World Travel, Inc Fall Symposium 2024
The One Global team had a great experience at last week’s World Travel, Inc’s Fall Symposium in Washington DC.
With Jodie Gentles, Cally Davenport and Laura Welsh representing the team alongside colleagues from Clarity Business Travel, it was a valuable opportunity for networking and sharing insights.
The event kicked off with a fun networking event at Swingers Golf DC.
Joined by representatives from One Global TMC partners including ADAC, Brickell, Citystate, Kuoni, Sharaf and Travelpath, as well as a number of our trusted suppliers, everyone enjoyed food and drink before some fun – and competitive – crazy golf.
The following day delegates headed to the Hamilton Hotel for the Global Partner Networking which provided valuable opportunities to discuss strategies and foster relationships before diving into the Global Forum.
The discussions were both insightful and inspiring.
The panel on One Global’s future, featuring Jodie Gentles, Erika Moore and Pat McDonagh, provided valuable perspectives on growth and innovation.
And Cally Davenport hosting a technology panel is great testament to her expertise and the importance of technology in the industry and the complexities of online booking tools.
Thursday saw the eagerly anticipated World Travel, Inc Symposium and Trade Show, with its ‘Challenge, Change, and Conquer’ theme.
President and CEO of the Airlines Reporting Corporation Lauri Reishus led a very informative session – A New Era Begins – which kept the audience engaged on the essential work of the corporation.
American Airlines held a great session too – Reimagining the Future – with Neil Geurin, who tackled a number of tricky subjects and was kept busy during a very good Q&A session.
Sabre presented a good humoured and topical talk – Unravelling the Complexities of the Hospitality Industry – where they shared with delegates their roadmap for the future.
And perhaps the most popular talk of the day was with WTI President Erika Moore – The President’s Crystal Ball – where she discussed the topic of Gen Z travel, delivered with a little help via her daughter Carolina via video link.
The event was brought to a memorable close thanks to keynote speaker and travel industry veteran Shelley Brown.
Laura Welsh, One Global’s Head of Global Partnerships, said: “It was a great event – in fact it was my first time experiencing the WTI Symposium. I enjoyed the opportunity to network and meet with colleagues that I had not yet had the chance to do.
“The One Global team took advantage of being able to have meetings across the community, whether it be with partner TMCs or our preferred suppliers, or clients. Personally, being in partnerships, the importance of having face-to-face meetings is fundamental and this was demonstrated before, during and after the event.”
World Travel, Inc reported the event as being a tremendous success and said: “Together with industry experts, thought leaders, and our customers and prospects, we acknowledged the challenges that test our resilience and the ways in which we must adapt and innovate to emerge stronger and shape the future of our industry.
“We are thankful for the attendees who joined us from around the world, the incredible industry speakers who delivered relevant, forward-thinking content, and the sponsor partners whose contributions made this day possible.
“From our ‘Symposium Eve’ social event to the educational sessions featuring presentations from leading subject matter experts, every moment was a step towards industry collaboration and connection.”
