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Agenda and Speakers
Discover the Regional Meetings at 3 venues with 4 core topics facing the industry today, with industry keynotes, one-on-one conversations, business roundtable discussions, and great suppliers introducing their solutions to the travel needs today and in future. Have a look at our speakers line-up below, growing each day also with operational LCC Best Cases we are proud to share on our center stage.

Open your daily agenda below. The print versions for each meeting are available below:

Agenda DOHA
Agenda PANAMA CITY
Agenda Bangkok

Here are the focus topics of this years agenda:

  • AI and Its Impact on Travel and Businesses
  • Brand Building and Elevated Online Marketing Success
  • Travel Retailing 2.0 and the Future of NDC
  • Opportunities for your LCC corporate business
  • New Work and GenZ's New Needs as Bleisure Traveller and Employee
  • Our USP DMC

A buzzy supplier exhibition and brand new- our DMC Connection Hub will ensure great business talks and new connections for your business.

Arrival Day

Arrival Day

Sunday, 24 September (Doha)
Wednesday, 11 October (Panama)
Sunday, 29 October (Bangkok

all day

Arrival (LCC Transfers provided at special times)

15:00

Check-In 

Grab your name badge and meet the HQ team

19:00

Welcome Reception - Opening Night

Dress Code: Smart Casual 

Location: Conference Hotel

  
  

First Conference Day

08:30Pre Event Coffee Talks  
09:00Conference Opening in the plenary
Closer to a new tomorrow
Opening speech by Martina Groenegres, Managing Director
09:30Welcome to Qatar/Panama/Thailand - a destination of its own
Local Tourism Authorities of the hosting destination and local airline
10:00Speed Meeting
Built connections, grow your business network
10:30

Top Topic I - AI and its Impact on Travel and Businesses
Keynote by Matt Gibson, Keynote Speaker
Keynote by Amadeus
LCC Best Cases Panel

11:30

Top Topic II -  In The Digital Age It’s Branding that Means Business
Keynote by Clemens Strauss, MD Oscar Bravo / Lufthansa German Airlines

12:30Seated Lunch
Meet and mingle with colleagues, suppliers and enjoy a reconnecting talk over a healthy lunch
13:30Tool Time
Sponsors Marketplace
15:00

Top Topic III - Our USP DMC
60 Second Pitch Presentations
1:1 Buyer-Seller Connection Hub

17:00Keynote Speech by Lufthansa German Airlines
17:30Take Aways & Food for Thought
Martina Groenegres, Managing Director
18:00Group Picture
19:30Departure “LCC Gala Night” – Dine and Delight
Dress Code: Elegant
  

Second Conference Day

08:30

Pre-Event Coffee Talks

 09:00Conference Opening Day II
09:15

DOH and BKK: Top Topic IV - Opportunities for your LCC Corporate Business
Multinational vs Local and Regional Business

Keynote Speech by AERTicket
LCC Best Cases

PTY: Top Topic IV - NDC
Keynote by Copa Airlines
LCC Best Cases

10:15Top Topic V - New Work and GenZ's New Needs as Bleisure Traveller and Employee
LCC Best Cases Panel
11:30Business Roundtables: Agency Efficiency Solutions
Impulse pitch business solutions presented by our suppliers
12:30Destination Speech by local DMC Host
13:00Lunch
14:00-18:00

DMC Live Tour
organised and sponsored by our LCC DMC Hosts

LCC Space Travel, Doha
LCC Hover Tours, Panama
LCC Diethelm Travel, Bangkok

19:00

Optional Dinner
*on individual expense, after DMC Live Tour at a authentic local place to close off a great day

Managing Director Lufthansa City Center International

Martina Groenegres

Since 2020, Martina holds the position of Managing Director at Lufthansa City Center International. As a global travel leader, she brings a breadth of experience in all commercial disciplines including strategy, government relations, sales and services departments in the aviation, travel and transport industry. 

