The IATA AGM is a premier event in the aviation industry, bringing together influential leaders, industry experts, and stakeholders from around the globe. This year’s event promises to be a platform for engaging discussions, collaborative initiatives, and insightful sessions that shape the future of aviation.

As a trusted source of industry news, analysis, and thought leadership, Aviation-Event will be actively engaged throughout the event, providing comprehensive coverage, interviews, and highlights from the IATA AGM. With a dedicated team of aviation professionals, the platform aims to offer its readers an in-depth understanding of the key discussions, trends, and
innovations shaping the industry.

Aviation-Event’s presence at the IATA AGM 2023 will facilitate valuable networking opportunities with industry professionals, decision-makers, and experts. The team will be actively seeking out engaging conversations, exploring emerging trends, and capturing the pulse of the aviation community.

Marcel Riwalsky, CEO, Aviation-Event, stated: “We are thrilled to participate in the IATA AGM 2023, one of the most significant events in the aviation calendar.” Our goal is to provide our readers with unparalleled coverage and insights into the discussions and developments happening at the AGM. We look forward to connecting with industry leaders and contributing to the dialogue that shapes the future of aviation.”

Aviation-Event is a leading media platform dedicated to providing the latest news, analysis, and insights in the aviation industry. With a team of passionate aviation professionals, the platform aims to promote thought leadership, foster dialogue, and connect the global aviation community. Through its website, social media channels, and events, Aviation-Event delivers valuable content to a diverse audience of industry professionals, and decision-makers.

The article Aviation-Event participates in IATA AGM 2023, showcasing industry insights and thought leadership first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.

“We look forward to gathering the aviation industry in Dubai for the 80th IATA AGM in 2024. Dubai is a dynamic city and a major aviation hub connecting the world. The UAE’s positive approach to aviation has built a strong airline with a strong hub airport. Together, these make an enormously powerful and positive contribution to the society and economy of the UAE. Holding the AGM in Dubai will be a showcase of what can be achieved by aviation with supportive government policies and decisions,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

“Emirates is delighted to host the 80th IATA AGM and World Air Transport Summit. We look forward to welcoming all our aviation industry colleagues to Dubai in 2024,” said Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline.

The decision to host the 80th IATA AGM was made by the 79th AGM in Istanbul.

This will be the first time the UAE and Dubai will host the global gathering of aviation’s top leaders.

The article Emirates to host 80th IATA AGM in Dubai​ first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.

“Business event professionals are looking to provide innovative experiences that break the mold for meetings and drive lasting results with their event attendees and clients,” said Tammy Routh, Senior Vice President, Global Sales, Marriott International. “Consumer patterns, behaviors, and motivators are constantly evolving, and we are excited to provide insights our customers have been asking for through this new research.”

During the research process, Marriott, PCMA and CEMA conducted more than 60 one-on-one interviews. Each interview was followed by a series of global roundtables with experts and thought leaders in experience design, who assessed how these trends should be integrated into event strategies. The research, conducted by Storycraft Labs, was synthesized into six guiding principles intended to drive experience innovation for years to come:

• Exploring Identities: Humans seek the ability to find their own individualized uniqueness but also to find where they overlap with others. These intersections are fundamental to one’s ability to connect and emphasize a need for connection to local communities. The role of the event designer will be to reimagine networking and create an environment where people feel open enough to stretch their minds and fully participate.
• Architecting Choice: Audiences desire choice and want to be involved in selecting the various pathways available to them. They also want adequate support and resources to make clear and informed choices. These tools, when leveraged effectively, can help audiences reduce complexity and make confident, informed decisions. To develop the user experience, event strategists need to understand the problem they’re solving for from the perspective of the audience. Asking the audience why they are coming to an event may be a step in the right direction.
• Designing for Belonging: A sense of belonging for attendees should be a central mission for the experiences that event strategists create. When all audiences are able to participate as they are and feel included for who they are, they can have more positive and impactful experiences. Event strategists need to design events for inclusion, considering different abilities and varying needs related to mental health. As part of Marriott International’s commitment to belonging, Marriott has collaborated with the Google Experience Institute (XI) on The Neu Project to enable more neuro-inclusive meetings and events.
• Value of Values: Audiences search for experiences that provide value beyond the dollar, prioritizing elements like sustainability, inclusion, hybrid channels, community engagement, time and uniqueness. Distinct offerings and value propositions continue to be crucial in meeting audience needs. For the time-conscious, the virtual-hybrid experience will remain essential to be connected to their communities wherever they are.
• Emotional Data: Understanding the emotional state of participants is key to driving loyalty and decision making. Event strategists need to discover how to leverage emotional data, measure it consistently and analyze it effectively. Audience segmentation tools use personalization to create dialogue and encourage preference sharing. When used pre-event as a vehicle for experience design, they can demonstrate how the emotional data collected has been used to create better experiences for the audience.
• Power of Play: The process of playing with something, breaking it apart and putting it back together creates opportunities for ideation and collaboration. Developments in AI are opening new avenues for experimenting and playing with new tech tools that can facilitate connection. Event designers may want to create play-first spaces that celebrate testing and experimentation to help audiences better understand new ideas and synthesize learnings.

