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WYSTC presents a full seminar and keynote speaker programme. Topics range from industry and sector specific concerns to tools of the trade educational programmes and discussions. Delivered by leading industry experts and invited guests, seminar day at WYSTC has become an important motivator and resource for the youth, student and educational travel community.
Innovation in focus @ WYSTC 2009
In 2009, WYSTC targeted innovation as its conference theme. Seminars, speakers and key stakeholders from in and outside the industry demonstrated how the most innovative and effective tactics could help you thrive in today's turbulent times.
Videos and PDF presentations are available from the 2009 seminar programme for select sessions. Please note the video or PDF icon next to the seminar listing, when applicable.
WYSTC 2009 Seminar Programme
| Tuesday 22. September 2009 |
Fast Forward 2010: Innovating
for Tomorrow’s Opportunities
Starts: 15.00 Tuesday, 22 September 2009
The Palace Hotel
WYSE Travel Confederation will open WYSTC 2009 with a call for the industry to put innovation at the heart of business in 2010 and beyond.
A distinguished panel of business experts from our community of leading youth, student and educational travel organisations is joined by renowned futurist and sector trend watcher, Rohit Talwar in a look at the challenges and opportunities facing tomorrow’s industry:
Participating Panel:
Santuza Bicalho, Managing Director, STB Brazil
Mikael Hansson, CEO, Hostelling International
Mark Harris, President and CEO, ELS Language Centres
Peter Liney, CEO, STA Travel Group
Steve Trooboff, President & CEO, CIEE
Rohit Talwar, Chief Executive, Fast Future - moderator
Santuza Bicalho, Managing Director, STB Brazil
Santuza Bicalho is Managing Director of STB Student Travel Bureau, Brazil’s leading youth and student travel company. Joining STB in 1995, over the past 14 years Santuza has managed a variety of divisions for the organisation. In 2006, she was appointed its Managing Director, currently leading a network of 60 sales offices in Brazil, 2 STB international offices (Australia and New Zealand), a call/web centre and the company's head office based in São Paulo. Aside from her work with STB, Santuza has also served on the executive boards of numerous international organisations including ALTO, FIYTO, and WYSETC.
Mark Harris, President and CEO, ELS Language Centres
Mark W. Harris has been involved in international education for more than three decades. He joined Berlitz International in 1978 and has remained with the organisation ever since. During this time, he established Berlitz Study Abroad (Japan) and was the only non-Japanese founder of the Japan Association of Overseas Study Agencies (JAOS). Returning to the USA, Mr. Harris served as Managing Director for Berlitz On Campus where he led the acquisition team to acquire ELS Educational Services. As President and C.E.O., he merged Berlitz On-Campus and ELS into one organisation. ELS now operates 83 (50 U.S., 33 International) language centres in 13 countries around the world. Mr. Harris in addition, also serves as Chief Operating Officer of the Europe/Middle East Region for Berlitz International, Inc, which operates 185 training centres in 42 different countries.
Mikael Hansson, CEO, Hostelling International
Mikael Hansson is the Chief Executive for Hostelling International. He joined Hostelling International in 2007, serving previously for 4 years as Chief Executive for the Swedish Tourist Association. He has over 20 years experience working within the Travel & Tourism Industry and whilst his academic qualification was in Finance he has mostly held positions within Sales, Marketing and International Account Management. With a passion for travel, he enjoys all the opportunities and experiences which Hostelling International presents and is proud that HI hostels are a worldwide recognized and recommend brand.
Peter Liney, CEO, STA Travel
After a few false starts, Peter Liney began his career with British Airways, holding a number of senior roles in commercial and marketing for the airline. In 1999, Peter left BA to become CEO of Travelbag a specialist long haul tour operator with a focus on the Australian market place. Five years later, he led the sale of the business to eBookers and joined their board as its Commercial Director. Peter started with STA Travel in 2004 as Chief Operating Officer. He was promoted to CEO in July 2007. Peter holds a Masters in Geography and International Relations from St Andrews University.
Dr Stevan Trooboff, President and Chief Executive Officer, CIEE
Stevan Trooboff is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council on International Educational Exchange. Prior to joining CIEE, Dr. Trooboff was the founder and President of Corporate Services International (CSI) - one of the largest value added services organisations in the business travel market. Dr. Trooboff has been involved in the Harvard Business School International Teachers Program in France and Switzerland and served as Professor of Management and Chair of the Department of Management at the Suffolk University School of Management. He is the author of a travel services textbook, numerous trade press articles, and he has written extensive educational materials for general management and sales development. Dr. Trooboff holds a Master’s and Doctorate in Business Administration from Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar and George F. Baker Foundation scholarship award winner. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Alliance for International Educational Exchange and is presently finishing a term on the Board of CSIET, the Council for Standards in International Educational Travel.
