ABTA and PricewaterhouseCoopers have joined forces to create the T20 Forum - a unique event within the Travel Convention which will provide in depth business insight for leaders of the UK travel industry.

This closed seminar follows on from the hugely successful launch event last year and will bring together three of PwC’s senior partners, who are renowned experts at the forefront of business recovery and consumer profiling.

• Tony Lomas is currently the Lead Administrator of Lehman Brothers, Chairman of PwC’s UK business recovery services practice and has travel experience as lead financial adviser to the bank lender group in the recovery and corporate restructuring of MyTravel. He has also earned his stripes working on the Enron and MG Rover administrations.  This powerful and high profile speaker will provide an insight into the failure that triggered the world’s largest banking collapse and the lessons that can be learned.
   
• Mark Hudson, PwC’s Retail and Consumer Leader, will explore in depth the issues from his main stage session, including: consumer attitudes, value for money, implications on pricing and branding strategy, future proofing your business, and issues driving consumer behaviour such as the flight to value, online behaviour and sustainability.
   
• Richard Thompson, PwC’s retail consumer finance expert, will present the findings of The Precious Plastic Survey ahead of its launch in November this year. This survey will cover consumers’ current attitude to the use of credit cards, consumer credit and consumer financing – providing valuable information about predicted consumer spending behaviour in 2010 and beyond.

Richard Carrick, Chief Executive of Hoseasons, and Convention Guidance Panel member said: “last year this seminar gave us an insight into the scope of the recession and gave parallels to help us see what it would be like. This year we will be reflecting on that, and shifting our focus onto recovery and when we will truly reach the end of the recession.”