on both days.

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2011 SPORTACCORD CONVENTION WILL DEBATE “WHY SPORT MATTERS” LAUSANNE, Switzerland – “Why Sport Matters” will be the conference theme of the ninth annual SportAccord Convention taking place in London next spring. Leaders in business, government and sport from around the world will debate sport’s unique social and economic role during the global summit at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel from April 3-8, 2011.

Conference participants will tackle provocative topics such as “What Sport Can Learn from the Banking Crisis” and “Are Sporting Heroes Dead?” A discussion entitled “In the Hot Seat” will examine preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympic & Paralympic Games in London. Also on the programme will be sessions on “Why Sport Matters to the Entertainment Industry” and Brazil’s new prominence as host nation of both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad. More details about the programme will be announced in coming weeks.

“Our conference will be a dialogue on key trends for global sport and its stakeholders and partners,” said Anna Hellman, Executive Director of the SportAccord Convention. “Our overall theme is ‘Why Sport Matters’ because sport really does matter more and more in so many areas of contemporary life, and its potential to contribute across the board is especially great in major cities such as London.”

Lord Digby Jones, Chairman of SportAccord London 2011, said: “It is such a privilege to be chairing SportAccord London next April. Sport matters. It matters economically, educationally and environmentally, for social inclusion, and entertainment and culture. The UK is THE international home for sporting events so where else for the rest of the world to come and show its wares but London? Next time, if

you are serious about your sport and about your city then there is only one place to be and that’s London. I look forward to welcoming you to a fabulous event in the Olympic City of London.”

Held in a different city every year, the SportAccord Convention features top-level conference sessions and a dynamic exhibition as well as the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport. The Convention attracts over 1,500 leading representatives of international sport. Previous editions of the annual event have been sold out and delegates and press are encouraged to register early on the newly relaunched SportAccord Convention website athttp://www.sportaccordconvention.com 2011 marks the first time the UK has ever hosted the SportAccord Convention and is a key milestone in delivering the UK capital’s long-term aim to position London as the world’s leading city in the business of sport.

With the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games around the corner, the convention is a unique opportunity for the capital and the UK to showcase its expertise and increase its market share in the US$111 billion global sports business industry.

The organisation of the 2011 SportAccord Convention is being co-ordinated by the Events for London team at Visit London and has been heavily supported and funded by a number of the UK’s sporting and business bodies including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, UKSport, the Greater London Authority, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), UK Trade & Investment and the London Development Agency (LDA) and VisitBritain.

For more information on the Convention, visit http://www.sportaccordconvention.com

OLYMPICS BOOST AS VISITBRITAIN REPORT SHOWS 77% OF FOREIGN TOURISTS RETURN TO THE UK Hopes that the Olympics will boost UK tourism grew yesterday as a new report showed overseas visitors are remaining astonishingly loyal to Britain.

More than three-quarters of the 30 million travellers who came here in 2009 were making return trips, according to the exclusive VisitBritain research.

The figures, gathered from interviews with 50,000 overseas tourists as part of the Government’s International Passenger Survey(1) showed that 77 per cent had been to the UK at least once in the previous 10 years – and often many times.

News that such a high proportion had come back raises hopes that people who are inspired to visit Britain for the first time by the 2012 Games -particularly younger visitors from the high growth tourism countries – will also become regular returners.

The research also revealed residents of which countries were most – and least – likely to make a return trip to the UK. For example: • Travellers from the beautiful landlocked Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are the most loyal to Britain – 96% of those that visited the UK last year have dropped in at least once during the previous decade.

• Residents of the Republic of Ireland are second most loyal, on 95%.

• People from the wealthy United Arab Emirates are third, with 92% being regular visitors to the United Kingdom.

• At the other end of the table, the travellers who are least likely to be return visitors are people from Chile and Taiwan only 33% of whom have been here before, and Argentina on 34%.

USA Just over seven out of ten (71%) were repeat visitors in 2009 compared to 68% in 2004 The Gulf Visitors from the Gulf region, consisting of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman are Britain’s highest value customers, the report shows.

Some 91% visitors from the UAE who came for a holiday were repeaters. But the story does not end there – this group visited the UK an average of nine times each in the last ten years, indicating that many visit every year.

