BTA Belfast Conference 2022

BTA Conference Belfast 2022

Welcome from Clive Wratten and Suzanne Horner, The BTA

Welcome to the wonderful city of Belfast!

As many of you will know we had planned to hold our annual conference in Belfast in 2020 but a certain world event came along, and we had to postpone our arrival until now There is a phrase that says the best things come to those who wait and that is certainly true of Belfast and the BTA 2022 conference

We want to express our gratitude to all the partners in Belfast who have been so accommodating in helping us cancel the arrangements from 2020 and re arrange for this year The team at Visit Belfast, Tourism Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council have been simply awesome, Aileen at Hastings Hotels is a legend and the teams at the Assembly Rooms, our conference venue, the evening locations, and the caterers have all been amazing.

We suspect many of you will be visiting Belfast for the first time or maybe re visiting for the first time in a long while, either way we are sure you will be delighted by the warm welcome given to you by the fine folk of Belfast.

Almost 50% of our delegates attending a BTA conference for the first time, which we think reflects two things, firstly the huge amount of change caused by Covid and secondly the number of new members and partners we have welcomed to the BTA since last year in Liverpool Along with our conference returnees, we are delighted that you can join us, and we hope you find the conference both informative and fun.

The BTA conference sets out to deliver our delegates a programme of outstanding speakers from outside and within our sector and this year we think we have excelled ourselves with A listers in their respective fields, right across the programme. Additionally this year, as a result of feedback from previous conferences, we have included a chance for all of us to work together to do a little bit of good for the world So please throw yourself into this session and make a difference to lives elsewhere in the world

For

Of course, no BTA conference would be complete without a fun social programme and what we have lined up for you is sure to have you heading home having experienced a little bit of what the Belfast craic is all about

Thank you to all our sponsors for helping us make this event special, we truly appreciate it and couldn’t do it without you. We also want to say a huge “cheers” to all our members and partners for your loyal support of the BTA we love representing the industry creating industry debate and seeing our sector work together to make it better

Conference Venue - The Assembly Rooms

Built in 1905, in the style of a Scottish Baronial Castle, The Assembly Buildings is a ‘ one of a kind’ conference and meeting venue in the centre of Belfast.

Following an £8 million refurbishment in 2010 and a further multi million pound re development in 2018, the facility offers state of the art technology in a historically rich setting.

Monday 26th September

12:30pm Welcome Lunch at the Assembly Rooms

1:45pm Conference Welcome

Welcome from Suzanne Horner, Chair of the BTA

Ministers Welcome

Visit Belfast Welcome

CEO Fireside Conversation with Suzanne Horner and Clive Wratten

Platinum Countdown

Giving Back

BTA AGM

Monday 26th September

20:00 Welcome Party at The Dark Horse, 30 Hill Street, Belfast BT1 2LB

The coaches will depart from Grand Central Hotel at 19:15

The party will be held at one of Belfast's most popular venues The Dark Horse. The BTA will feed and water you courtesy of our amazing partners Avis who are hosting the welcome party once again. You will have plenty of time to chat and when it’s time for music we will have one of Belfast's finest to entertain you.

7 00am 5k run

7 00am 1k walk

9:00am - Welcome to Day Two

Economist

Andrew Webb Grant Thornton

Political Update

Steve Richards

Coffee Break

Cyber Crime

Kevin Curran Ulster University

ESG Update

Mark Wilkinson easyJet

Breaking the Mould

Caoimhe Devine Enterprise, Lucy Robinson British Airways, Gill Best Spirit Aerosystems

For

Lunch Budget

Leila Dunphy Eaton Industries, Robert Murphy MongoDB, Calum Hawley Endeavour Mining

Associations

Clive Wratten BTA, Mark Tanzer ABTA, Scott Davies ITM

Keynote

Dame Arlene Foster

It's a Wrap

Clive Wratten BTA and Sarah Travers Moderator

For Buyers

Free time Gala Dinner

Gala Dinner

We are holding our gala dinner at the stunning Titanic Hotel Described as the 'Cape Canaveral of its time', the Harland & Wolff Headquarters building was once the nerve centre of the largest shipyard in the world. The gala dinner is very kindly sponsored by Tourism Northern Ireland.