Rohit Talwar, Chief Executive, Fast Future (session moderator)
Rohit is a global futurist who works with leaders in government, business and associations around the world to help them anticipate, understand and respond to the forces and patterns of change shaping our world. He has a particular interest in the future of travel and events. Rohit is an award winning speaker, and was profiled by the Independent newspaper as one of the ten leading global future thinkers. He is the author of the highly acclaimed book - Designing Your Future - Key Trends, Challenges and Choices. This has been described as a leading reference on developing future strategy and a handbook for surviving the downturn.
2009 Keynote Address - Lee Crockett
Lee Crockett is an award-winning designer, marketing consultant, instructor, entrepreneur, artist, musician,
and writer. An avid proponent of innovation, Lee is constantly adapting to the new programs, languages and technologies associated with today's ever-changing communications and marketing media. Lee will lead off this year’s seminar programme by targeting innovation.
It is said that crisis is the mother of invention. If so, this past economic year more than any in recent history has created the absolute need for innovative thinking and action.
Join Lee in a highly charged look at what innovation can mean to your business and your life. Discover how you can take advantage of innovative ideas and approaches to not only advance your organisation but yourself and your world as well.
Lee Crockett's keynote address will be followed by the Welcome Reception hosted by Northwest Regional Development Agency and Visit Manchester. The reception will take place at Manchester Town Hall with Manchester City Council Leader, Sir Richard Leese delivering the welcome address
| Wednesday 23. September 2009 |
Creating Extraordinary Experiences
9.00 - 10.00 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Exchange Auditorium
Speakers:
Alex Poots, Festival Director, Manchester International Festival
Steve Smith, Founder, Ear to the Ground
Steve Lowy, Founder, umi Hotels - moderator
What is it that creates memorable experiences and how do these enhance our understanding of a destination and build the identity of a city region? Leading cultural programmer Alex Poots and Steve Smith, brand experience specialist, have helped keep Manchester right at the heart of global youth culture, through cutting edge collaborations, combining old and new, art and commerce. In this session
discover how they' have developed innovative partnerships and savvy collaborations keep the experience of a place dynamic, directional and entertaining to young people - and how you can apply these processes to your business.
Alex Poots, Festival Director, Manchester International Festival
Alex is the Director of the Manchester International Festival, the world’s first and only festival for original, new work. Under his leadership, the festival has premiered groundbreaking works, including Rufus Wainwright’s opera Prima Donna and the landmark 4-hour performance art experience Marina Abramovic Presents. His fierce commitment to presenting ambitious, innovative new work from a wide range of the world’s leading artists has been instrumental in establishing Manchester as a global beacon for the creative arts.
Steve Smith, Founder, Ear to the Ground
Steve Smith is the founder of events and live communications agency Ear to the Ground. He was originally a successful band manager, label boss and bar owner who always used events as the central method of promoting his activities. He soon realised that designing and delivering live experiences was far more rewarding for organisations that had something bigger to communicate than just the event. Six years later he still runs Ear to the Ground and works across a range of sectors from lifestyle brands to local authorities advising organisations on how best they can connect with their audiences.‘ The company can count The Launch of Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture, MySpace School Invasion and the recent global Umbro partnership with Manchester City as some of their most exciting live projects.
Steve Lowy, Founder, umi Hotels (session moderator)
Steve Lowy, 28 is the founder of Umi hotels and a director of British Education Travel Association (BETA). Having grown up in the travel industry (his father Peter founded Anglo American and the Vienna Group), and having found inspiration from backpacking around Asia, Australisia, the States as well as inter-railing around Europe, Steve embarked on creating the umi Hotel brand. Umi aims to bridge the gap between the great environment and fun of backpackers hostels, and the luxuries of a hotel. Working with young people is an important part of umi’s ethos, whether they be as guests or one of the many interns that have worked at umi. With two hotels already, in London and Brighton, and with new projects in the pipeline, umi’s has built real brand awareness through brand loyalty.Steve studied Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Salford, who have provided some the student volunteers working at WYSTC this year, and has kept very close links with not only Salford, but other Hospitality and Tourism educational institutes across Europe.
Web and Mobile Technology
Communicating with the Digital Generation
10.00 - 11.00 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Exchange Auditorium
SEE VIDEO
Speaker:
Lee Crockett, Info Savvy Group
Open your eyes - change is happening now. Dynamic, exponential, undeniable change. Change in the way we live, the way we learn, and the way we perceive our world. What is the effect of digital bombardment and constant exposure to digital media on young people and what strategies can we use to appeal to the learning preferences and communication needs of a digital generation. Technology is moving forward at an astonishing rate, overwhelming masses of information are available in the blink of an eye, and many of us are unable to comprehend where it all may lead. But the ones who can, hold the key to both understanding our present and shaping our future. They are the ones who are living on the future edge.