“Our ongoing relationship with Marriott International further underscores our commitment to deliver innovative education and resources for business event strategists around the world,” said Sherrif Karamat, CAE, President and CEO, PCMA and CEMA. “We’re proud of this work, and hope the insights gathered from the report help drive engagement, build community and foster better business relationships.”

This year’s THE EXCHANGE: Association Masters Customer Conference theme, “Step Beyond,” was centered on breaking away from the traditional and embracing the shift toward meaningful event experiences, bringing together 750 association meeting professionals, as well as Marriott executives and sales professionals.

The three-day event highlighted Marriott’s innovative approaches to social impact and inclusion, food and beverage design and sustainability with educational and informative talks. Marriott speakers included Anthony Capuano, President and Chief Executive Officer, David S. Marriott, Chairman of the Board, Drew Pinto, Chief Revenue & Technology Officer, Tammy Routh, Senior Vice President, Global Sales, and Julius Robinson, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, U.S. and Canada, among others. Attendees also participated in experiential activations designed to educate and communicate the intention of each of the report’s guiding principles. Following these experiential activations, attendees went to a lab where they conducted exercises to synthesize these trends and discuss how they can be applied to future meetings and events.

Further activations at Marriott International and PCMA/CEMA events around the world throughout the remainder of this year will be used as case studies, with a final report on “Guiding Principles in Experience Design” to be released in early 2024. The study will also be featured at PCMA EduCon, June 25-28, 2023 in Montreal, and CEMA Summit, August 6-8, 2023, in Salt Lake City.

The article Marriott International, PCMA and CEMA release “Guiding Principles in Experience Design” findings first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.

Reduction of problematic single use plastics products (SUPP) and improving the circularity in the use of plastics by the industry is the initial focus of the partnership as UNEP leads global efforts to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, by the end of 2024.

Making aircraft cabins more sustainable is a priority for airlines and their passengers. The complex and asymmetrical regulatory environment, however, often poses an obstacle by preventing circular economy best practices. In the absence of a global approach, differing regulations at both ends of a journey severely limit the actions that airlines can take.

IATA advocates for a simplified and harmonized regulatory environment that would enable a reduction in plastic utilization and greater reuse, and recycling of cabin waste, including plastics, where they are needed. To this end, the partnership will step-up IATA’s engagement with UNEP to ensure that aviation’s unique challenges and opportunities are represented in the upcoming international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution.

Already, IATA and UNEP are working on joint guidance on Re-thinking Plastics in Aviation. This comprehensive resource will encompass an overview of regulations, guidance on SUPP replacement, and recommended best practices for both industry and regulators.

“World Environment Day reminds us that sustainability is our number one global challenge. Formalizing IATA’s longstanding collaboration with UNEP will help airlines move even faster on improving the sustainability of the aircraft cabin. It’s critical that we achieve a harmonized global regulatory framework to enable airlines to implement more comprehensive and common circular economic solutions in all markets. For example, currently our hands are tied with outdated regulations focused on incineration rather than reuse and recycling. Modernizing that will be a big step forward for sustainability,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s SVP Sustainability and Chief Economist.

“UNEP is looking forward to working with IATA, to helping the industry transition to net zero, reduce food waste and move away from SUPP. The aviation industry can also help by raising awareness among passengers and staff, and ensure that all stakeholders of the aviation value chain are engaged, and most importantly act in a joined-up way to end plastic pollution,” said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division.

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, only nine percent is recycled, with the pollution it generates making it extremely urgent that global action is taken.

Under this partnership, IATA and UNEP also plan to work together on knowledge sharing, guidance and networking in other key sustainability challenges including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), sustainable finance, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation including preventing wildlife trafficking and sustainable tourism.

The article IATA and UNEP to address key environmental challenges in aviation including single-use plastics first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.