Topic: Closer to a new tomorrow!
On stage: Regional Meeting Doha, Panama and Bangkok

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CEO Oscar Bravo, Marketing agency Lufthansa German Airlines

Clemens Strauss

With over 10 years of experience at the leading European aviation group, Lufthansa Group, and currently as Managing Director of its digital inhouse start-up company Oscar Bravo, Clemens is passionate about leveraging an entrepreneurial culture to drive innovation and create a competitive edge for businesses. All on the basis of the leadership paradigm of trust and inspiration. Together with his team he is focused on delivering innovative solutions within the field of digital marketing. Next to being a passionate speaker, Clemens is a tech and marketing aficionado and publishes his newsletter „Under The Microscope“ on all things digital. He joined Lufthansa Group in 2014 and has held various leadership roles.

Topic: In The Digital Age It's Branding that Means Business 
On stage: Doha U(virtual), Panama (virtual) and Bangkok (inperson)

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CEO UpThink

Matt Gibson

Matt Gibson is the CEO of UpThink, a digital agency specializing in content, SEO, influencer marketing, and AI integration for the travel industry.

UpThink has helped to organize events and campaigns that have brought hundreds of bloggers to destinations like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, and Malaysia and provided SEO services to industry leaders like Guide To Iceland and Airbnb. 

Matt regularly speaks about influencers and content at events including ITB Berlin, ITB Asia, Arabian Travel Mart, HSMAI, and PATA Mart, and has been featured in publications such as Business Insider, AFAR, and the Singapore Straits Times.

Topic: AI For Travel Agents: Preparing For The Future 
On Stage: Keynote Speaker on AI in Doha, Panama (virtual) and Bangkok.

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Chief Commercial Officer, Qatar Airways

Thierry Antinori

Thierry Antinori is the Chief Commercial Officer at Qatar Airways, leading the entire commercial and ground operations of the World’s Best Airline. Antinori has extensive aviation executive experience with over 30 years’ commercial, marketing and product management including large restructuring and transformation mandates from global airlines such as Air France, Lufthansa and most recently Emirates Airlines. Antinori began his aviation career in 1986 with Air France. In 1997, he moved to Lufthansa as Vice president for Southern and Western Europe. In 2000, he was appointed as Executive Vice President of Sales for Lufthansa and member of the Airline Executive Boar. In 2009, he moved to Emirates to become an executive at the middle-eastern carrier. He joined Emirates as Executive Vice President for passenger sales worldwide in October 2011 and was promoted to CCO in June 2013. He held the post of CCO at Emirates for six years.  At Qatar Airways, Antinori has responsibility for a broad range of departments including the Worldwide Sales, Corporate Planning, Partnerships, Loyalty, Revenue Management, Call Centres and Discover Qatar in addition to the global Ground Services portfolio.

Topic: Qatar Airways - Experience the Exceptional
On Stage: Doha, Qatar

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Leading Global Travel Trade Market Development, MICE, Sport and ESport at Qatar Tourism

Phil Dickinson

Phil is a highly accomplished travel industry executive with over 30 years of experience. He currently heads both the International Markets and MICE departments for Qatar Tourism, where he leads a team of market managers, international in-market representation offices, and regional managers responsible for global travel trade sales and marketing, cruise, MICE, and sport development. Throughout his career, Phil has held senior management positions with prominent industry players including international airlines like Gulf Air and Qantas, luxury hotels such as Sandals & Beaches Resorts and Jumeirah Group, bed banks such as Hotelbeds, and tourism boards in the Bahamas, Namibia, and Qatar. With extensive experience and a proven track record of commercial success, Phil is widely recognized as a leading authority in travel and tourism. He has lived and worked in multiple countries, including the UK, US, Caribbean, and Middle East, and has gained a deep understanding of diverse cultures and business environments.

Topic: Welcome to Qatar -a  destination of its ownO
On Stage: Doha, Qatar

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CEO, Promtur Panama

Fernando Fondevila

Fernando Fondevila brings over 25 years of experience in the tourism sector, including various positions at Copa Airlines. As Regional Commercial Manager for North America, he successfully launched new destinations and collaborated with tourism authorities. Fernando is renowned for promoting Panama as a leading tourist destination and implementing effective sales strategies. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and has been appointed to the Regional Advisory Council, strengthening PCMA's presence in Latin America. As CEO of PROMTUR Panama, Fernando plays an important role in driving the growth and promotion of Panama's tourism industry.

