Wednesday, 25 Septemer 2024
09:30 - 10:30
Auditorium 6/7, CLL
AI as job security for the industry
AI might be leading us into a golden age of travel – giving us more free time and making just about everything more efficient. It will also make travel plans harder to trust and human knowledge and assistance from travel professionals more valuable than you think. Read more.
| Jennifer Strong Independent journalist |
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| Kevin O’Shaughnessy CityHook |
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11:00 - 11:20
Workshop area, CCL
Looking back at looking forward
WYSE Travel Confederation’s New Horizons research on the international youth and student travel market is a long-standing resource for youth travel specialists.Read more.
| Greg Richards Research Advisor, WYSE Travel Confederation |
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11:20 - 11:40
Workshop area, CCL
The impact of Brexit on youth travel
Travel to the United Kingdom was significantly impacted by Brexit, with a growing need for visas for inbound travel and a subsequent decline in EU youth visitors to the UK.Read more.
| Greg Richards Research Advisor, WYSE Travel Confederation |
11:40 - 12:00
Workshop area, CCL
Solo travellers
Hype around solo travel persists – female solo travel, group solo travel and of course digital nomads. At the same time, there are claims that loneliness and social disconnection are at all-time highs, maybe even of pandemic proportions. Read more.
| Greg Richards Research Advisor, WYSE Travel Confederation |
12:00 - 13:00
Auditorium 6/7,CCL
Trends shaping the future of tours
Technology, the environment, cost-of-living increases and socio-political interests – what are the consumer demands, social, economic and technological shifts that are influencing international travel for the under-30 market?Read more.
| Heather Leisman EF Ultimate Break |
| Adam Armstrong Contiki |
| Ari Charlestein Competitours |
| Søren Sattrup The Kilroy Group |
12:00 - 13:00
Auditorium 8, CCL
Bull or buzz? Guessing the future of tech in youth travel
Techies don’t always see the future the same way. Join two travel tech entrepreneurs Kevin O’Shaughnessy from CityHook and Jason Noronha from D3x for a lively session on current travel tech trends.Read more.
| Kevin O’Shaughnessy CityHook |
| Jason Noronha D3x |
14:00 - 14:20
Workshop area, CCL
How to use AI to get better candidates
Combining artificial intelligence (AI) with traditional methods of language learning and skills assessment offers tremendous new potential for your travellers as well as your recruitment results. Read more.
| Kevin Morgan Chairman Academic Language Solutions – iTEP |
| Randy LeGrant President Academic Language Solutions – iTEP |
14:20 - 14:40
Workshop area, CCL
How to implement sustainability in youth hostels
| Given all the developments in the past few years, it is reason enough to also encourage and implement sustainable initiatives within youth travel. Stayokay focuses on different initiatives in all 21 hostels in the Netherlands and we will continue to involve our guests to create awareness and engagement on sustainability. Read more. |
|
Lotte van Schaik |
15:00 - 15:20
Workshop area, CCL
How to navigate the Brazilian international education market
| Join Alexandre Argenta, President of BELTA, the Brazilian Educational & Language Travel Association, for insights from BELTA’s 2023 National Market Survey. Read more. |
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Alexandre Argenta |
15:50 - 16:10
Workshop area, CCL
How to make it easy for your travellers
| Learn three essentials for building out the customer journey and why they are so important during this session with Gary O’Leary. Read more. |
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Gary O’Leary |
16:30 - 16:50
Workshop area, CCL
How to renovate, launch and rebrand and less than 12 months and still keep your sanity
| From dormancy to action in less than 12 months is a challenge for any business but imagine major renovations of ten properties spread across a country and a complete rebrand. Read more. |
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Rebecca Mayston |
17:10 - 17:30
Workshop area, CCL
How to automate customer support with AI
| During this session you’ll learn about real-time responses, handling guest queries, and building up a reusable knowledge base. You’ll gain an understanding of how AI can integrate with your existing systems to provide instant.Read more. |
Thursday, 26 Septemer 2024
09:10 - 10:10
Auditorium 6/7,CCL
Travel tips and tricks: Safety advice for you and your customers
| The session is designed to be practical and informative, including some amusing and illustrative travel anecdotes. Its purpose is to provide you with some simple tips and tricks that you can share with your customer base to help ensure a smoother and safer travel experience.Read more. |
| Rachel Claffey Taxback Canada |
| Sarah McNamara AuPairCare |
| Absolutely Lucy Travel Blogger |
| Enda Kelleher, Sprintax |
10:10 - 10:30
Workshop area, CCL
How to create lasting impact with sustainable travel
| The session is designed to be practical and informative, including some amusing and illustrative travel anecdotes. Its purpose is to provide you with some simple tips and tricks that you can share with your customer base to help ensure a smoother and safer travel experience.Read more. |
| Liz Tuck World Challenge |
11:00 - 12:00
Workshop area, CCL
Travel industry trends and insights 2024
| Adolfo Reyes of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) will be sharing with us the latest information on the economic outlook for travel and tourism along with the latest trends and challenges the sector is facing.Read more. |