Ireland Meanwhile 90% of holiday visitors from the Irish Republic visited the UK an average of eight times each in the past decade.

They spent far less per visit than those from the UAE, about £400 or £3,000 over ten years.

Europe The bulk of holiday makers to Britain come from France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. These nationalities tend to be more balanced between repeat and ‘first-time’ visitors.

For example, 59% of holiday visitors from France and 56% from Germany are repeaters. An average holiday visitor from these markets will typically be on their fourth visit to Britain in the last ten years, spending around £300-£400 each time.

Japan Japanese holiday visitors have a lower repeat rate, but spend around £1,500 per visit. Holiday visitors from Brazil have an even lower repeat rate, and spend around £700 per visit.

However the volume of visits from Brazil has roughly doubled over the last five or six years which suggests the number of repeaters from that country will soon climb.

VisitBritain’s Director of Strategy and Communications, Patricia Yates, said: ‘’Considering the number of worldwide destinations available to overseas travellers, and the fierce competition for overseas visitors, it is very encouraging to know that that 77% of the 30 million overseas tourists who came to the UK last year had already visited in the last ten years and chosen to return to Britain. It is an important sign that Britain is to generate a sustained uplift in tourism after the Olympics.’’

They spend around £1,750 on each visit which means that over a ten year period each ‘customer’ spends over £15,000 in total in the UK.

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Congresses & Events

ICCA Congress: content is king!

Delegate evaluations of the individual education sessions at ICCA’s recent Congress in Hyderabad, India were the highest ever recorded by the association, with 51.3% of the ratings being “excellent” and 40.4% “good”, coming from almost 1,400 individual scores registered using the Spotme networking/feedback device. Every single session had a higher “excellent” score than the sum of “satisfactory” and “below standard” scores.

Earlier in the year, international association meetings industry buyers and suppliers (ICCA members) agreed that apart from networking, the main value proposition for associations is content, especially in the current climate of meeting- and sponsor budgets of international associations being cut and the increasing time pressure on volunteers.

ICCA CEO Martin Sirk said : “Whilst delegates usually have the most vivid memories of the social events and the new business contacts and friends they make at an ICCA event – and both of these were wonderfully positive facets of the Hyderabad Congress – it is the quality of educational content and intellectual stimulation that really determines the success of a meet-

Tallinn to Host 2013 Care Home Directors’ Congress

ing. Our delegates came from almost 60 countries with often wildly different business and learning cultures, for many of them English was their second or third language, and 90% of our content was created especially for this single Congress.

The panels of speakers had typically never worked together before, rehearsal time was extremely limited, and the levels of interactivity we were aiming for meant that there were tremendous levels of uncertainty about how well things would work out! In the event, this was our highest scoring programme ever, so we’re really grateful to the more than 80 speakers and panellists who contributed.”

The 2011 ICCA Congress will be taking place in Leipzig, Germany from 22 to 26 October, and a record attendance is confidently anticipated, not least because of the results from one of the 2010 Congress survey’s questions: “Would you recommend to a friend or colleague to attend next year’s Congress?”: Yes: 97.6%; No: 2.4%.

Seoul Wins Bid to Host Largest Tourism Association

Tallinn has won a bid to host the 13th European Association for Directors of Residential Care Homes for the Elderly (E.D.E.) Congress in 2013.

More than 900 delegates from 18 countries are expected to attend the event, which will take place in September in the Solaris Centre.

The E.D.E. General Board’s choice of Tallinn as their next congress destination was thanks largely to the efforts of the Solaris Centre and Mr. Vambola Sipelgas, Estonia’s representative at the association. Tallinn won the competition securing 13 of the board’s votes, far outpacing rivals Poland and Vancouver, which garnered seven and three votes respectively.

Riine Tiigi, Managing Director of the Estonian Convention Bureau, praised the development as the latest in a string of victories for Tallinn’s conference market.

“I am very pleased that Tallinn has recently won several significant bids and has made such huge strides toward becoming ranked among the world’s bestknown conference cities,” she said. “I am especially proud of the Solaris Centre and their work in winning the bid.”

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SKAL International World Congress to bring thousands of participants in 2012 The city of Seoul was recently selected to host the 73rd SKAL International Congress during SKAL 2010, which took place October 7-13 in Sydney, Australia. SKAL is a professional organization of global tourism leaders and the only one to unite all branches of the travel and tourism industry.

