Press Releases
View All Press Releases| WTM | 14 Dec 2009 |
Inaugural Future You Conference is a success at World Travel Market
The conference, organised by the leading membership associations for travel and tourism professionals the Institute of Travel & Tourism and the Tourism Society, took place on the Thursday morning of WTM 2009 (12 November).
This half-day event, the successor to the popular ASPIRE Conference, offered essential information and advice to tourism students and graduates from experts across the travel and tourism industry including CV and interview tips, where to go for jobs, what extra training is available and who to contact.
Speakers included:
- Elizabeth Hegarty, Community Relations Manager from London City Airport who spoke on the undergraduate schemes it is currently running. Using a combination of case studies and statistics, Hegarty explained the courses available and personal development skills that can be achieved by taking part.
- Go Skills are the lead body for skills, workforce development and labour market data for the passenger transport sector. Development Manager, Sally Mawson discussed possible careers within passenger transport and how to go about moving skills forward.
- Sam Biggs, Sales and Marketing Manager for Ripley’s Believe It or Not Attractions addressed the audience with a presentation specific to his field ‘Graduating into Tourism Attractions’.
- Project Abroad - the leading volunteering abroad organisation’s Recruitment Director Ian Birbeck spoke of his experiences and life changing moments in the travel industry in a presentation titled ‘From Gap Year Volunteer to Recruitment Director’.
- New Frontiers, Travel Industry Recruitment Agency Operations Director, Bruce Martin gave an informative and helpful presentation on how students can stand out from the crowd and get the job they truly deserve with a ‘Travel C.V. Health Check’.
World Travel Market Head of Marketing and Communications Micaela Juarez said: “World Travel Market was delighted to be able to offer travel and tourism students such a comprehensive and practical programme to help them secure their perfect job in the industry when they graduate.
“The current financial downturn means future graduates are facing the toughest jobs market in generations. World Travel Market, the ITT and the Tourism Society were pleased to be able to help students fulfil their potential and give them their first break into one of the most dynamic and fast-paced industry’s in the world.”
ITT Director and Chair of Education and Training Claire Steiner said: “Pressure on tourism graduates is increasing; the event provided aspiring students with a unique opportunity to hear from industry leaders on how to make the most of employment opportunities in the UK’s fifth biggest industry.”
Mark Miller MTS Executive Director of The Tourism Society commented; “We are absolutely delighted that the Future You event was the best attended event during WTM.”
“We certainly look forward to making Future You a regular feature in our annual events calendar and hope we can once again work in collaboration with ITT on this and other related events. This type of forum not only highlights the varied and different sectors and specialisms within the tourism sector but offers students dedicated career advice within this varied industry.”
ITT Chairman Steven Freudmann said “With more travel and tourism graduates and fewer jobs to fight over, it is more important than ever to get proper careers advice direct from the industry”.
-Ends-
About World Travel Market
World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
Almost 46,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL - London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM.
WTM, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2009, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals.
WTM is owned by the world’s leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which organises a portfolio of other travel industry events including Arabian Travel Market and International Luxury Travel Market.
RE holds more than 500 events in 38 countries throughout Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific covering 47 industry sectors including aerospace & aviation, healthcare, manufacturing and sport & recreation.
In 2008 RE, part of the Reed Elsevier group, brought together more than six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.
The Tourism Society (est.1977) is the leading network of professionals in the industry. All sectors are represented: hotels, attractions, destinations, operators, travel companies, writers, academics, students and consultants.