Lee Crockett, Info Savvy Group
Lee Crockett is an award-winning designer, marketing consultant, instructor, entrepreneur, artist, musician, and writer. Lee is also the co-publisher of an on-line electronic newsletter, the Committed Sardine Blog, which is electronically distributed to more 100,000 reader in 60 plus countries. He is currently working on 3 books - Living on the Future Edge, Understanding Digital Kids and a series on Literacy Isn't Enough: Digital Fluency for 21st Century Learners.
Lee is a "just in time leaner" first and foremost, constantly adapting to the new programs, languages and technologies associated with today's communications and marketing media.
Responsible Travel
Making a Big Impact on Your Business Through Low Impact Travel
11.30 - 12.30 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Exchange Auditorium
SEE VIDEO
Speakers:
Lelei LeLaulu, Global Development Entrepreneur
John Warner, Managing Director, Gap Adventures EMEA
Katharina Behrendt, Product Development, Atmosfair
View the presentaion slides (John Warner)
Young travellers as a rule, travel responsibly. They interact more with local peoples, spend more directly within the local community and have less impact on their surrounding and environment. Because of this, the youth sector is uniquely positioned to take the lead in driving responsible and sustainable travel.
So why then do organisations that provide these experiences hesitate in adapting a responsible travel business model or making it central to their CSR? Most believe it to be too costly and complicated to implement. Innovative providers know otherwise.
Join LeLei LeLaulu, John Warner and Katharina Behrendts in a look at the opportunities responsible travel opens up for your organisation. Through real examples and case studies, you will discover how your business can put this ethos practically at the heart of your business operations. You’ll learn what kinds of renewable and efficient energy projects in developing markets are being identified and supported by non-profits, and how companies can make offsetting schemes an integral part of your own CSR efforts.
Discover why responsible is not just a good idea for the world but a great idea for your business too.
Lelei LeLaulu, Global Development Entrepreneur
Lelei LeLaulu is a global development entrepreneur, focussing primarily on climate change, sustainable tourism, food security, civil society and renewable energy. He is president of Sustainable Solutions in the Dominican Republic as well as overseeing several other organisations including: Innovations for Sustainable Development Centre; the Island Nations Climate and Oceans Program; the Oceania Sustainable Tourism Alliance: the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific; Innovations for Sustainable Development; Sensible Development Corps; Community Benefit Development and Counterpart International. Born in Samoa, Lelei serves additionally on the advisory bodies of many leading international organisations including: the George Washington University Business School; African Travel Association; East Timor Development and Reconstruction Organisation, and the World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development in Brazil.
John Warner, Managing Director, Gap Adventures EMEA
John heads-up Gap Adventure's presence in the UK, Europe and Middle East being responsible for all company commercial, marketing and operational activities within these regions as well as being principle spokesperson for Gap Adventures.
After teaching, John departed the UK on a four-year odyssey of teaching, volunteering and working on four continents. Returning to pursue a career in travel, which has included: seven years with Trailfinders as Sales Manager of their flagship store in Kensington, setting-up an online travel portal for Thomson as travelchest.com's General Manager, before joining Leonardo Media. Briefly enticed out of the travel sphere, John was tasked with creation and roll out of a new brand for online music memorabilia specialist: Esprit International as their Director of Sales & Marketing. The pull of travel was too strong and John joined G.A.P Adventures as Director of Sales & Marketing for the UK & Europe in September 2007 before being made MD at the end of 2008.
Katharina Behrendt, Product Development, Atmosfair
Katharina completed her studies in March 2008 with a degree in Tourism and Business Administration at the Fachhochschule Worms (Germany), University of Applied Sciences. She gained work experience at a leading German Airline and at small sustainable tour operator in Germany. The knowledge she has acquired through her diploma thesis on climate change and tourism allowed her the entrance to Atmosfair in July 2008, being in charge of the tourism sector. Working together with the tourism industry, implementing appropriate instruments to enhance sustainable tourism, by supporting emission saving projects in developing countries, is her main challenge.
Making Currency Work for You
11.30 - 12.30 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Charter 2 room
Speaker:
Ben Moss, Barclays Capital’s Risk Solutions Group
Ben Moss from Barclays Capital’s Risk Solutions Group will help you discover how to maximise profit and minimise risk in today’s global economy by taking advantage of foreign exchange and interest rate hedging. Gain a keener understanding of international currency management as a tool for generating additional revenue.
Ben Moss, Barclays Capital’s Risk Solutions Group
Ben Moss works in Barclays Capital’s Risk Solutions Group based in London. He provides foreign exchange and interest rate hedging solutions for UK companies, focusing primarily on clients in the TMT (Telecommunications, Media and Technology) sectors. After working first as a commercial lawyer, he completed an MBA at INSEAD joining Barcap in 2008. He is a lover of travel, having backpacked in Africa, South America and around much of Europe and Asia and has lived briefly in France, Poland and Singapore.
