Travel Matters – London

Each year, over 200 senior travel and tourism industry representatives attend Travel Matters to hear thought-leading commentary on current affairs and the issues affecting travel. The event brings together an invited audience of CEOs and executive directors, political figures, government stakeholders and national and travel trade media representatives.

Since holding our first Travel Matters Conference in 2010 and in the midst of Brexit negotiations, the UK finds itself at a pivotal moment. What do we want our industry to look like in ten years time and how will travel business leaders navigate the shifting political landscape to thrive? What happens next, beyond Brexit?

In 2019, we are building new foundations for our industry. We are forming new trade agreements, investing in infrastructure and addressing new and existing skills gaps within our workforces. All are building blocks on which to propel ourselves forward, separately from the EU and globally. This is an opportunity to define our Vision for the Next Decade.  

A high profile range of speakers including Politicians and Ministers, top industry figures and media commentators will look at how events in Westminster, Brussels and the wider world will impact on consumers, business and the travel industry. What are the Government plans for future trading relationships and UK policy? What is the vision for long-term investment in infrastructure and skills in a global Britain? What skills and investment are required in the travel industry to pave the way for sustainable growth into the next decade? 

The event will include welcome refreshments, time to network and a light lunch.

9:00 – Registration and networking refreshments 
9:30 – Travel Matters in session  
11:05 – Networking tea and coffee break 
11:35 – Travel Matters in session 
13:00 – Networking lunch 

13:45 – ABTA AGM*
14:15 – Council of Regions**
14:15 – Consumer trust – using the ABTA brand to boost bookings
15:00 – Japan Destination Masterclass
15:30 – Drinks reception 

*ABTA Members only
**By invitation only 
***ABTA Members and Partners only – ABTA will share its latest research on consumer awareness and trust in the ABTA brand.

_{This is our draft agenda and timings may change}
 

• Moderator: LBC's Tom Swarbrick
• Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive, ABTA 
• Luke Petherbridge, Head of Public Affairs, ABTA 
• Gordon Marsden, Shadow Minister for Education
• Mike Cooper, CEO, Eurostar International
• Nikki Humphrey, Senior Vice President, People, Virgin Atlantic
• Anne McElvoy, Senior Editor, The Economist
• Sir Simon Hughes, Chancellor, London South Bank University
• Martin Alcock, Director, Travel Trade Consultancy
• Sandra Kelly, Director UK Skills and Policy, People 1st International
• Vicki Wolf, Education Manager, ABTA

Additional speakers will be announced shortly including Politicians and Ministers, top industry figures and media commentators.

Complimentary invitations are issued to senior industry figures, travel and transport media as well as leading political stakeholders. A limited number of complimentary tickets will also be available for ABTA's wider membership, details of these will be released in due course.

Additional tickets are available to purchase for ABTA Members/Partners and non-Members. 

ABTA Member/ABTA Partner rate* – £150 plus VAT 
Non-Member rate – £225 plus VAT

*To qualify for the ABTA Member/Partner discount you must have a current ABTA Member/Partner number or your application must be in progress when the event takes place.

Non-members are welcome to attend ABTA Conferences and Events. For information about becoming a Member click here.

View our booking terms and conditions here.

Headline sponsor

For more than 13 years, we've been helping people in the travel industry.

We help people solve licensing problems with regulators like ATOL, ABTA and IATA. We help people buy, sell and raise funding for travel businesses, We help people to better understand and manage their financial performance. We help people build strategies and plan ahead.

We specialise in providing straightforward, practical advice that will save you time, money and resources. 

Co-sponsor

ANA - All Nippon Airways is the largest airline in Japan and one of only ten airlines to have been awarded the 5-star rating from Skytrax. ANA was named ‘Best Business Airline of the Year’ at Business Travel Awards 2018. Operating daily from London Heathrow to Haneda, Tokyo’s most central airport, ANA flies on 80 international routes and 118 domestic routes. ANA has been a member of Star Alliance since 1999 and has joint-ventures with Lufthansa and Swiss International Airlines on Japan-Europe routes and with United Airlines on trans-Pacific and Asia routes.

Video and refreshments sponsor

Allianz Assistance is a world leading provider of travel insurance. For over 60 years, we’ve been helping people with anything from a lost passport to serious illness repatriation. 

With travel insurance from Allianz Assistance you can explore the world with peace of mind, knowing that you are protected if the unexpected happens.

Refreshments sponsor

We are the UK’s leading provider of ground transport and accommodation solutions, offering clients the peace of mind of a 24/7/365 nationwide service.  We work with major airlines, holiday companies, ground handling companies and travel operators to provide transport for journeys either planned and during times of disruption or emergency.
 
Our mission is to simplify the management of ground transport and accommodation by offering a single-source, highly effective solution and unparalleled customer service whether you need one taxi, 100 coaches or a hotel room for the night. 

For over a decade, clients have placed their trust in our solutions to move them and their people safely and with consideration, moving one million passengers in the last year alone.  We build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with our suppliers, develop and reward our employees, and continually invest in and develop technology to deliver our award-winning service. 

Drinks sponsor

Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), a public organisation of the Japanese government, works from its London office to share the latest information on Japan, conduct publicity around travel to Japan, develop tours to Japan, and much more.  Approximately 334,000 UK travellers visited Japan in 2018, yielding the highest number of bookings to Japan within Europe, and a growth rate of 7.6% compared to 2017. With the Rugby World Cup 2019, ABTA's Travel Convention in Tokyo, the Setouchi Art Triennale and the Olympic and Paralympic games coming to Tokyo in the summer of 2020, we have so much more to look forward to and can’t wait for newcomers and repeat travellers alike to dive into Japan’s unique blend of future and tradition, whether in Tokyo, Kyoto or well beyond the beaten track. Indeed, 2019 sees direct flight routes connect London with Japan’s second city of Osaka, making off-piste adventures like a zen meditation retreat at Eihei-ji Temple, a hike along the spiritual Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route or discovering the art islands of the Seto Inland Sea, that much simpler.

For more information or to make an individual enquiry, please visit www.seejapan.co.uk.

Alternatively, join us on one of our Travel Seminar 2019 FAM trips today by checking online.

Media partner

Global, the media & entertainment group is home to some of the most loved UK brands including Heart, Capital, Smooth FM and Classic FM. Wherever and whenever people want to consume music and entertainment, Global is there at scale. Across broadcast, mobile, social and live we reach 32 million people every week.

Global also connects advertisers with an audience of 125 million people worldwide via DAX ( a pioneering digital audio advertising platform) listening to music streaming services, digital radio and podcasts. DAX connects brands with publishers of the world’s best audio content and the Global Player enables consumers to listen to the world’s greatest podcasts on demand.

For details on how to promote your company via headline sponsorship, branding and exhibition, contact Matt Turton on 020 3693 0194 or mturton@abta.co.uk. 

To view our commercial opportunities brochure click here.