Topic: Perspectives on Panama’s reaction to new (leisure and corporate) travel trends and how you adapt your offer and market approach to these

On stage: Keynote Speaker in Panama.

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Global Account Management, Amadeus

Gabriele Grossetête

Gabriele joined Amadeus in July 1989 and worked in financial controlling until
1996. Since 1996 and onwards Gabriele works as an Account Manager, first in Amadeus Germany. In 2003 and for 10 years, Gabriele became the Global Account Manager for LCCi Gabriele relocated to Amadeus SAS France in Nov 2015 and continues in her role as a Global Account Manager for Amadeus strategic customers.
Gabriele has 3 grown up girls and she is a grandmother of 2 girls.

Topic: AI – Technology shaping the future of Travel 
On Stage: Keynote Speaker  in Doha.

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Vice President Commercial Singapore, Malaysia & Philippines, Travel Sellers representing all Amadeus Business Units.

Andy Michael Lim

Andy Michaels Lim is a well-known industry veteran with over 20 years of dedication towards technology excellence and digital transformation of the travel industry. Andy started his career in management consulting and was an Associate Director at Pannell Kerr Forster (PKF), during which he consulted, restructured and trained over 40 travel and hospitality companies in the Asia Pacific Region. He then joined the Qi Group as General Manager, Travel & Hospitality and subsequently built Bonvo Travel from scratch, establishing 3 business lines; Corporate Travel Management, Channel Sales (Leisure) and MICE in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. In 2015, Andy joined Westminster CTM Travel (listed in the ASX as the CTM group) in Singapore as their General Manager and managed the corporate travel programmes of corporations on a local and regional basis. For the past 8 years with Amadeus, Andy has taken on a number of different roles including managing Global TMCs in APAC and Business Travel Agencies in Greater China & South-East Asia. Currently, Andy is the Vice President responsible for the commercial relationships of travel sellers in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Topic: AI – Technology shaping the future of Travel 
On stage: Keynote Speaker in Bangkok

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Regional Manager LATAM, Amadeus

Olga Contreras

Olga Contreras has 28 years of experience in Sales and Account Management at GDS companies; the last 12 years working for Amadeus, managing strategic and global accounts including the largest and most important customers at a regional level.
Passionate about promoting the use of technology and advocate the innovative company’s products, helping customers transform and build what is next for their business making them more productive and collaborative by driving automation for better performance in timing and operating costs.

Topic: AI – Technology shaping the future of Travel 
On stage: Keynote Speaker in Panama

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Regional Director Eurasia & Asia, AERTiCKET

Aykut Orman

 Aykut Orman, a Tourism & Travel professional with strong business acumen that he developed during his wide range of minor to senior roles in Hospitality, GDS, Consolidation & Networking and Retail Travel Agency business areas over 25+ years of work experiences. Since February 2020 he is working for AERTiCKET as Regional Director responsible for Eurasia, Asia and Middle East. His focus is Customer and Trade Partner relations, forming and maintaining sustainable commercial and business cooperations and supporting Global Operation team on improvement of content competitiveness and quality. 

With over 100 own IATA agencies worldwide, AERTiCKET has access to air fares in all relevant BSP markets and has full 24/7 access to all bookings to meet all customer SLAs. AERTiCKET offers a booking platform and an API connection accessing +100 BSP markets as well as +60 NDC and other direct connections to airlines, Amadeus NDCX, Sabre NDC, Lowcost and train. Both provide self-servicing functionalities and latest technology such as Amadeus Smart Search and Sabre Global Shopping.

Topic: Travel Retailing 2.0 and the Future of NDC - Opportunities for your LCC corporate business`
On stage: Keynote Speaker in Panama and Bangkok

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VP International & Online Sales, AERTiCKET

Michael Schwarz

Michael Schwarz has been working in leading positions in AERTiCKET Group for more than 20 years. As VP International & Online Sales he is heading International Sales since more than 9 years. In July 2023, all international customer businesses for the AERTiCKET Group were transferred to the newly established “Global Ticket Factory – powered by AERTiCKET”! Michael’s business experience includes management positions in sales, marketing and public relations with leading travel agencies, tour operators and GDS, including Lufthansa City Center in the mid 1990s.