Held annually, SKAL this year welcomed more than 550 participants from over 50 countries during the Sydney event. The selection of the 2012 host city was made during a session of the General Assembly on October 9, with the two competing destinations of Ireland and Korea making a brief presentation prior to the final vote. In the balloting by the 215 delegates present, Korea won by a 138 to 77 margin, marking the first time for Korea to be selected for a full international SKAL congress; a smaller SKAL gathering, the Asia Congress, took place in Incheon in May of 2009.

SKAL International brings together representatives from airlines, cruises, railways, hotels, travel agents, and other tourism-related services. It is the largest association of its kind with 500 branches and 25,000 members representing 125 countries.

SKAL also connects private tourism-related businesses to the UN-affiliated World Tourism Organization, providing members with another network and collaborative framework.

Leisure tourism companies are able to share information so as to promote development and provide more opportunities to make the 2012 World Congress more meaningful.

The association draws its name from the Scandinavian term skal, referring to a toast of friendship and goodwill, and underpinning the spirit in which SKAL seeks to operate.

Mobile World Congress 2011 The mobile ecosystem is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of transformation. As business models adapt, new verticals and players emerge. Technology evolves, perceptions shift, and lives are improved.

At the centre of this transformation is GSMA Mobile World Congress, the must-attend annual gathering of the mobile industry. Our participants - 50,000 senior mobile leaders from 200 countries - enable, accelerate and direct this transformation, leading us into the Mobile Future.

Mobile World Congress 2011 The 2011 Mobile World Congress will be held 14-17 February, in Barcelona, Spain. This year's Congress will include: A world-class thought leadership conference featuring visionary keynotes and action-provoking panel discussions An exhibition with more than 1,300 companies displaying the cutting-edge products and technology that will define the mobile future An even bigger App Planet the new Centre of the Apps Universe An awards programme that highlights the most innovative mobile solutions and initiatives from around the world And most importantly, the planet's best venue for mobile industry networking, finding business opportunities, and making deals If your company wants to be a serious player in the mobile ecosystem, you can't afford to miss the 2011 GSMA Mobile World Congress.

Learn How the World’s Most Innovative Businesses are Driving the Mobile Transformation The Mobile World Congress is the mobile industry’s “must attend” event with more than 49,000 visitors in 2010. An integral part of Congress, the conference agenda will feature speakers representing the leaders of the world’s most innovative companies, both from within our industry and from the growing number of adjacent market sectors joining our expanding mobile ecosystem. In 2011, our conference agenda will showcase dynamic speakers from a broad range of companies, and will feature in-depth sessions covering the industry’s key growth areas.

Other new additions to the 2011 conference programme will include: A new day-long App Planet Forum which will offer dedicated content for mobile application developers Mobile World Live keynotes featuring visionary speakers and streamed live around the globe More than 22 focused breakout sessions, providing essential insights on current and future trends impacting the ever-changing mobile industry Confirmed Keynote Speakers "The 2011 Mobile World Congress features an unparalleled lineup of keynote speakers from companies spanning the full mobile communications ecosystem," said Michael O’Hara, chief marketing officer, GSMA. "Attendees will have access to the individuals and organisations who are leading the mobile transformation, gaining important perspectives and insights on the future of communications."

Recently confirmed Mobile World Congress keynote speakers are: Paul Otellini, President and CEO, Intel Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Stephen Elop, President and CEO, Nokia Ryuji Yamada, President and CEO, NTT DoCoMo Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO, Research In Motion Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO, SoftBank Carol Bartz, CEO, Yahoo!

Previously announced speakers include: Daniel Hajj, CEO, América Móvil and Telcel Randall Stephenson, Chairman, CEO and President, AT&T Li Yue, President and CEO, China Mobile Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google Peter Chou, CEO, HTC Paul Jacobs, Chairman and CEO, Qualcomm Jack Dorsey, CEO, Square Evan Williams, Co-Founder, Twitter Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, Vodafone Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive, WPP Keynote sessions at Mobile World Congress focus on the following topics: "The View from the Top", "The Power of Applications", "The Evolution of the Mobile Internet", and "Connecting the Dots: A 360° View on Consumer Electronics".