Crisis Management: Preparing for Today’s and Tomorrow’s Risks
11.30 - 12.30 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Charter 3 room
Speaker:
Colin McGregor, Managing Director, tranquilico.com
View the presentaion slides (videos not embeded to reduce size)
This high impact seminar will show delegates the importance of crisis management planning and the need for an effective crisis response. How your organization effectively deals with a single unpredictable event can have long and ever-lasting influence on your business. With case studies, good practice guidance and plenty of tips and hints it’s a session not to be missed.
Colin McGregor, Managing Director, tranquilico.com
Colin McGregor is Managing Director of tranquilico.com, a specialist consultancy delivering health, safety and crisis management services primarily to the travel and leisure sectors. He has worked for more than 26 years in travel for several major tour operators in the United Kingdom, primarily dealing with Health & Safety and Crisis Management issues affecting these businesses. He was Director of Quality, Health & Safety for the Thomas Cook Group following its merger with MyTravel and has been the Head of UK Customer Operations at TUI as well. Colin is a board member of the Federation of Tour operators and chaired its Health & Safety and FTO Responsible Tourism Committees for a number of years. He is a much sought after speaker on crisis management and health & safety for major international conferences and seminars.
UK & US Policy and Trends on International Exchanges for the Future
14.00 - 15.00 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Exchange Auditorium
Speakers:
Stanley Colvin, USA Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Private Sector Exchange
Nigel Farminer, Deputy Director Immigration Policy, UK Border Agency
Michael McCarry, Executive Director, Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange
View the presentaion slides (Nigel Faminer)
The U.S. and U.K. remain among the world’s most popular exchange and student travel destinations. The arrival of the Obama Administration has brought buoyant language about international engagement and student exchange, at a time when the U.S. government is increasingly focused on regulatory compliance. The U.K. has recently completed the roll-out of the new Points Based System for immigration which provides a more clear and transparent framework for the admission of migrants to the U.K. for work and study.
In a session designed to illuminate both policy thinking and regulatory practice, senior officials from the U.S. and the U.K. will provide snapshots of their governments’ current approaches to exchanges, and also discuss likely future trends.
The U.S. will be represented by Stanley Colvin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Private Sector Exchanges. Mr. Colvin has charge of the State Department’s regulatory and compliance oversight of exchanges.
From the U.K., Nigel Farminer, Deputy Director of Immigration Policy at the U.K. Border Agency. Mr. Farminer heads up the Temporary Migration Team and is responsible for the development of policy linked to the Points Based System, as well as visitor routes to the UK.
The session will be moderated by Michael McCarry of the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange, a leading nongovernmental player on U.S. exchange policy.
Stanley S. Colvin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Private Sector Exchange
Stanley S. Colvin is Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Private Sector Exchange, a position he has held since June 2008. Prior to his most recent appointment, he held a series of senior leadership positions in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, including most recently, as Director of the Office of Exchange Coordination and Designation overseeing the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. Mr. Colvin, an attorney, is one of the Department’s top experts on regulatory law as applied to international educational exchange. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and B.Sc. and J.D. degrees from the University of Louisville.
Nigel Farminer, Deputy Director Immigration Policy, UK Border Agency
Nigel joined the Immigration Service (now UK Border Agency) as an Immigration Officer following a Short Service Commission in the British Army. After a number of years working on the entry control at Dover he moved into enforcement and worked in this area for approx 15 years. This period included responsibility for establishing the first immigration arrest teams and overseeing their national expansion. A move into the policy arena followed, initially with responsibility for the development of illegal working policy and subsequently as Head of Temporary Migration Policy.
Michael McCarry, Executive Director, Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange
Michael McCarry joined the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange as its Executive Director in October 1994. Prior to joining the Alliance, he spent 18 years with the U.S. Information Agency as a Foreign Service Officer. He served as U.S. Cultural Attaché in Beijing in the years immediately following the Tiananmen Square events of 1989, and in Thailand in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and Thai. He also served in Washington as staff director in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and as chief of Advising and Student Services. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, McCarry worked as a congressional aide and as a journalist. He received an M.A. from the University of Texas (Austin), a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, and studied at Melbourne University in Australia as a Rotary Graduate Fellow.
Broad Business Indices for Survival and Success
Brought to you by ALTO
14.00 - 15.00 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Charter 2 room
SEE VIDEO
Speaker:
Gary Jackson, Senior Partner, ABG
All businesses need cash to survive, but how do you manage it and what do you do if you need additional funds in order to put your long term business objectives into place.