With over 100 own IATA agencies worldwide, AERTiCKET has access to air fares in all relevant BSP markets and has full 24/7 access to all bookings to meet all customer SLAs. AERTiCKET offers a booking platform and an API connection accessing +100 BSP markets as well as +60 NDC and other direct connections to airlines, Amadeus NDCX, Sabre NDC, Lowcost and train. Both provide self-servicing functionalities and latest technology such as Amadeus Smart Search and Sabre Global Shopping.

Topic: Travel Retailing 2.0 and the Future of NDC - Opportunities for your LCC corporate business
On stage: Keynote Speaker in Doha

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Senior Director Sales Middle-East, North-Africa & Turkiye @ Lufthansa Group

Serkan Guerguen

Serkan Guerguen is currently serving as the Senior Director of Sales at Lufthansa Group Airlines for the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey) region. With a career spanning over a decade, he brings a wealth of experience to the role. Since joining Lufthansa Group Airlines in 2009, he embarked on a remarkable journey that has taken him on diverse leadership positions in the commercial sector, both at home in Germany and through international assignments. In July 2021, he assumed the pivotal responsibility of leading the MENAT region, where he has been instrumental in shaping a dynamic and customer-focused team and offer design. Together with his team he is dedicated to curating sustainable offers and customer-centric flight patterns as well as product offerings that not only enhance the customer experience but also contribute to the region's development. By harnessing Lufthansa Group's resources, he is committed in driving positive change while providing an exceptional journey for guests and B2B customers who choose Lufthansa Group Airlines. As a forward-looking leader, he strives to synergize passion for aviation with strategic insights, fostering a future where air travel is not only efficient and seamless but also responsible and eco-conscious.

Topic: Onboard with Lufthansa Group Airlines: Closer Connections Take Flight

on stage: Keynote Speaker Doha, Qatar 

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Senior Director Sales USA, Eastern United States and Leisure Sales, Lufthansa Group​ 

Silke Wobken

Silke Wobken is the Senior Director Sales for the United States – Eastern U.S. and Leisure Sales – for the Lufthansa Group Airlines. Beginning on June 1st, 2021, and based in New York, Wobken oversees the Group’s corporate and agency sales for the entire East Coast of the United States and is responsible for all U.S. leisure sales. Furthermore, she is currently leading a project focusing on Lufthansa Group’s sustainability efforts in the USA.  Ms. Wobken brings with her nearly 20 years of business experience. Wobken shifted to the position of Director of Sales for North Germany, Lufthansa Group, in 2016. Here, Ms. Wobken was responsible for the commercial development of the corporate portfolio and securing business with major Travel Management Companies and travel agencies in Northern Germany. She also served on the advisory board for Lufthansa City Center International. Most recently, Silke Wobken assumed the global position of Senior Director Sales, North Africa, Near East and Turkey for the Lufthansa Group. Here, she was responsible for the commercial development of 12 countries. Ms. Wobken holds a degree in International Business and Management Studies from the Hanzehogeschool Groningen in the Netherlands. At Helia Business Polytechnic in Finland, she enrolled in a double degree program, which earned her a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration. 

Topic: Lufthansa Keynote
On stage:  in Panama 

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Co-Founder and CEO, Travelin.ai

Roy Golden

Topic: Genz & Millennials Perspectives and Benefits for TMCs & Customers
On stage:  in Panama 

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Ms. Narmonrath Seenalasataporn (Senior Account Manager) Ms. Pattanee Bavonratanavech (Country Manager Thailand & Myanmar)

Ms. Pattanee Bavonratanavech (Country Manager Thailand & Myanmar) and Ms. Narmonrath Seenalasataporn (Senior Account Manager)

Topic: Qatar Airways Speech
On stage:  in Bangkok

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General Manager Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Mekong Area, Lufthansa German Airlines