In addition to the keynote programme, the conference will include breakout sessions exploring a range of areas such as applications, augmented reality, business strategy, cloud computing, embedded mobile, enterprise mobility, media and entertainment, mHealth, mobile advertising, the mobile Internet, mobile money, network capacity, next-generation technologies and OSS/BSS, among others.

The GSMA also announced that Google will be exhibiting at Mobile World Congress for the first time, and that Qtel is the Congress Party and Awards Celebration Sponsor for Mobile World Congress 2011.

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Congresses & Events

SIBOS financial event at Amsterdam RAI exceeds all expectations Amsterdam, 2 November 2010 - The world’s largest annual international financial conference SIBOS, which was held in Amsterdam RAI for the first time, was a great success. Any doubts that the organisers SWIFT may have had over whether Amsterdam RAI could match the performance of last year’s venue in Hong Kong were quickly dispelled. In fact, SWIFT stated after the event that Amsterdam RAI had raised the bar considerably for upcoming SIBOS events. An important factor in the success of the financial conference was the involvement of the Amsterdam RAI employees.

“I have rarely seen such a level of commitment to the organisation of SIBOS as we experienced from the personnel at the RAI,” says Panos Tzivanidis, head of SIBOS. “Amsterdam RAI employees at all levels were available on the exhibition floor throughout the day and night, were exceptionally proactive in providing information and very hospitable.”

“SIBOS is held in a different country every year, so when we were given the green light to organise the 2010 edition some eight years ago we knew we had to have a meticulous approach,” explains Hans Bakker, Chairman of the Board at Amsterdam RAI. “Our careful preparations have reaped the

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Learn how to optimise your web site for the most efficient crawling and indexing. Use keyword analysis to discover the top converting words and phrases for optimum conversion.

Make link building for super ranking at the major search engines second nature. Tackle local, mobile, video, analytics and social media like a marketing Ninja. In fact, become your own leading search marketing expert.

And while you’re at it, network and mix with your peers and the leading vendors and suppliers in the industry. Programmed by the SES advisory board, you can be assured – SES content really is king!

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rewards. The edition in Amsterdam RAI attracted the highest visitor number ever; a milestone we achieved together with the SIBOS organisers.”

SIBOS SIBOS is an international conference for the financial sector that is organised annually by SWIFT. Over the years, SIBOS has become an authoritative forum where commercial banks, financial service providers and central banks from around the world meet and discuss current developments, for instance in the field of money transfer. As a result SIBOS also offers central banks an excellent platform for announcing new decisions or initiatives.

SWIFT SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is mainly known for processing millions of international payments via its global network of over 9,000 banks, investment funds and multinationals.

Seville Conference and Exhibition Centre, FIBES, has been chosen to hold the SEORL-PCF The Conference will be attended by 1,500 – 1,700 specialists and 50 companies who will delighted by FIBES new facilities and services Seville Conference and Exhibition Centre, FIBES, was chosen on November 8th to hold the 65th edition of the SEORL-PCF (Spanish Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-Face Pathology) National Conference in 2014.

The awarding of the host venue for the event took place in Valencia during the activities of the 61st edition of the SEORL-PCF Conference where FIBES was also present giving support to the advisor-doctor and leader of Seville candidature, Dr. Serafín Sánchez, Head of the Otorhinolaryngology Department at Virgen Macarena University Hospital in Seville and a member of SORLA (Andalusian Society of Otorhinolaringology and Head-Face Pathology) representing Seville.

Information was also given about the Seville candidature as the vote favouring this candidature was promoted amongst the SEORL-PCF members. This support has even been enhanced by Seville Convention Bureau’s participation as it was present on the main days of the event.

The National SEORL-PCF Conference is held yearly, Madrid being the host every other year, alternatively with another city which is voted by members.

This important Conference will be welcome by FIBES new facilities as well as its new, modern auditorium. It will be attended by 1,500 to 1,700 otorhinolaryngology specialists and there will be a large exhibition area; it is worth pointing out the expected participation of 50 companies, which gives evidence of the importance and scope of this event.

Gaining SEORL-PFC National Conference has been possible after all the actions carried out by Seville Conference and Exhibition Centre which got its rewards with the designation to hold the Conference in 2014.

Besides, FIBES has started a new way by setting in motion the enlargement of its facilities, a space which will offer all the requirements to meet SEORL-PCF’s demands so that the 2014 National Conference will be a complete success.