| Adolfo Reves World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) |
| Sébastien Leitner Cloudbeds |
11:00 - 12:00
Auditorium 6/7, CCL
How to maximise the impact of cultural exchange: Strategies for navigating political dynamics
| Cultural exchange programmes offer significant benefits to public diplomacy, national security, and economic prosperity. Read more. |
| Indira Alcequiez Alliance International Recruiting Agency |
| Crystal Bunts Alliance Abroad |
| Agron Kamberi Discover America |
| Phil Simon Cultural Exchange Network (Cenet) |
12:20 - 12:40
Workshop area, CCL
How to engage a young audience with guided visits
| Thanks to his teaching background, and unique approach to interacting with teenagers, Javier GarcÃa Colomo, founder of Cooltourspain, discovered the best ways to catch students’ interest while leading street art tours in Madrid and Barcelona.Read more. |
| Javier GarcÃa Colomo Cooltourspain |
12:40 - 13:00
Workshop area, CCL
How to increase RevPAR with new sleep technology
| With an average revenue per available bed (RevPAB) that is nearly 80% higher than a dorm bed and 50% of a double room, DreamBoks consistently helps clients to achieve substantial profit increases.Read more. |
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Martin Holm Mortensen |
14:00 - 15:00
Auditorium 6/7, CCL
How to be a 21st century explorer
| Ella Al-Shamahi is a National Geographic Explorer and evolutionary biologist specialising in expeditions in politically hostile and disputed territories, along the way she became a TV presenter and stand-up comic.Read more. |
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Ella Al-Shamahi |
15:30 - 15:50
Workshop area, CCL
How to maximise the value of influencer partnerships
| Travel blogger and content creator, Absolutely Lucy, shares insight into the world of content creation, with tips and advice for how you can gain the most from influencer partnerships for your travel company.Read more. |
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Absolutely Lucy |
15:50 - 16:10
Workshop area, CCL
How to use WhatsApp, iMessage and WeChat for personalised campaigns to travellers
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Discover the best way to harness personalisation and AI to reach your audience. Read more. |
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Chris Townsend |
16:10 - 16:30
Workshop area, CCL
How to sell working holidays in Japan and South Korea
| Japan and South Korea offer Working Holiday Visas to many nationalities. Due to the increasing worldwide popularity of Japanese and Korean pop culture among Gen Z, these two East Asian countries are trending destinations for Working Holidays. However, for many international sales agents, understanding these destinations and how to approach the target group remains relatively new territory.Read more. |
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Chris Engler |
16:50 - 17:10
Workshop area, CCL
How to integrate climate concerns into promoting international work and travel
| A recent study of Canadian youth found that climate change is a significant concern, which has impacted their overall mental health and potentially have them rethinking their travel plans.Read more. |
|
Liz Hong-Farrell |
Friday, 27 Septemer 2024
09:20 - 09:40
Workshop area, CCL
How to leverage technology to enhance J-1 Program compliance
Application management systems are designed to facilitate and streamline your communication with exchange visitors, hosts, and agents, but can they help you stay on top of the regulatory compliance throughout the life of the program? Read more.
| Christina Hamilton J-1 Visa Exchanges, Inc |
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| Gennady Babankov J-1 Visa Exchanges, Inc. |
10:00 - 10:20
Workshop area, CCL
How to survive the US tax filing season – Nonresident edition!
| This practical session will outline how to prepare your nonresident participants for their tax responsibilities in the USA. Read more. |
|
Ryan Ludden |
10:50 - 12:10
Auditorium 6/7, CCL
Update from the US Department of State
| An update from representatives of the US Department of State. Read more. |
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Rebecca Pasini |
| Karen Ward US Department of State |
| Casey Slamin InterExchange |
13:30 - 14:30
Auditorium 6/7, CCL
The impact of the US election on international exchange and youth travel
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November will bring with it an extremely consequential election in the United States, both for the Presidency and the Congress. Read more. |
|
Mark Overmann |
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David Chapman |
13:30 - 14:30
Auditorium 8, CCL
Always in: How to transition from always on to always in by building community-first brands
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November will bring with it an extremely consequential election in the United States, both for the Presidency and the Congress. Read more. |
|
Leon Suarez |
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Diogo Vaz Ferreira |
15:00 - 15:20
Workshop area, CCL
How to establish and grow a successful cultural exchange alumni association
| In this session, you will learn practical steps to establish and grow a successful cultural exchange alumni association and understand why such networks are important. Read more. |
|
Fazil Mammadov |
15:40 - 16:00
Workshop area, CCL
How to navigate international au pair regulations
| In this workshop Patricia Brunner of IAPA, the International Au Pair Association, will delve into the diverse regulatory landscapes governing au pair programmes across the globe. Read more. |
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Patricia Brunner |