Gary Jackson from ABG (Arram Berlyn Gardner) will help you determine how strong your organisation’s financial structure truly is. He’ll highlight what KPI’s you need to be paying attention to diagnose your company's financial health and the types of tools and planning you need to develop your business’ prosperity.
A good business knows what is needed to break even, knows what each sale above this point means to their bottom line and when they will need to introduce more recourses. Gary Jackson will talk you through the “why and when” to take these steps, providing you with indispensable tips to take away and apply to your own business.
Gary Jackson, Senior Partner, ABG
Gary Jackson, Arram Berlyn Gardner Business Advisors - Gary Jackson is the Senior Partner of ABG. He acts for a diverse range of mainly entrepreneurial clients providing a mixture of financial, commercial and tax advice. Client's in his portfolio are from a wide range of industry sectors, which includes- Property, Travel, Not for profit organisations, Whole sale and distribution, TV and Film production.
Gary has been involved with a large number of sales and purchases of businesses as well as reorganisations and reconstructions. He also advises on the establishment and suitability of captive and protected cell captive insurance arrangements.
Gary's forte is in devising client specific commercial and tax mitigating business structures for his entrepreneurial clients.
Co-Creation
Shaping How You Sell Your Product
14.00 - 15.00 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Charter 4 room
SEE VIDEO
Speakers:
Jason Fulton, Former Consumer Trend Manager EMEA at NIKE
Steve Lee, Senior Service Designer, Prospect
View the presentaion slides (Steve Lee)
Co creation is nothing new. Customers have been engaging with the manufacturers for years: individualising their purchases, or as it used to be called, customising the product to make it their own.
Social media has taken this interaction a step further by making it now possible for consumers to play a role in shaping the actual product marketing. Today, consumers are co-creating the selling or branding of a product. Viral campaigns help to spread the word and encourage the sharing of co-created experiences and/or motivate the user to create new ones.
Steve Lee, a senior service designer with Prospect, will demonstrate how co-creation campaigns are used to strengthen and build consumer brands as well as public sector projects. He’ll show you how well crafted multimedia campaigns and co created projects not only help improve your company’s brand but your customers' lives as well.
Jason Fulton, Former Consumer Trend Manager EMEA at NIKE
Jason Fulton ‘s path into consumer research, brand marketing and strategy has taken some unusual and unexpected routes and unplanned hikes. After graduating from Kingston University in Furniture and Industrial Design, his journey has encompassed working for brands: For French Connection in retail, Diesel UK for 5 years in marketing and sales and for the last 9 years at Nike. His Nike excursion has included stints as an product and influencer marketer in London, a Footwear Product Manager in Nike’s European Headquarters and before he left the company, the Consumer Cultures and Innovation Manager for Europe the Middle East and Africa. In his time at Nike, he has helped to uncover and utilise consumer insights; those ‘aha’ moments that can ignite a change in direction, into strategic approaches for the Nike Football, Women’s Basketball and Sportswear categories, amongst others.
His latest adventure has been to start his own consumer research and ideation facilitation company, This Memento, to enable brands and companies to mine for insights that will energise them and the empowered consumer.
Steve Lee, Senior Service Designer, Prospect
Steve Lee - Steve is a senior service designer who has just joined Prospect from Engine. There, he worked on public and private sector projects including OurNewSchool for DOTT 07, BAA, Samsung, ANA, the BBC and Southwark Council. In his new role, his first responsibility will be to expand Prospect’s consultancy and design offer in the travel sector.
Prior to Engine, he worked at the Design Council, on the Technology campaign and RED - the Design Council's public services innovation unit. Steve studied Design at Goldsmiths University, a course prioritising processes and methodologies. Steve believes that a quality co-creative process should be the heart of every design project.
Steve has wide-ranging design skills and has worked in digital multimedia for clients such as Jaguar and Mazda at Imagination, designed a communications campaign for the British Council and UN, has exhibited furniture and films and also worked as a designer for Endemol. Steve is passionate about the power of design to improve people’s lives in the public realm.
IASIS AGM & Seminar:
Technology, Diplomacy and Medicine: Working with Insurers for Youth Safety
15.15 - 16.45 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Charter 4 room
Speakers:
Dr Joseph W. Babicki
Alice Draper, Foreign & Commonwealth Office
John Flemming, Director, Compass Benefits Group
Rob Malcolm, Vice President,Carrier Relations – mBlox inc.
View the presentaion slides (Alice Draper)
When a young traveler finds him or herself in trouble overseas, we expect insurers, hospitals, local authorities and embassies to respond thoroughly and efficiently. We know however, that this is not always the case.
How can we innovate to keep young people safe overseas? What can de done, and what is being done to improve youth safety overseas and how can unhappy (and expensive) incidents be avoided?