Congresses & Events

AIME 2011 Welcome Reception marks another world-first 15 November 2010: The Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) 2011 Welcome Reception marks another worldfirst for the Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB).

MCVB has become the first Convention and Visitors Bureau in the world to use ‘augmented reality’ for an industry invitation.

The invitation uses virtual computer-generated imagery to create a 3D visual effect which sees Melbourne icons and landscapes appear to lift from the computer screen in 3D animation.

According to Ms Sandra Chipchase, CEO of MCVB, which runs the AIME Welcome Reception event, the invitation is one of many Australian-first innovations for the Bureau and for AIME. “Bringing Melbourne to life through this amazing augmented reality 3D imagery invite is another way to draw people from around the world to AIME and the highly-anticipated Welcome Reception, which is a must-attend event on the annual Business Events calendar.

“MCVB is consistently leading the industry in world-firsts and firsts for Australia, from using innovative ways to offset carbon emissions, through to the launch of our world-first online delegate boosting tool. We are delighted to add this world-first to our achievements,” Ms Chipchase said.

Ms Chipchase said another draw-card for the event is its

The International UFO Congress The IUFOC was established in 1991 and hosts an annual conference on UFOs and related phenomena. The Conference was held in Laughlin, NV until 2011 when it moved to the Phoenix, Arizona area.

The conference boasts more than 20 speakers and a plethora of exhibitors from around the globe, and covers a large variety of topics related to the UFO phenomenon including technology, government cover-ups, exopolitics, black projects, crop circles, alien visitation and more. Panels of astrophysicists, nuclear physicists, abductees, and former topsecret-clearance military personnel make up just a portion of highly decorated and influential speakers.

The 20th Annual International UFO Congress, hosted by Open Minds Production, will be held at theFort McDowell Resort & Casino in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mark your calendars for February 23 -27, 2011, its an event you don’t want to miss

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unique location.

“Melbourne’s avant-garde seaside suburb, St Kilda, will be on show during AIME 2011, with the St Kilda Sea Baths chosen as the location of the AIME Welcome Reception.

“The use of the St Kilda Sea Baths for a major event marks another first for Melbourne and will see the Sea Baths complex transform into a series of spaces which take advantage of the unique location.

“With a history dating back to the middle of the 19th Century, today the Sea Baths are home to popular restaurants, spa and wellness centres and the indoor Sea Baths.

“The Sea Baths complex will be used to create a mix of distinct spaces, each set around the oceania and spa theme to take full advantage of the stunning location.

“Last year, the AIME Welcome Reception attracted 2,200 people from 50 countries, and this year promises to be the best event yet,” Ms Chipchase said.

The creative concept, staging and design for the AIME 2011 Welcome Reception has been organised with the assistance of key event sponsors, Atlantic Group [v] and Solution RED. Up to 2,500 people are expected to attend the AIME 2011 Welcome Reception at The St Kilda Sea Baths from 6pm – 9pm on Monday 14 February, 2011. Tickets for the Welcome Reception can now be booked online at: www.aime.com.au.

VANCOUVER TOPS FOR MEDICAL CONFERENCES

As a world-class meetings destination, Vancouver has played host to many significant medical conferences in the past. In the last month alone three major conferences chose Vancouver to host their annual meetings: College Of Family Physicians Of Canada Family Medicine Forum October 14-16, 2010 Attendance 3,000 www.cfpc.ca Infectious Diseases Society of America Annual Meeting October 19-24, 2010 Attendance 5,600 www.idsociety.org American College of Chest Physicians Annual Scientific Assembly & Exhibition October 31-November 4 Attendance 6,000 www.chestnet.org

Read what Dave Larsen, Assistant VP, Meetings & Exhibits of the American College of Chest Phyisicians had to say about their experience in Vancouver: Chest 2010 was a great success! Feedback from our convention attendees and exhibitors has been terrific.

They commented on what a beautiful destination Vancouver is and they love the new convention centre, the hotel package, and all of the amenities the city has to offer! Personally, Vancouver has always been my favorite city in North America. Plus, Tourism Vancouver, the Vancouver Convention Centre, and the hotels have all been great to work with.

