Day 1, 17th June

8.00 Registration

9.00 The Changing face of travel distribution in the Middle East- Position your company for future growth

• With a $3.63 trillion leisure investment how can the growth of the Middle Eastern travel industry be expected to develop over the next 10 years?
• Evaluate the booming success of the corporate market, how can this success be applied to the leisure market and see distribution improved?
• New hotel companies are increasing revenues by up to 25% yearly. Identify potential growth opportunities within the Middle Eastern online travel market and look at how maintaining supply and demand is achievable in the near future
• With Dubai flourishing and Abu Dhabi looking to increase its visitor numbers from 1.3m to 3m in 9 years, what are the next "hotspot" destinations?
• Will technological advancements change the buying method of Middle Eastern consumers and how will this affect the future travel trade?

• Richard Lewis, President, Jebel Ali International Hotels
• Clement Wong, Travel and Tourism Manager EMEA, Euromonitor International
• Cem Cetinturk, Regional Director MEA, Travelclick

10.30 - 11.00 Coffee Break

11.00 Evaluating and examining Middle Eastern online consumer behaviour

• Explore exactly how many Middle Eastern consumers are buying online- what issues are preventing the market from doing so and how can these be overcome?
• With an estimated 2% of travel bookings coming from the internet, what obstacles are preventing people from booking online and how can these be overcome?
• As companies like Gulf Air start to turn towards 100% online sales, how can the consumer be captured and be conditioned to book online?
• Examine the current wealth and income trends. How are they likely to evolve?
• How important is online trust and loyalty to the Middle Eastern consumer?

• Walter Lo Faro, Director of Market Management, Expedia
• Duncan Bramwell, Vice President of Sales, Distribution and eCommerce, Revenue-Performance
• Gerry Samuels, Founder and Executive Director, Mobile Travel Technologies

12.30 - 1.45 Lunch

1.45 Direct Vs Indirect distribution and sales

• With the shift to online distribution and direct sales, what affect will this have on the power of the GDS and what impact will this have on operating costs?
• Examine how easy is it for suppliers to sell directly to the consumer and increase profits from doing so
• Identify and eliminate unproductive online distribution costs
• A shift to direct online bookings is inevitable, but when will this happen and how can you ensure your product is positioned to benefit from this change in consumer behaviour?
• How will current travel relationships between suppliers, GDS's and wholesalers change, with the introduction and shift to greater online business? Who will benefit the most?
• Build trust in a market where most consumers want a ticket in their hands

• Sathis Aravinda, eDistribution Manager, Rotana Hotels and Resorts
• Blaine Stanga, eCommerce, Travelport
• Dinesh Bhatia, eBusiness Manager, EmQuest

3.15 - 4.00 Coffee Break

4.00 Identifying the challenges of eCommerce

• Evaluate the importance of an Arabic booking interface, and its role in growing online booking numbers
• Find out how to deal with a multilingual market. Does translation software increase efficiency as well as lower costs?
• Examine the available online payment partners and how the current technology can benefit you
• How developed is the current financial infrastructure in the Middle East for dealing with e-commerce transactions?
• Discover the online security measures that are in place to ease the mind of the consumer
• Explore portals and interfaces, and how the importance of familiarisation encourages and establishes online use
• Understand web search technology and how it will affect and increase direct sales if used correctly
• Look at how inventory technology can change the productivity of your company as well as increase distribution

• Andrew Pozniak, Industry Marketing Head- Travel, Google
• Peter Ward and Jerome Touze, Co Founders, WAYN?

5.30 Finish Day one

5.30 - 7.00 Networking Party

Day 2, 18th June

8.30 Registration

9.30 Offline Vs Online marketing and sales

• Examine the importance of a clear brand strategy to increase consumer awareness
• Identify the most efficient marketing channels, increase loyalty and build your products awareness, and reach new consumers
• Drive the consumer online- will offline sales be a thing of the past?
• Discover the marketing tactics that are working and learn how your business can profit from this
• Ensure your offline strategies are complementing your online marketing
• What simple steps are guaranteed to tempt your existing customers to book online?
• Which marketing channels are the most cost effective yet still offer the greatest coverage?
• Discover how to market and display your hospitality experience within the e-travel space

• Michael Marshal, Corporate Vice President, Rotana Hotels and Resorts
• Kristie Goshow, Group Director eBusiness, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts
• Lee Mancini, eBusiness Development Manager, Emirates Hotels and Resorts

11.00 - 11.30 Coffee Break

11.30 Airline distribution- maximise distribution through all channels

• Discover the distribution tactics that will boost In and Outbound passenger numbers
• Major businesses like Emirates are rapidly growing, and have boomed over the last15 years- Investigate what drives this development
• With the Middle East spending more on new planes, for example Emirates alone purchasing 55 A380's, will the industry create enough business over the next few years to warrant a gross outlay of such substantial amounts?
• Are low cost airlines reshaping the market and what effect do they have on the larger companies, and what opportunities have risen from this?
• How can airlines encourage their customers to come direct to their websites yet still ensure a profitable working partnership with intermediaries?

• Peter Pohlschmidt, Manager eCommerce, Qatar Airways
• Ak Nizar, Head of Commercial, Air Arabia

1.00 - 2.00 Lunch

2.00 Hotel distribution

• 30,000 hotel rooms expected in Dubai alone, will the future of supply succeed current demand? How do businesses plan on reaching consumers as well as maximising profits?
• Hear the importance of balancing GDS, online and 3rd party sales channels to maximise profitability?
• With the legacy of the giant Hotels such as Hilton and Marriott, discover how near perfect hotel branding increases direct sales and maximises revenue
• How can small and medium size hotels create and maintain a strong web presence with such fierce competition from the larger chains
• With a rapid growth in Middle Easter hotels, what distribution channels will be essential to succeed as well as encourage the growth and expansion of hotels?
• How can hotels manage prices across all distribution, and what obstacles prevent this?

• Ananya Narayan, Senior Vice President Global Strategy, Preferred Hotel Group
• Romain Saada, Director of Revenue Management, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
• Tarek Elsherif, Regional Director sales and marketing, Milennium Hotels and Resorts

3.30 End of conference