• Inspirational Role Model: Poppy Khoza – Director of Civil Aviation, South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA)
• High Flyer: Camila Turrieta – Chair of the Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion Committee, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and First Officer, JetBlue Airways
• Diversity & Inclusion Team: Virgin Atlantic Airways

“In their fourth year, the IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards play an important role in recognizing the work done by those who go above and beyond in engraining diversity and inclusion in the aviation industry. Through breaking taboos to introducing innovations and changing the status quo, this year’s winners exemplify the true nature of the industry: resilience, persistence and unhindered motivation to drive change,” said Karen Walker, Editor in Chief, Air Transport World and chair of the judging panel.

The other members of the judging panel include the winners of the 2022 awards: Güliz Öztürk, CEO, Pegasus Airlines; Kanchana Gamage, Founder and Director of the Aviatrix Project, and Alina Aronberga, SVP Human Resources, airBaltic.

“I congratulate the winners of the 2023 awards. By their example, they are leading the way to a gender balanced aviation industry. They have pushed boundaries to demonstrate that diversity and inclusion is fundamental to business success. Congratulations to three truly inspirational winners. Women are still under-represented in aviation, but with the help and example of these and previous award winners, we are making progress,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

Qatar Airways is the sponsor of the Diversity & Inclusion Awards for the fifth consecutive year. Each winner receives a prize of $25,000, payable to the winner in each of the categories or to their nominated charities.

The 2023 IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards were presented during the World Air Transport Summit (WATS) which followed the 79th IATA Annual General Meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Profiles
Inspirational Role Model: Poppy Khoza – Director of Civil Aviation, South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA)

The international respect for Poppy Khoza was evident in her unanimous election to serve as President for the 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization in 2022. She was the first ever woman to hold that role in ICAO’s 78-year history.

At SACAA, Khoza’s work focuses on providing equal opportunities for women and she has led the transformation of the organization which now boasts women in 50% of executive roles. In her work, Khoza spares no effort in mentoring and coaching other women to challenge the status quo and create a more gender balanced aviation industry.

She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Aviation Sector and Regional Leader Award, Best Chief Executive Officer Award (2015 and 2018). She was also named the Business Leader of the Year during the annual Oliver Empowerment Awards (2018).

High Flyer: Camila Turrieta – Chair of the Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion Committee, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and First Officer, JetBlue Airways

At ALPA, Turrieta is the voice for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives for the Association’s 63,000 pilots at 40 airlines. She leads ALPA’s efforts to use gender inclusive terms, expand the Association’s anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policy to promote an environment of inclusiveness in the piloting profession. This led to the FAA requesting her assistance in creating an inclusive culture through positive regulatory changes within the aviation sector.

Camila is a leader and mentor through her work with non-profit affinity organizations such as the Latino Pilots Association, Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, Women in Aviation, and the International Society of Women Airline Pilots which have the common goal of promoting the piloting profession to underrepresented and marginalized communities.

All this led Camila to receive the President’s Call to Service Award under former US Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama.

Diversity & Inclusion Team: Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways is a true pioneer in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion. To support the refresh of the airline’s “Be Yourself” strategy, the company introduced bold changes which included:

• Revising policies to allow visible tattoos while in uniform,
• Launching the reasonable workplace adjustment policy to ensure its employees with disabilities get the support they need,
• Transforming recruitment to remove barriers by focusing on inclusion and accessibility.

These changes were supported with digital training to create awareness and enable confident conversations among employees on the Be Yourself strategy. As a result of the successful implementation of the Be Yourself strategy, Virgin Atlantic’s internal employee network membership has increased over 120% while the company’s employee engagement scores for inclusion increased by 6 percentage points.

Alongside this, Virgin Atlantic Airways relaunched its pioneering “Passport to Change” program, which aims to address inequity in educational learning within local communities.

The article 2023 winners of IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards announced first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.

“Airlines cannot continue to offer services in markets where they are unable to repatriate the revenues arising from their commercial activities in those markets. Governments need to work with industry to resolve this situation so airlines can continue to provide the connectivity that is vital to driving economic activity and job creation,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

The top five countries account for 68.0% of blocked funds. These comprise:

• Nigeria ($812.2 million)
• Bangladesh ($214.1 million)
• Algeria ($196.3 million)
• Pakistan ($188.2 million)
• Lebanon ($141.2 million)

IATA urged governments to abide by international agreements and treaty obligations to enable airlines to repatriate these funds arising from the sale of tickets, cargo space, and other activities.

The article Blocked airline funds threaten connectivity first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.

The event (4-6 June) attracts the industry’s most senior leaders from among IATA’s more than 300 member airlines, as well as senior government officials, strategic partners, equipment suppliers, and media.