The coaches will depart from Grand Central Hotel at 19:15

Keynote Speakers

Sarah is co founder & director of Bespoke Communications, a leading training and professional development company serving the UK and Ireland. Sarah is a former BBC news journalist and TV presenter

Moderator

Andrew is an enterprising and commercially focused Chief Economist at Grant Thornton He has undertaken economic research and impact assignments across the globe and operates at the most senior levels of government and business to provide economic analysis.

DAME ARLENE FOSTER

Dame Arlene is a British politician who has served as First Minister of Northern Ireland on two occasions between 2016 and 2021 She also served as Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 2015 to 2021 and is the first woman to hold either position

British Political Comentator

Kevin is a Professor of Cyber Security, Executive Co Director of the Legal Innovation Centre and group leader for the Cybersecurity & Web Technologies Research Group at Ulster University He one of the most frequently interviewed computer scientists in the World and regularly speaks to Global Media Outlets including Sky News, BBC, ITV, RTE and CNN.

Steve is one of Britain’s leading political commentators and broadcasters He has written columns for the Guardian, Independent, FT and Sunday Times and is a presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Week in Westminster. He is also a regular commentator on the BBC & Sky.

British Politician

Economist, Grant Thornton

Sarah Travers Dame Arlene Foster

Andrew Webb

Steve Richards

Political Commentator

Professor of Cyber Security, Ulster University

Kevin Curran

Speakers

UK Sales Director Travelodge

Sales & Distribution Director

Avanti West Coast

Calum Hawley ChrisDoran

Gill Best Senior Designer Engineer Spirit Aero Systems

Leanne Riley Head of Sales CMAC Danny Chesworth Global Travel Manager Mining

Speakers and Panellists

Mark Tanzer, ABTA

Kate Blythe, Accor

Guy Snelgar, Advantage Travel Partnership

Steve Banks, Agiito

James Parkhouse, Agi to Claire Hodge, Air Transat

David Baker, AirPlus International Sue Ancell, AirPlus International Maria Baty, Altour

James Keyte, Amadeus

Sean O'Kelly, Amadeus Steve Love, Amadeus Ben Hockley, American Air ines

Johan Persson, Amex GBT

Julie Murphy, ANA Lorna Thornton, Arriva Anne Sola, Arriva

Adam Knights, ATPI

Andrea Schuenzel, Atriis

Anna Doran, Avanti West Trains

Claire Walton, Avanti West Trains

Stig Williams, Avis Paul Clark, Avis

Natascha Duweke, Avis Michael Re lly, Barclays

Martin Sandford, BCD

Shauna Burns, Beyond Business Travel Paula Cullen, Black Box Partnerships

Matt Warwick, British Airways Christine Larkin, Br tish Airways

Adam Bennett, Brit sh Airways

Lucy Robinson, Br tish Airways

Joanne Layton, CAP Worldwide

Danny Chesworth, Carey

Ab gail Simons, Cavendish Advocacy Redmond Walsh, Clarity

Pat McDonagh, Clarity Chris Vince, Click Travel

Leanne Riley, CMAC

Mervyn Williamson, CTM Penny Munn, CTM

Mark Kempster, CT Travel

Clare Collins, CT Travel

Vinny Atwal, CWT

Paul Webb, Delta Air Lines

Nadia Clinton, Delta Air Lines

Christina Lawford, Diamond Air

Christopher A rey, Divers ty Travel

Axel Joyce, easyJet

Mark Wilkinson, easyJet

Rebecca Duncan, easyJet

Leila Dunphy, Eaton Industries

Daniel George, EFR Travel

Lisa Day, Egencia

Delegates

Calum Hawley, Endeavour M ning

Roya Soleimanifar, Enterprise Holdings

Speakers

Oli Moore, Enterprise Holdings Caoimhe Devine, Enterprise Ho dings James O Donnell Eton Travel Benedicte Taraconat, Eurostar Yoann Meunier Eurostar Melanie Glass, Evolvi Andrew Edwards, Evolvi

Adam Murray, FCTG Flight Centre Paul Upton, First Travel Solutions David Gardner, First Travel Solutions Abby Preston, Focus Dan Ives, Focus

