Session 1:
MAKING TRAVEL MATTER: CONSCIOUS TOURISM FOR AN EVOLVING AUDIENCE
Contiki, the world’s leading youth travel company, have been in operation since 1962, making travel easier and more social for young explorers across the globe. Our audiences’ travel needs are constantly evolving, but the most significant shift has taken place in the last decade. No longer wanting to simply tick off travel icons and party around the world, our audiences are now seeking out sustainable and conscious travel experiences that give something back and leave a positive impact on the destinations they visit.
Climate change is no longer a threat but a reality; communities and ancient traditions are being lost and overtourism is negatively impacting some of the planet’s best loved destinations. This session will explore how a traditional travel brand like Contiki has a vital role to play in addressing these issues, while detailing the ways in which we can remain relevant to an increasingly ethically engaged Gen Z & Millennial audience.
Speaker: Toni Ambler, CMO, Contiki Travel
A seasoned marketer, strategist, innovator and brand leader Toni has over twelve years marketing experience, and has spent the last five of these delivering industry leading youth marketing activations at Contiki. A firm believer in the importance of being ahead of the curve when it comes to embracing new tech innovations, Toni has steered Contiki to implement and excel in the realms of content marketing, brand strategy and partnerships. Toni was instrumental in the launch of the Contiki Marketing Lab which is Contiki’s production and marketing house and allows the brand to remain on the pulse when it comes to targeting the savvy millennial audience.
Session 2:
HOW TO EFFECTIVELY AQUIRE STUDENTS ACROSS THE WORLD
The world is more connected than ever before and Gen Z are an age group hungry for new experiences spending approximately 29 days travelling a year. This quest for adventure coupled with changes in higher education means that this segment as huge economic value to brands. However many brands have tried and failed to reach this segment as they take the same approach to audience targeting irrespective of location and other demographic challenges. As a brand, how do you effectively target and improve global acquisition of students across the world? In this session Dan Baker will provide insight into:
- Creating an audience targeting strategy for different markets – focusing on India, China, South East Asia, UK and Europe
- Case study examples of audience targeting strategy from Student.com
Speaker: Dan Baker, GM EMEA, Student.com
Dan is the General Manager, EMEA at Student.com, the world’s largest marketplace for student accommodation. An experienced General Manager within the travel and student sectors, Dan has an impressive background as a digital commerce professional with a strong focus on leveraging new and emerging technologies to achieve tangible results. Passionate about supporting the industry in which he works, Dan is also a Director at The British Educational Travel Association – an umbrella body representing producers and suppliers of youth, student and educational travel related products. Dan began his professional career after studying Marketing at The University of West England. In his role at Student.com, Dan holds general management responsibility for the EMEA business, working closely with the teams servicing over 400 cities across the globe, and utilises his knowledge of strategic management and digital expertise.
Session 3 :
ZERO FRICTION FUTURE WITH FACEBOOK
Friction is one of the biggest threat to businesses today as consumer expectations continue to rise with the pace of technology. In travel the possibility of friction increases due to the path to purchase being fragmented from Discovery through to booking. Learn from Facebook about their vision of a Zero Friction future and how Gen Z and millennials engage with travel brands on their platforms.
Speaker: Sorcha Diggin, Travel Account Manager UK/I, Facebook & Instagram
Originally from Dublin, Ireland Sorcha studied Commerce at University College Dublin specialising in Marketing. Having previously worked in Skype, Sorcha joined Facebook’s Global Business Group in 2017 with the aim of helping scale UK travel companies internationally. To date she has worked with companies such as Flash Pack, Flight Centre UK, and Intrepid to help grow their brand & sales across Facebook’s family of apps.