Anh-Tu (Anlee) Van Doo

Anh-Thu Van Do (Anlee) is an avid and energetic airline professional with more than 15 years of experience in the passenger airline business. Prior to her career, she graduated from Central Queensland University (Australia) with a marketing degree and then graduated from the Executive MBA program of Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) with the specialization in Aviation Management. Besides being an aviation enthusiast, she is also very well acquainted and passionate about the South East Asia region. Anlee began her aviation career as a management trainee in the International Airlines Professional program in Frankfurt, Germany.  From there, she continued her career path in many Southeast Asian cities, starting off as a Marketing and PR Executive in Ho Chi Minh City. Next, she moved on to Bangkok, assuming the position of Marketing Manager Thailand & Mekong Region. After spending almost 5 years there, she continued her journey to Singapore, working as a Digital Performance Analyst and later as an Online Sales Manager for APAC. Her last role brought her back home to Vietnam, acting as Country Manager. Since 1st September 2022, Lufthansa Group is happy to welcome her back to Bangkok for the second time. With her broad commercial and regional experience, Anlee will continue driving success in this thriving region

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LCC Speakers on stage

Commercial Director, Good Travel Management Lufthansa City Center Business Travel, UK

Laury Busby


Commercial Director, Good Travel Management, heading up the sales and account management teams. TTV £40m in the UK, recently acquired Wexas Travel Management. Part of the John Good Group, a 6th Generation family business. Previously worked at Gray Dawes (Radius network partner), HRG and Flight Centre.

on stage: Regional Meeting EMEA, Doha
Topic: Corporate Panel

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MD; ATPI Hamburg Lufthansa City Center Business Travel, Gemany

Momme Schröder

Momme started his career back in 1993 as Hotel Business Trainee Hotel Hafen Hamburg. Then he started his Business Administration Studies in Lüneburg until 2000. In 2001, he started t Hamburg Süd Reisegantur LCC as Account Management, Sales, OBT, was promoted in 2008 to Corporate Department Lead and then, in 2017, took over as Managing Director

Since 2001 /ATPI Hamburg / Managing Directoron stage: Regional Meeting EMEA, Doha
Topic: Corporate Panel

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MD, Ask2Travel Lufthansa City Center, Greece

Agis Anastasiou

Agis Anastasiou is the Vice President of Ask2Travel and serves on its board of directors. He is responsible for all of the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Ask2Travel’s marketing & sales activities. He also plays a key role in Ask2Travel’s continued development of strategic distribution and supplier relationships, ensuring competitiveness in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace. Simultaneously to joining Ask2Travel, Agis is the Managing Director of Ahead RM and is responsible for the global expansion of the Entrada travel reservation platform. Previous to his work at Ask2Travel and Ahead RM, Agis was the Managing Director of Lino, 2D & 3D integrated printing solutions distributor in the South-East Mediterranean region. Agis has also spent 3 years with Xeikon, as Sales Manager in the Romanian market and head of Marketing in the South-East Mediterranean region. Agis earned an MSC from Surrey University in International Business Management and BSCeng in Information and Communication Systems Engineering from the Aegean University. Born in Athens, Greece.

on stage: Regional Meeting EMEA, Doha
Topic: Corporate Panel

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GM, LCC Khimji's House of Travel Lufthansa City Center Business Travel, Oman , LCC Khimji Tourism Dubai , and tripsnstay.com

Cashio Vettom

Cashio Vettom looks back on an experience spanning over 25 years  plus in the GCC, Cashio possesses a profound understanding of the intricacies and demands of the region's dynamic business landscape. The journey commenced with Oman’s LCC Khimji’s House of Travel. Today, it provides diverse travel solutions , serving leisure , corporate and Destination Management needs boasting a workforce exceeding 100 members. Moving forward, Cashio’s visionary drive gave rise to LCC Khimji Tourism Dubai, the DMC wing for UAE. He strongly believes that " Enforcing belief , the organization invested in technology to establish tripsnstay.com a global booking marketplace fully conceptualized and designed inhouse . Khimjicorp.com was then launched , an all-inclusive corporate booking tool focusing on enhancing the ease for corporate travel counsellors . Khimjiconnect.com  was the third portal set into motion which was purely a b2b platform for aironly products . Today tripsnstay has established it’s operational headquarters  and Europe Beyond his professional accomplishments. 

on stage: Regional Meeting EMEA, Doha
Topic: Corporate Panel

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MD, Reisebüro Wüst Lufthansa City Center, Germany

Carsten Wüst

on stage: Regional Meeting EMEA, Doha
Topic: Branding and Online Success Panel

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Office Manager, Reynolds Travel Lufthansa City Center Business Travel, South Africa