Wendy Walker, Focus Catherine Logan, GBTA Char Hettiararchchi, GHS

JOHN IRVING

Chief Executive, Liverpool John Lennon Airport

Francesca Mendola, Global Travel Collection Andrew Sison, Good Travel Management Sue Ledgard, Grant Thornton Andrew Webb, Grant Thornton Jack Dow, Grapevine

Suzanne Horner, Gray Dawes Group Dave Bishop, Gray Dawes Group Warren D x, Gray Dawes Group Stuart Croxson, GWR

Rob Joines, HotelHub Emma Stevenson, HotelRez Dan el Simmons, HotelRez Douglas O Ne ll, Inntel Peter Vlitas, Internova Travel Group Scott Dav es, ITM

Jackie Clark, Japan Airlines Claire Herbert, JetBlue Bruce Tetheridge, Key Travel Sam McJKnight, LNER Frank Wagner, Lufthansa Tat ana Schoen, Mastercard Gianni Salvadori, Melia Sue Binks Melia Robert Murphy, MongoDB

Murray Burnett, Munro's Travel Natasha Maraj, NH Hotels Mick Gibbs, Norad Jonathan Adair, Northern Ireland Travel News

Kirsty Johnson, Northern Ire and Travel News Francesco DeLuca, Omega World Travel

Thyme Franc s Pembroke & Rye Luke Murphy, Premier Inn Aidan Walsh, Premier Inn

Peter Wilkins, RDG

Richard Boardman, Reed & Mackay

Julie Oliver, Reed & Mackay

Richard Addey, Sabre

Grant Sm th, Sabre

Nisha Botevyle, Sabre

Ruth Scaife, Sabre

Darryl McGartvey, SAP Concur

Lynne Griffiths, Sirius Talent Solutions

Ainsley Ford, Situ Hannah Triggs, Situ Gill Best, Spirit Aerosystems Michelle Wray, StayCity

Peter Snowdon, TAG

Adam Garsdide, BTN

Andy Hosk ns, BTN

Bev Fearis, Business Travel Magazine

Susie Palmer Trainline

Charl e Ba kie, Trainline

Liz Hegan, Trainline

Jil Bollard, Transpennine Express

Matthew Brown, Travel Counsellors

Nick Huges, Travel Counsellors

James Diaz, Travel Planet

Ian Taylor, Travel Weekly

Carol n B schof, Travelodge

Chris Orme, Travelodge

Paul Broughton, Travelport

Alista r Rodger, Travelport

Riona McGrath, Traveport

Matt Gatenby, Travlaw

Ami Naru, Travlaw

Toria Houston, Trees4Travel

Kev n Curran, Ulster University

Michae Begley, Venue Directory

Simon Goddard, Vibe

Matthew Chapman, V be

Tom Maynard, Virgin Atlant c

Yogeeta Bagga Virgin Atlantic

Nicki Goldsmith, Virgin Atlantic

Clive Cornel us, Visa

Louise Millo, Visa

Marcelo Velloso, Wex

Clinton Vormawah, Wex

Katherine Gershon, Wexas

Simon Dugan, Wings

Further Information

Dress Code

Dress code for the conference sessions and welcome party is smart business casual we want you to feel relaxed. For the gala dinner, gents please wear jacket & trousers (no jeans) and for ladies it's cocktail wear.

Flights

All passengers on both easyJet & British Airways will have one piece of checked in luggage Transfers will also be provided between both airports and the conference hotel

Accommodation

All delegates will be staying at the Grand Central Hotel, a member of the Hastings Group of properties The Grand Central is the sixth hotel in the Hastings Hotels Collection and has recently been awarded five star status It is also just a three minute walk from the conference venue

Giving Back

On Monday afternoon we are inviting all delegates to take part in our 'Giving Back' session when we will be making water filter systems The Water Works programme enables ordinary people across the world to get involved in building and donating a life changing water filtration system that can save the lives of an entire community

Tin and Toy

We are delighted to be supporting a local charity in Belfast with the Tin and Toy donation The People’s Kitchen began life in April 2017 It started quite inauspiciously, serving warm drinks and sandwiches from a tea trolley in a doorway, seeking to help those experiencing homelessness and addiction problems The soup kitchen grew as the need increased and recently, they moved to a larger location in order to support more people across Belfast.

For

Wellbeing

Thank You To Our Destination Partners

For