Join global experts from the worlds of Technology, Diplomacy and Medicine in discussing the implications and solutions for improving inter-agency communication and in turn, young people’s travel.
Discover how the diplomatic community works with insurers to improve responses to both catastrophic and everyday contingencies as well as how mobile digital technology is being used to improve youth safety.
Dr Joseph W. Babicki
Joseph qualified from St Bartholomew's Medical School in 1996. Following 2 years general NHS duties he was commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps. Joseph completed parachute training in 1999 and continued his military career with the airborne forces. During his ten years' service his deployments have included Sierra Leone, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Brunei, Norway, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq. He has trained in surgery, emergency medicine, tropical medicine and primary care. His responsibilities have included looking after the British Ice Sports team during their training camp in Lillehammer to assisting the UNHCR in setting up refugee camps in Albania. Joseph retired from the army in 2004 reaching the rank of Major. He has continued to develop his interest in travel and sports medicine and has provided medical cover for a several expeditions and sporting events. Joseph has been working with Number One Health since 1995 and also consults for a number of medical assistance companies.
Alice Draper, Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Alice has worked for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for five years. She has worked on the Know Before You Go campaign for the last two on the youth travel safety side. She also manages the travel area of the FCO website, and student website www.gogapyear.com. Prior to the Know Before You Go campaign, she worked in the FCO's Europe Directorate, working in their Communications Team.
John Flemming, Director, Compass Benefits Group
John is the Director of Compass Benefits Group, which he founded in 2003. He has over 25 years of experience in group health insurance. This includes 22 years of experience in the student & youth market, during which time he has a developed an expertise in international exchange. John actively participates in association activities involved with international exchange. This includes his work with IASIS, CSIET and in the past on NAFSA’s Health & Insurance Advisory Committee. He has held senior sales positions with a U.S. carrier, Prudential and an international broker, Sedgwick. John attended university in Nova Scotia, graduating from St. Francis Xavier and remains active in Canada-U.S. business forums and in groups promoting Canada-U.S. exchange.
Rob Malcolm – Vice President of Carrier Relations – mBlox inc.
As Vice President of Carrier Relations, Rob Malcolm is responsible for keeping abreast of the rapidly changing strategies and capabilities of mobile operators globally. His team ensure that mBlox (and its clients) remain competitive and evolve together with these global mobile developments. Prior to this Malcolm was Vice President of Engineering at mBlox where he was responsible for all technical engineering, architecture planning, platform and carrier integration, software engineering, development and quality assurance. Malcolm had overall responsibility for the entire mBlox technical architecture evolution and drove the expansion of the Global Mobile Transaction Network and other platform design considerations as mBlox expanded rapidly to more than 15 countries. As a consequence of these two roles Malcolm has a unique balance of understanding the future strategies of Mobile Operators with a deep understanding of the technical capabilities available to companies globally.
Prior to joining mBlox, Malcolm was involved in a number of entrepreneurial ventures, and consulted to a number of medium sized organizations on IT Strategy, Security, Standardization and Project Management. Malcolm has a BSc in Engineering from the University of Natal in South Africa.
UK and US Government Update on Visa Regulations for International
Education and Work Abroad Programmes
15.30 - 16.30 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Exchange Auditorium
Speaker:
Nigel Farminer, Deputy Director Immigration Policy, UK Border Agency
Sharon Snyder, USA Homeland Security
Callum Kennedy, Executive Director, BUNAC (session moderator)
View the presentaion slides (Sharon Snyder)
Government policies on youth mobility are translated into practice through a series of carefully constructed regulations and compliance requirements. How will the Tier 4 regulations in the new UK Point System, and the new Sevis II Regulations and Compliance for Work Abroad Placements in the US, impact your business.
Nigel Farminer, Deputy Director Immigration Policy at UKBA , and Sharon Snyder, Chief of Student and Immigration Policy at the US Student and Exchange Visitor Program walk us through these new regulatory mazes and help us understand their impact.
Nigel Farminer, Deputy Director Immigration Policy, UK Border Agency
Nigel joined the Immigration Service (now UK Border Agency) as an Immigration Officer following a Short Service Commission in the British Army. After a number of years working on the entry control at Dover he moved into enforcement and worked in this area for approx 15 years. This period included responsibility for establishing the first immigration arrest teams and overseeing their national expansion. A move into the policy arena followed, initially with responsibility for the development of illegal working policy and subsequently as Head of Temporary Migration Policy.
Sharon Snyder,Chief of Student and Immigration Policy Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Immigration Customs and Enforcement, US Department of Homeland Security
Sharon Snyder is a frequent presenter at national academic conferences, and has had pivotal roles in significant SEVP endeavors such as SEVIS II development stakeholder meetings, the Fee Rule Rollout, recertification and the site review process, and three critical regulatory initiatives. She currently is the Chief of the SEVP Policy Branch; she was appointed to this position in March 2008.
