Abacus to conduct conferences in Asia

Abacus has kicked off a series of regional operations conferences as part of its ongoing efforts at forging stronger relationships with its partners from the Asia Pacific.

This is the first year where Abacus International has separated its main annual conference into three separate regional events in recognition of the diverse needs of each of these markets. The first conference, for airline partners and travel agencies from the North Asia Region, began in Hokkaido, Japan, today.

The Hokkaido conference will be followed by the South East-Asia and South Pacific regional conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 29 September to 2 October 2004. The run will end with the South-West Asia and Indochina regional conference in Bangkok, Thailand from 11 to 14 October 2004.

"These conferences will provide industry leaders with the opportunity to network and share the best practices of their business and reveal how travel agents in their region can adapt to an increasingly competitive and dynamic marketplace," said Mr Don Birch, CEO and President of Abacus International.

"Travel agencies in the region are rapidly adapting to trends such as low-cost carriers and the availability of affordable new technology. However, because the infrastructure in each country is different, individualised solutions must be developed for each market. As the leading travel facilitator in Asia Pacific, Abacus is committed to providing customised technology, a sound network and knowledge required to help the Asia-Pacific travel industry make the most of the travel growth in the region," said Mr Birch.

The three conferences will include speeches and presentations by various industry leaders including national trade associations, suppliers and technology partners such as Sabre,

Around 300 delegates from 21 markets in total are expected to attend the three conferences.