The first European Mountain Travel Summit, in Crans-Montana,
Switzerland, promises to bring together East and West, digital and analog, the
establishment and challengers for three days of networking, research
presentations, marketing sessions and, of course, downhill skiing.
Thought leaders from Asia, Europe and North America will
explore the distribution, marketing and promotion of mountain areas from Jan. 10 to 12,
in what organizers promise will be a solutions- and growth-oriented context.
"EMTS Talks," borrowing from the TED Talks model,
will feature a series of brief keynotes on a variety of topics from destination
marketing in 2025 to ways that competing mountain areas can cooperate.
Representatives from Google, Airbnb and Expedia will
present, as will the presidents of Steamboat and Squaw Valley.
And with both China and South Korea scheduled to host
upcoming Winter Olympics, representatives of those countries' ski industries
are on the program.
Alex Herrmann, Switzerland Tourism's director for North America,
touted Crans-Montana as a premier mountain resort in the Swiss Alps. Pre- and post-conference skiing
excursions will be offered to attendees.
But as the name of the conference suggests, the focus won't
be exclusively on skiing. Summer -- and how to make the most of its
opportunities -- is also on the agenda.
The summit is
produced by Mountain Travel Symposium, a well-established conference in North
America that is owned by Northstar Travel Group, parent company of Travel
Weekly. Executives from two other Northstar companies, Phocuswright and
Inntopia, are on the program, as well.
For more information, visit www.europemts.com.