Kirsty Hutchinson

on stage: Regional Meeting EMEA, Doha
Topic: Branding and Online Success Panel

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Owner, Il Viaggio Lufthansa City Center, Italy

Ico Inanc

on stage: Regional Meeting EMEA, Doha
Topic: New Work Impulse Speech

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MD, etravel Lufthansa City Center Business Travel, Poland

Marian Szypula

on stage: Regional Meeting EMEA, Doha
Topic: AI Panel

digital marketer at Tifa Travels Lufthansa City Center, Nigeria

Allwell Agwu-Okoro

on stage: Regional Meeting EMEA, Doha
Topic: AI Panel

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Vice President of Account Management with Safe Harbors Business Travel, Lufthansa City Center Business Travel USA

Tamara Mahkovec

Tamara Mahkovec currently holds the position of Vice President of Account Management with Safe Harbors Business Travel.  In her role, she is responsible for leading the Account Management team as well as partnering with Operations to ensure excellent customer service. 

With over 30 years of experience in a variety of travel management roles, Tamara brings industry experience and client driven solutions to Safe Harbor’s clients.  Prior to Safe Harbors, Tamara held positions as VP of Client Relations and Operations Manager at Travel Destinations Management Group. She is an active member of Global Business Travel Association, currently serving on the Risk Management Committee for that organization. 

Tamara holds a degree in Travel/Tourism Management from Johnson and Wales University.

on stage: Regional Meeting The Americas, Panama City
Topic: Corporate Impulse Speech

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President of Safe Harbors Business Travel, Lufthansa City Center Business Travel USA

Jay Ellenby

As president of Safe Harbors Business Travel, in Bel Air, MD, Jay has used his extensive knowledge of the travel industry to build the company into a leader in corporate travel management.

As a keen observer and often quoted industry leader, Jay has promoted a hybrid approach of high touch customer service with a high level of technology. His vision and overall understanding of the needs of travelers has brought multiple levels of technologies and solutions coupled with a highly trained staff. Jay is also a collaborative communicator focused on building sustainable relationships with clients and strategic partners.

In addition to multiple industry board positions including former ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors) Chair, Jay participates on the boards of many non-profit, economic development, and sports organizations.

on stage: Regional Meeting The Americas, Panama City
Topic: Corporate Impulse Speech

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Onwer LCC TT Operadora

Pablo Bernhard

on stage: Regional Meeting The Americas, Panama City
Topic: New Work

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Managing Director, LCC Hover Tours International

Matias Perez Baranzelli

on stage: Regional Meeting The Americas, Panama City
Topic: Branding

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Owner, LCC Veena World, India

Sunila Patil

Ms. Sunila Patil is an accomplished figure in the travel industry with over 25 years of experience. She co-founded Veena World, where she serves as Chief Product Officer and Chief Networking Officer. Sunila also spearheads the Group Tour Products, Customized Holidays, MICE, and India Inbound divisions at Veena World. She embarked on her path with a Master's Degree in Physiotherapy with a specialization in Neurology. Travel was always her passion, which, in her early stages of career, made her juggle time working with a hospital in Mumbai and also with a tourism company. Her love for travel was further ignited during her one-and-a-half-year tenure as a research scholar in London, courtesy of the Dr. P. N. Berry Scholarship. Sunila's career took her to cities like Pune and Bengaluru, where she expanded markets and set up offices from scratch. In Bengaluru, she furthered her education with an Executive General Management Programme at IIM Bengaluru.

With a globetrotter's spirit, she has explored more than 75 countries. She has also been a successful tour manager including on an Antarctica expedition too, showcasing her diverse expertise. Sunila Patil's impressive achievements include the French Ambassador's Diamond Award for itinerary planning and design. She is also India's first and only Aussie Specialist Ambassador, promoting Australia as a destination. Her influence extends beyond Veena World, as she is quite a popular and respected personality within the travel fraternity.

