CHICAGO -- Planners of the Travel Weekly Conference 2000, set for
May 3 to 5 here, have prepared a preliminary roster of seminars to
be offered over the three days of meetings.
Three sessions will be singled out as Hot Topic sessions, for
presentation on May 3. They are:
Using Agency-Owned CRS Equipment to the Best Advantage,
presented by Phil and Doris Davidoff, president and vice president,
respectively, Belair/Empress Travel and Cruises.Redesigning the Role of Agents in Travel Distribution: Why and
How, presented by Richard Eastman, president, The Eastman
Group.Technology and Fraud, presented by Gary Yallelus, ARC fraud
investigator.In addition, the Internet and matters pertaining to that medium
will be featured in significant number of sessions, as follows:
The Web business case for travel agents, presented by Eric
Hosek, director of advertising and market analysis, Travel File --
Orbit Network, Inc.Agents With Winning Web Sites Talk About Their Experiences,
moderated by Hosek, with travel agent panelists to be named.How to create Web pages, presented by Scott Staffiery, chief
executive officer, Interwave Travel Concepts, Inc.Beyond the Internet: Developing Lifetime Clients, presented by
Scott Koepf, vice president of sales and training, Cruise and
Vacation Shoppes.Booking Direct -- New Internet Services That Directly Connect
Agencies and Suppliers, with Evan Shelan, president, Forex
Software, Inc.; Ron Lindsay, vice president, Independent Agency
Network (IAN), and Paul Hoffmann, vice president, business
development, Automated Travel Systems.Selecting a Booking Engine, presented by Norm Rose, chief
executive officer, Travel Technology.Behind the Boom in On-line Bookings: The Value of the Off-line
Travel Business with Robert Hubbard, vice president, marketing,
European Travel Network.A number of other sessions are designed for corporate agencies
and their customers, as follows:
On-Line Booking Systems -- The Agent Perspective, moderated by
Mat Orrego, president, Cornerstone Information Systems,
Bloomington, Ind., with panelists Bill Nichols, senior vice
president, Pegasus Travel; Marka Jenkins, chief executive officer,
Metropolitan Travel and Highwire and president of Highwire, and
Cindy Elenbaas, vice president leisure services, Navigant
International.On-Line Booking Systems -- The Corporate Perspective, moderated
by J. Grant Caplan, president, Consulting Strategies.Evaluating and Implementing Expense Reporting Systems,
moderated by Mark Walton, principal, Travel Solutions Group, with
panelists David Effgen, western regional sales manager, Captura
Software; Robert Falvo, regional vice president, Gelco Information
Network; Timothy O. Grossnickle, manager of supply chain services,
Akzo Nobel Chemical, Inc., and Vince Kroening, president and chief
executive officer, Vin.net International.Meeting Planning and the Net -- What You Need to Know to Excel,
with speakers Peggy Lee, chief executive officer, B-There.Com, and Roger
Paradis, chief executive officer, Passkey.com, Inc.Winning Travel Policy Strategies: The Keys to Creating
Successful, Manageable Policy with Scott Gillespie, principal,
Travel Analytics, Inc.A number of other sessions are focused on leisure travel issues,
as follows:
Foreign Independent Travel -- The MegaMarket That Often Goes
Unclaimed, presented by Steve Bisset, president, Korobra.Customizing Destination Content: How Your Agency Can Package
Its Own Retail Products with speakers Richard A. Reiher, president,
Internet Hotel Group, and Lynne Rosenbaum, president and chief
operating officer, Whiplash, Inc.Group Travel Techniques and Technologies, presented by Scott
Ahlsmith, vice president and general manager, Trams, Inc.Rounding out the program are a series of sessions on widely
varied topics, as follows:
Microsoft 2000 Series: Tips, Techniques You Never Knew Existed
for Office & FrontPage, presented by Mark Steel, associate tech
specialist, Microsoft Corporation-Midwest region.Reinventing the Deal, presented by David J. Wardell, president,
Technical Reality.Employment Law for Agency Owners and Managers, presented by
attorney Mark Pestronk.Nuts and Bolts of Agency Mergers, presented by Pestronk as
well.So You Think You Know E-mail? presented by Greg Merkley,
president, Travel Technology & Magic.Combining E-mail and Mailing Lists for a Marketing Payoff,
moderated by Merkley with agent panelists to be named.How to Implement a Significant Change in Your Technology,
moderated by Chandler Boyd, president, CompuTravel,with panelists:
Rebecca Martin, senior vice president, A&I Travel, and Raiford
Pierce, president, Executive Travel Associates.Travel Management Information: The Next Generation in
Back-Office Technology, moderated by Marc Christman, principal,
Travel Solutions Group, with panelists Jack Revel, president,
Travcom Inc.; Susan Hopley, chairman, International Software
Products, and Kevin Austin, president, Hi-Mark Software.Solving the Communications Dilemma: The Truth About DSL, T1,
ISDN and Cable Modems, presented by Rock Blanco, vice president,
e-solutions, Cornerstone Information Systems.The Chicago Sheraton will provide the setting for the Travel
Weekly Conference 2000. The registration fee for the meeting is
$550. However, the rate for members of the Travel Weekly Crossroads
Web site is $500, and for all delegates, the early-bird rate is
$425. The early-bird registration deadline is March 3.
Also, for all delegates, the registration for a second
registrant from the same company is $275, and a single-day rate of
$200 applies.
For information on registration, call (800) 889-5254 or fax
(201) 902-7282. Delegates also can register at the Travel Weekly
Web site (www.twcrossroads.com).
Rooms are reserved at the Sheraton Chicago for delegates at $195
single/$215 double and must be booked by April 10 by calling (800)
233-4100.