WTM Travel Perspective sessions 2014
WEDNESDAY

Nov 5 UPDATE: Read the report from all our sessions today

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By Steve Keenan and Mark Frary

Event hashtag #WTMTP14, show hashtag #WTM14

UNWTO SILK ROAD SEMINAR

From 10.30-11.45am, Travel Perspective will be running the UNWTO Silk Road seminar in the South Gallery (Rooms 13-14): ’20 Years of Silk Road Tourism: What has been achieved and what’s in store for the future?’ The session also includes a panel debate on the future of the travel guidebook.

Speakers:
- Alla Peressolova, Head of UNWTO Silk Road Programme
- Tim Williams, Institute of Archaeology, University College London and Director, Ancient Merv Project
- Helena Egan, Director, Industry Relations, TripAdvisor
- Adrian Phillips, Managing Director, Bradt Travel Guides
- Marina Badias, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Minube

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 5 SESSIONS

Location: WTM Global Stage (AS850)

[See the line-ups for Tuesday and Thursday]

The conference opens at 12.30pm today. Registration not required for the seminars but do turn up early to bag a seat as sessions are certain to be packed out. You will need to register to attend World Travel Market to get in.

12.30-1.15pm
KEYNOTE: Travel #140 - the view from Twitter

  • Aoife Desmond, Head of Travel Strategy, EMEA, Twitter
    Moderator: Steve Keenan

Travel is a huge part of the Twitter conversation and the microblogging network has recently started working with brands in the sector. How can travel companies best use the network and examples of best practice from the industry as well as how the company is tapping into users tweeting while watching television

Related: Follow Aoife’s Twitter feed


1.15-1.45pm
KEYNOTE: Peer-to-peer travel

  • Olivier Gremillon, Managing Director, Europe, AirBnB.
    Moderator: Mark Frary

Can revolutionary travel companies that remove the middleman succeed or are there too many vested interests to really disrupt the travel industry, looking at airbnb, Uber and more. Looking at scalability, service quality, legislative challenges and other sectors that could benefit from peer to peer.

Related:
Watch Olivier being interviewed at the OuiFest seminar, 2013, on issues facing AirBnB


2.00-2.30pm

WTM Fresh: Where should you base your travel start-up?

  • Paul Smith, Ignite; Sabine de Witte, YourAmbassadrice; Nikolaj Astrup Madsen, Workaway; Pru Ashby, Head of Technology, London and Partners.
    Moderator: Steve Keenan

Which is the best global location for your start-up, based on incubator space, money, the developer talent and the support infrastructure? Our panel argues the case for different locations and different ways of working

Related:
Read more about Paul Smith, Ignite and Campus North
Sabine de Witte is Your Ambassadorice
Nikolaj set up Workaway, the ‘first travel agent dedicated to entrepreneurs’
Follow Pru Ashby on Twitter


2.30-3.00pm
WTM Fresh: Finding funding

  • Timothy O’Neil Dunne, T2Impact; Sally Davey, Tripbod; Paul Smith, Ignite; Alysia Wanczyk, Seedrs.
    Moderator: Mark Frary

How to find money to grow you start-up, looking at angels, incubators, pitch competitions and crowdfunding

Related:
Read up on Timothy’s Linked-in profile
See Sally’s slideshare to eTourism Africa Summmite two months ago
A previous life of Paul: The Twitchhiker, hiking the world for free.
Follow Alysia on Twitter

3pm-3.30pm
WTM Fresh: Shifting up a gear

  • Timothy O’Neil Dunne, T2Impact; Sally Davey, Tripbod; Alex Bainbridge, TourCMS.
    Moderator: Steve Keenan

You have survived this long but how do you move from brilliant idea to an established player

Related:
Read Timothy’s reports in Tnooz
Sally sold her company to TripAdvisor this year - report
Find out what Alex does for a living

See the line-ups for Tuesday and Thursday