IMEX America leads the way with ‘edutainment’ New Vision program that’s entirely free of charge A rich and varied program of professional education, sustainability initiatives, new technology projects and personal development opportunities will be made available free of charge at the inaugural IMEX America exhibition when it opens on October 11 next year in Las Vegas.

The new trade show will offer this series of ‘added value’ projects and programs under the campaigning title of ‘New Vision’ – a name that captures the spirit of IMEX America and its commitment to stimulating debate, change and innovative developments within the international meetings industry.

The credibility and appeal of the New Vision concept has already been proven at the IMEX Group’s award-winning show in Frankfurt where more than 14 initiatives have been running to widespread industry acclaim for the past eight years.

Watch IMEX America TV interviewing Chairman, Ray Bloom on New Vision As part of its mandate on green meetings education, the IMEX America New Vision program will include a Sustainability Center. Experts at the center will deliver short, free, green education drop-in workshops plus background information, case studies and the latest guidance for meeting planners and buyers who want to improve their environmental awareness and green meetings planning expertize. The Sustainability Center will be ‘powered by’ the Green Meeting Industry Council.

The new show will also provide a dedicated showcase for leading-edge meetings, incentive travel and events industry technologies. The Techno-How Zone will offer a public platform to three hand-picked, pioneering technology companies to demonstrate their products and services to attendees. There will also be a separate Gadget Bar where attendees can get their hands on some of the latest devices on the market. IMEX America is inviting technology companies to apply for a winning place in the Techno-How Zone. All three booth spaces will be offered free of charge to technology firms who can exhibit the ability to meet demand and bring fresh thinking and clear innovation to the worldwide meetings and events market. Application forms to win a place can be downloaded from http://www.imexamerica.com/techno-how.html Campfire hot topics Another part of the show floor at the Venetian/Palazzo’s Sands Expo will be dedicated to a Learning Curve Zone. This educational drop-in area will offer free 30 minute workshops from a series of industry experts plus coaching as well as personal development tips, career and professional certification advice.

‘Campfire’ sessions will also be available on topics such as resumé writing, presentation skills and cross cultural education.

John Nawn, founder of the Perfect Meeting, will run campfires dedicated to managing and maximizing social media opportunities.

In addition, as part of IMEX America’s core education program, major education provider and strategic partner, MPI (Meeting Professionals International) will be building its well-known MeetDifferent education into the show. Attendees will have 15 different creative programs to choose from.

meetings to their respective boards. Meetings industry veteran and consultant, Terri Breining, will facilitate the program.

Further important New Vision initiatives will include a continuation of the successful IMEX-MPI Future Leaders Forum, which will see up to 100 aspiring young meetings industry professionals attending the show for dedicated education, experience and networking.

The IMEX America Wild Card program will also provide hosted buyers and attendees with the chance to meet and do business with two previously unknown destinations or convention centers. Each of the Wild Card winners will have to prove their capacity to manage meetings, incentive travel and events industry business, but to qualify for their free booth space, they must not have exhibited at a major industry trade show before.

Application forms for IMEX America Wild Card places can be downloaded at http://www.imexamerica.com/wildcardamericas.html Talking about the exceptional array of innovative activity and educational choice on offer at IMEX America, IMEX Group Chairman, Ray Bloom, explains: “It has always been the IMEX way to push the boundaries of what’s expected from a trade show. To that end, IMEX America will be much more than an exhibition where top-level buyers and exhibitors can concentrate on doing a year’s worth of business in just a few days. We understand that busy professionals demand more in the 21st century. They also want high quality networking, big name speakers, practical, relevant and up-to-the-minute education – all in a format and at a time that works around their business appointments. Our ambition is to send every single IMEX America participant home absolutely buzzing about how much they managed to achieve in just three days at the show.”

The IMEX Group also intends to extend its Meetings for Success initiative to IMEX America. Meetings for Success targets the educational and professional networking needs of corporate meeting planners in particular. In Las Vegas it will bring together a group of top corporate meeting executives for an exclusive Forum to discuss how they and the industry can work together more effectively to communicate the true and full value of Xenios

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Inaugural IMEX Challenge in Poland hailed a “huge success” 22 professionals within the international meetings industry came together to complete the first ever IMEX Challenge in Poland in September. The group of industry volunteers declared the threeday experience building a new playground and landscaped garden for a foster family in Poland a “huge and exhilarating success.”