Mrs. Snyder’s prior experience includes staff legislative experience in the U.S. House of Representatives, chief operating officer for a national organization that placed urban youth in science and math-based programs at U.S. military academies and other tier-one universities and colleges, and director of a university training program. Mrs. Snyder’s doctoral work at the University of Southern California specialized in National Security. She is a Fellow in the Inter University Seminar (IUS), a certified Ombudsman and specialist in whole-brain learning.
SEVP manages the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a computerized system that maintains and manages data about foreign students and exchange visitors during their stay in the United States. As part of SEVP, the Policy Branch is responsible for developing, implementing and interpreting federal policy and regulations concerning nonimmigrant student issues.
Callum Kennedy, Executive Director, BUNAC
Callum has been Director of BUNAC since 1992. However, his involvement with the organisation began twenty years earlier when, as an Economics student at Manchester University, he saw a poster for BUNAC’s Summer Camp programme - and ended up spending the next 8 summers in a sports camp in Maine.
A Post Graduate education qualification at Loughborough Colleges led inevitably to a first career in secondary education (including a spell of TEFL in Northern Italy) before taking over at BUNAC.
Despite an aversion to sitting on committees, he was a longstanding board member of IAEWEP and later of WYSEWAA. He is currently a board member of ISTC and an advisory member of BETA (the British Educational Travel Association).
ALTO: Global Directions in Language Travel
Brought to you by ALTO
SEE VIDEO
Designing Desirable Destinations
15.30 - 16.30 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Exchange Auditorium
Speakers:
Peter Saville, International Designer
Frances Linzee Gordon, Travel Journalist (session moderator)
Why does a city need a "Creative Director" ? How you "design" a desirable destination ?
What elements of design, culture, education combine to give a city region its unique identity? What are the unique skills and qualities that the designer brings to the experience of the city? What is Manchester planning next ? ’World renowned designer Peter Saville talks about his pivotal role as Manchester’s Creative Director to Frances Linzee Gordon, travel author.
Peter Saville, International Designer
Peter Saville is considered one of the most influential designers of our time. He has created a series of iconic images, including album covers for the bands Joy Division and New Order, and conceptual design projects that are exhibited all over the world. He has worked extensively in fashion, creating advertising and branding for Alexander McQueen, Dior, Jil Sander, Stella McCartney, Yohji Yamamoto and, most recently, Kate Moss and Kilgour in addition to working with cultural & commercial clients like Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Barbican Centre and Whitechapel Gallery in London, Adidas and Raf Simons. Born in Manchester in 1955, he now contributes to the economic regeneration of his hometown as its creative director.
Frances Linzee Gordon, Award-winning British Travel Journalist
Frances Linzee Gordon contributes articles and photographs to newspapers and magazines, writes guidebooks for UK, US and Australian travel publishers (including Lonely Planet for whom she has written or contributed countless books), and works as presenter, consultant and assistant-producer on TV and radio travel shows (including the BBC's new documentary series 'The Frankincense Trail' currently being shown on BBC2).
Innovative Marketing Strategies -
Best Job in the World Campaign
16.45 - 17.45 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Exchange Auditorium
SEE VIDEO
Speakers:
Jane Nicholson, Tourism Queensland Regional Director UK
Deborah Fitzgerald, WYSE Travel Confederation
View the presentaion slides (Jane Nickolson)
The way in which we communicate is changing at an incredible pace. Brands need to respond to these changes by improving their understanding of how they can engage with consumers using tools like social networks and through taking an integrated approach to marketing. Today's brand communication needs to be more ‘pull’ and less ‘push’ messaging with a goal of creating a meaningful dialogue with consumers and building loyalty.
Tourism Queensland’s ”Best Job in the World” has been recognized and awarded as one of the most successful social media campaigns ever. Join Jane Nicholson, Tourism Queensland’s Regional Director, UK, Ireland, Nordic to learn how innovation, planning and process led to this campaign’s phenomenal global success.
You can follow the campaign winner, Ben Southall, at his blog at www.islandreefjob.com.
Jane Nicholson, Tourism Queensland Regional Director UK
Jane Nicholson, Tourism Queensland Regional Director UK, Ireland and Nordic Region
Jane is an Account Director at Hills Balfour Synergy, one of the UK’s leading tourism and destination representation agencies in the UK and has been responsible for running Tourism Queensland’s London office in the role of Regional Director for the UK, Ireland and Nordic regions since January 2007. With over 15 years in the long haul travel industry, Jane is a highly experienced and respected professional with broad ranging experience in sales & marketing, PR and product roles. She has developed many successful and innovative consumer and trade fully-integrated marketing campaigns, most recently leading the roll out of the “Best Job in the World” campaign in the UK, Ireland and Nordic regions. Prior to joining the Hills Balfour Synergy team, Jane was at Tui UK, as head of product for Austravel and Thomson Tailor-made.
