290 Hoteliers from 38 Countries attend WORLDHOTELS’ Annual Conference 2006

WORLDHOTELS held its Annual Conference 2006 from January 20 to 23, 2006 in Prague, Czech Republic, at the Corinthia Towers Hotel. The conference attracted 290 hoteliers - including 28 from the Asia Pacific region - representing 90%, or 450 hotels, of WORDHOTELS’ membership overall – from 38 countries, which is an increase of almost 30% compared to last year, and sets a new record as the largest conference in the company’s history.

Established in 1971, the WORLDHOTELS Annual Conference has become a traditional institution for its members, providing important updates on the travel industry and insights into the latest technological and consumer trends. Operating in an increasingly complex, interconnected, on demand and transparent world, it is the goal of WORLDHOTELS’ Annual Conference to provide support and guidance to its member hotels in order to be able to deal with current challenges in the market place.

“WORLDHOTELS is broadening and expanding the range and depth of its services and products in order to help our members to successfully deal with the trends and issues that are shaping the industry, especially the “internet effect” and its implications on buyer behaviour and suppliers,” said Michael Ball, CEO of WORLDHOTELS.

In order to effectively manage the complexity of the conference WORLDHOTELS introduced a new format, focusing on one specific topic each day. Day one was dedicated to Branding and Partnering, day two to Total Distribution and day three to Development and Growth.

Distinguished guest speakers, who shared their perspective on relevant issues for the hospitality industry, included:

- Hans Turnovszky, president and managing director of Austria Hotels International; chairman of the supervisory board WORLDHOTELS AG
- David Scowsill, former chief executive officer of Opodo; vice chairman of the supervisory board WORLDHOTELS AG
- Robert Pietro, regional manager supplier relations, American Express Travel
- Jaap Favier, vice president, research director, Forrester Research
- Terry Tyrrell, european chairman of Enterprise IG

The conference was attended by owners and general managers (40%), sales and marketing executives (45%) as well as revenue management teams (15%) from WORLDHOTELS’ member properties.

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