This was the first ever IMEX Challenge which is a new initiative from leading meetings industry, incentive travel and events exhibition, IMEX in Frankfurt, designed to promote the power of corporate social responsibility programmes through practical action.

Organised by Jon Bradshaw, business development director for the IMEX Group, the first Challenge took place with the generous support of The Convention Bureau of Poland, the Polish Tourist Organisation, Meeting Designers, children’s foster charity – Our Home, the Warsaw Convention Bureau and Radisson Blu Hotel Krakow.

Explaining the background to the project, Bradshaw says: “For a while we had been eager to set up a charitable project that could allow meetings professionals to offer something to deprived areas and special causes that would directly benefit a host community. When we learned that a Polish foster family had applied for a grant to create an outside play area for the thirteen children they looked after, it seemed like the perfect time to push ahead and make something happen.”

With the full backing of IMEX, Jon set about recruiting industry professionals willing to offer their time and efforts over the three day project and was delighted to receive offers of help from 10 meetings industry professionals from as far afield as Dubai, America, Germany, Ireland, Iceland and the UK. IMEX also sponsored two members of its own staff to volunteer, in addition to Bradshaw. Each volunteer was asked to donate 2,750 EUR to secure their place on the project, none of which was spent on accommodation, food or drink. Under the terms of the Challenge these costs were covered by local supporting partners. This generated a total of 27,500 EUR which includes an ongoing legacy for the upkeep of the playground plus further funds for the children’s special education.

On arriving in Warsaw, the volunteers were greeted by the foster family and each volunteer was given a personalised greetings card made for them by one of the children. The family was then taken on its first ever holiday to Krakow for a few days – the first time that many of the children had ever been on a train.

Their accommodation was provided courtesy of the Radisson Blu Hotel.

The industrious team of 22 volunteers, which included local members of the Challenge organising committee and the Our Home charity, then set to work. They devoted 325 hours of manual labour over the next three days, digging and moving two tonnes of soil, five tonnes of sand and two tonnes of woodchip by hand to create a play area “fit for young Kings and Queens.”

Thanks to the volunteers’ hard work, the new playground and garden now has its own summer house, play-ship, rock garden plus a commemorative plaque bearing the names of the volunteers who made the IMEX Challenge in Poland happen. The area has also been planted with a variety of new plants and flowers.

“The response we got from the children on discovering their new garden was extremely touching and, as with all the other volunteers, I know the memories and feel-good factor will stay with me forever. What better way to open the garden than to spend the afternoon playing with the children in their new wonderland before the father and one of the daughters led us in a sing-song with a mix of Polish and English songs. A great cause, a great group of people and a great experience never to be forgotten.” said Bradshaw.

Krzysztof Celuch, Manager of Convention Bureau of Poland, said: “This was a really important event to show that CSR activities can be organised well in Poland, and through its meetings and events community. It was a pleasure to help local people and the added value of helping children was just precious.”

Ideas and suggestions for good causes worthy of the next IMEX Challenge in 2012 are being invited. Email jon.bradshaw@imexexhibitions.com For more information, visit: http://www.imex-frankfurt.com/imexchallenge.html

Special pricing for IMEX America now available at Venetian/Palazzo IMEX America has announced that specially priced rooms are now available for booking at their Headquarters Hotels in Las Vegas, the Venetian/Palazzo. Special rates apply for both attendees and exhibitors who plan to be at the new trade show for the global meetings, incentive travel and events industry when it launches in Las Vegas October 11-13 next year.

The IMEX Group has agreed significant earlybird discounts with the Venetian/Palazzo to give the show’s attendees and 44

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exhibitors a strong incentive to stay over in the city and to book their accommodation well in advance. Buyer attendees can take advantage of rates of just $129 per night, and for suppliers the early bird rates begin at $189 plus resort fee.

Room bookings are available online via the ‘Register interest’ link on the IMEX America website: http://www.imexamerica.com/users_prereg_interest.p hp The trade show’s unique business model ensures that a series of high level educational events and association conferences are scheduled to take place in Las Vegas both before and after the show. The result will be more than 40 meetings industry events across five days including the Site Annual Conference, Site Nite North America, IMEX America Association Day presented by ASAE and IAEE’s CEM certification program. In addition, PCMA will be co-locating their International Summit alongside the new show.