Stay WYSE AGM and Seminar: Developing a Global Business Metrics Study for the Hostel Industry
16.45 - 18.45 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Charter 2 room
Speakers:
Eric van Dijk, Managing Director, Generator Hostels
Mikael Hansson, CEO, Hostelling International
Jackie Gilbert, Accor
David Jones, Director General, WYSE Travel Confederation - moderator
Mikael Hansson, CEO, Hostelling International
Mikael Hansson is the Chief Executive for Hostelling International. He joined Hostelling International in 2007, serving previously for 4 years as Chief Executive for the Swedish Tourist Association. He has over 20 years experience working within the Travel & Tourism Industry and whilst his academic qualification was in Finance he has mostly held positions within Sales, Marketing and International Account Management. With a passion for travel, he enjoys all the opportunities and experiences which Hostelling International presents and is proud that HI hostels are a worldwide recognized and recommend brand.
Volunteer Workshop:
Best Practices for Tomorrow's Market
16.45 - 17.45 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Charter 1 room
Facilitator:
Elizabeth O’Neill, Executive Vice President, CIEE Work Exchange Programs
After a year of economic uncertainty, volunteer experience programmes are one of the few sectors that have experienced significant growth. How can the WYSE Work Abroad community help to ensure the sector flourishes, while maintaining high standards?
Workshop participants will be asked to address one of four questions: 1) what constitutes a ‘worthy’ volunteer programme; 2) how you ensure the participants and local communities are safe; 3) how you choose a ‘good’ partner; and 4) what constitutes ‘adequate’ volunteer programme preparation.
After discussion, each table will report their feedback to the larger group. Outcomes from this session will be incorporated into the volunteer section of WYSE Work Abroad’s Best Practices for Work Abroad Programmes, and circulated to workshop participants.
Elizabeth O’Neill, Executive Vice President, CIEE Work Exchange Programs
Elizabeth O'Neill is the Executive Vice President for Work Exchange programs at CIEE, responsible for the operation of its inbound J1 Exchange Visitor Programs to the US – Work & Travel, Internship and Professional Career Training. Elizabeth also oversees CIEE's US Embassy and State Department relations.
Since joining the organization in January of 1995 she has held a number of sales, product management and operational positions including two years as the Director of the UK office in London. Prior to joining CIEE her experience has included work in the legal field as well teaching abroad. A dual national of the US and UK, Elizabeth has lived and worked abroad in the UK, Japan and Australia for a combination of over nine years.
Elizabeth was a board member of the International Association of Educational and Work Exchange Programs (IAEWEP) from 2000 – 2006, and is currently the Chair of the WYSE Work Abroad Association. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for WYSTC Ltd, and a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Congress of the World Youth Student Educational Travel Confederation (WYSETC).
Media Training for the Work Abroad Industry
16.45 - 17.45 Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Charter 4 room
Speakers:
Richard Lyddon, Journalist, Media Expert
David Niven, Managing Director, David Niven Associates
View the presentaion slides (Richard Lyddon)
Media consultant David Niven is back after his highly rated and extremely successful seminar conducted at last year's WYSTC. Award winning TV reporter Richard Lyydon will join David in taking a fresh look at managing the media in the digital age. In this session, you will learn how to deal with a crisis "live on air," and how to identify the right person in your organisation to establish a single, unified voice of integrity before a crisis even happens. Importantly, you will discover the key difference between secrecy and privacy.
Richard Lyddon, journalist, media expert
Richard’s broadcasting career now spans 25 years and ranges from local radio to network TV. He is a former senior correspondent for TV-am and Sky News and ITV West news Anchorman. Richard is the winner of numerous journalism awards, including two Royal Television Society (RTS) Awards and is a former RTS judge. An experienced media trainer, Richard works with senior executives from a number of blue chip companies. He is a graduate of Warwick University, later winning a place at the University College Cardiff’s Centre for Journalism Studies where he attained a Postgraduate Diploma.
David Niven, Managing Director, David Niven Associates
Media consultant David Niven has broad and continuing experience in the media. He appears regularly on radio and television commenting on social policy matters and is a part time university lecturer. He has been seen on the Six and Nine o Clock News, Newsnight, World at one, News 24, Today programme, PM, Five Live, BBC Asian Network, documentaries, an hour long ‘Question Time’ for ITV West, and a considerable number of local radio stations, including a regular slot on BBC Radio Bristol. Building on the success of his media crisis management seminar presented at WYSTC 2008 in New York, he returns this year with award winning TV journalist Richard Lyddon for a fresh look at managing the media in the digital age.
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