She shares her insights on travel and life through Veena World's podcast series, including ‘Travel Explore Celebrate’, co-hosted with Neil Patil. She also hosts and participates in Veena World's popular Marathi language podcasts. To further her knowledge, Sunila recently completed an on-campus Executive Education programme at the Wharton Business School, The University of Pennsylvania, USA, focusing on Scaling Business for Profitable Growth. With her multifaceted experiences and expertise, she continues to be a prominent figure in the travel industry. 

on stage: Regional Meeting APAC, Bangkok
Topic: The rise of the Indian Traveller

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Managing Director, LCC China Comfort, China

Liqun Zhao

Liqun Zha0

After graduating from the German Language and Literature study in 1990, Liqun joined China Comfort Travel. In the following years, he started his career in tourism industry as a German-speaking tour guide, then he became a destination agency for some of renowned German tour organizers at China Comfort Travel, In 2008, he established Shanghai DeuSha Convention and Exhibition Services Co., Ltd.. In 2009 he founded LCC China Comfort in Shanghai 

on stage: Regional Meeting APAC, Bangkok
Topic: The rise of the Chinese Traveller

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Managing Director, LCC Travac Business Travel, Switzerland

Philippe Zbinden

on stage: Regional Meeting APAC, Bangkok
Topic: New Work and GenZ

Chief Marketing Officer, LCC Borneo Trails, Malaysia

Tan Kok Liang

Tan Kok Liang who holds a Masters in Tourism from University of Toulouse, France and a Chartered Accountant by training, started his career in the travel industry in 1990.  Tan Kok Liang is also a Certified Hotel Administrator. Apart from his involvement in the travel industry, he is also a Partner of a firm of Chartered Accountants. He was the elected President of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) and had served  3 full  terms from 2017 to 2023.

He is currently the Director of several tourism businesses that has won prestigious state and national tourism awards for service excellence over the years.                              

 In 2018, he was the award recipient of Tourism Promotion Organisation (TPO) Best Award – Best Tourism Industry Leader, in recognition of his valuable contribution to the development of the tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region. The award was conferred by Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities, an international organization established in 2002 with the blessing of the 5th Asian-Pacific City Summit. During his tenure as MATTA President, Datuk Tan’s goals were  focused on creating better business opportunities for MATTA members and equipping them to face challenges in a fast evolving business environment. His commitment and hard work earned him the HAPA ( in collaboration) with Taylor’s  University) Elite Entrepreneur of the Year 2023/2024 Icon of Hospitality & Tourism. He has made representations to the Government on behalf of the private sector to invigorate the tourism industry. Amongst the issues raised were the granting of visa-free entry to China and India nationals to boost arrivals, funding and incentives for digital marketing, tax incentives for inbound tour operators, upgrading of tourist vehicles, capping of domestic airfares to encourage domestic tourism and raising concerns of safety and security challenges affecting the tourism industry. As MATTA President, Tan has instituted several key initiatives to further drive inbound tourism to Malaysia such as setting up the Malaysia-based online booking engine (mattaonline.travel) and initiating aggressive overseas promotions to China, India, UK, Europe and ASEAN. He has also initiated several collaboration agreements between MATTA and other national travel associations from  Indonesia, Philippines,  Uzbekistan, Bosnia Herzegovina,  India,  Saudi  Tourism, Czech Republic, Finland and Poland

Office Manager a LCC Citystate Travel Singapore

Albert Ho

Albert Ho is Managing Director of CITYSTATE Travel Pte Ltd and has worked in the travel industry for 47 years including roles with airlines and travel agencies in Canada and Singapore. He has led his company to become one of the largest travel agencies in Singapore specialising in corporate travel management, meetings & events, educational groups, and flight charters. It is also a leading cruise retail agency representing major global cruise brands.  

 

Albert is actively engaged in industry air transport issues in NATAS (National Association of Travel Agents, Singapore) where he served as Chairman Air Transport from 2008 to 2019. He is also a long-serving council member of the IATA Agency Program Joint Council (APJC-SG) since 2008.  His hobby includes golfing and cycling. He has an MBA from University of Strathclyde UK, and a BBA from RMIT University, Australia.

on stage: Regional Meeting APAC, Bangkok
Topic: Corporate Panel/ Interview

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Managing Director, LCC Diethelm Travel Thailand

Stefan Bruns

on stage: Regional Meeting APAC, Bangkok
Topic: Welcome to Thailand - a destination of its own

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