“In a few days, Istanbul will become the aviation capital of the world. Airlines will meet to review the industry’s recovery from COVID-19, to plan the way forward to a more sustainable future, to discuss the opportunities for technology to drive efficiencies from modern retailing to improved facilitation, and to understand the common regulatory challenges they face. Aviation is important. Connecting the world even as geopolitical divides deepen is a vital mission that requires profitable, safe, efficient and sustainable airlines. The outcomes of this AGM must set the direction for even more effective global connectivity,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Pegasus Airlines, and Chair of the IATA Board of Governors Mehmet T. Nane said: “We are enormously proud to be hosting our industry partners in the great city of Istanbul and look forward to welcoming everyone here for the IATA AGM, particularly as we look ahead to our 100th aircraft milestone on the 100th anniversary of Republic of Türkiye later this year. Aviation came together to assist the people of Türkiye to rebuild after the tragic earthquake in February. Now aviation comes together to debate vital issues concerning our pathway to net-zero CO2 in 2050, the diversity of our industry, our operational recovery from the depths of COVID, and many other topics.”

The World Air Transport Summit immediately follows the AGM.

The ever-popular CEO Insights Panel moderated by CNN’s Richard Quest will feature Greg Foran (CEO, Air New Zealand), Yvonne Manzi Makolo (CEO, Rwandair), John W. Dietrich (President and CEO, Atlas Air Worldwide) and Campbell Wilson (CEO and MD, Air India).

In addition to the updated industry economic outlook, key topics to be addressed include:

• A ‘Big Picture’ view of challenges facing the industry with changing energy markets and shifting supply chains
• Aviation’s contribution to Türkiye’s earthquake recovery
• Advances in sustainability
• Learnings from the 2022 operational challenges

A highlight will be the fourth edition of the Diversity and Inclusion Awards sponsored by Qatar Airways. These awards recognize organizations and individuals who are making a difference in helping to drive the industry’s 25by2025 initiative to make the aviation industry more gender balanced.

This will be the second time that the AGM is hosted in Istanbul, which last hosted in 2008. Türkiye is rebounding strongly from the pandemic shut down. In 2022 travel to/from Türkiye increased nearly 60% and it is now the 7th largest international passenger market in the world.

“Since we were last in Istanbul, Türkiye has become an incredible global aviation powerhouse. Its carriers are leading the way in regional and international connectivity, and the magnificent new airport puts some other nations’ lack of airport investment to shame. There’s no doubt that Türkiye’s importance to global aviation will continue to grow significantly,” said Walsh.

Attendance at the AGM is by invitation only. Accredited media are invited to attend but must be pre-registered.

The article Aviation leaders assemble in Istanbul for IATA’s 79th AGM first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.

“This is the only event in the region that puts any attendee in direct contact with cruise executives that can drive business,” said Micky Arison, Chairman, Carnival Corporation & plc.and FCCA.

“We are proud of this event’s continued success for attendees and so many throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Mexico,” said Michele Paige, CEO, FCCA. “The FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show has been the birthplace of everything from new tours to entire destination developments, so we are excited about what this year can bring for our destination partners.”

FCCA will build on the new format focused on one-on-one meetings and workshops that launched last year and featured a record number of one-on-one meetings – with 652 held at the event: 600 between delegates and cruise executives and 52 between cruise company presidents/CEOs and government leaders. Any preregistered delegate can schedule a series of 15-minute meetings with participating executives to pitch their product and receive individualized input, with the FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show being the only event in the region offering this direct contact with cruise executives, and FCCA is also coordinating private meetings for its destination partners.

The agenda is already being penciled in for the event’s main meeting, the Heads of Government Meeting, where Ministers of Tourism will join presidents and above from FCCA Member Lines to discuss issues regarding the region, with it open to any suggested topics. Currently on the table are an increase in summer traffic and passenger/crew spending, better experiences, investment opportunities and development of new ports.

A series of workshops led by cruise executives and experts will also headline the event. While still in planning, one will give the spotlight to attending presidents and above from FCCA Member Lines, and a few have already confirmed attendance:

• Michael Bayley, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean International
• David Herrera, President, Norwegian Cruise Line
• Richard Sasso, Chairman, MSC Cruises USA
• Josh Weinstein, President & CEO & Chief Climate Officer, Carnival Corporation & plc

The article FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show continues record-breaking meeting format first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.

Bulgaria Leads High-Level Political Support for Tourism

Ahead of the meeting, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili met with President Rumen Radev and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Galab Donev, accompanied by Minister of Tourism of Bulgaria Ilin Dimitrov, to discuss shared priorities and areas of cooperation.

Prime Minister Donev welcomed the latest UNWTO data which shows Bulgaria is among the fastest recovering of European destinations, with international arrivals in the first quarter of year 27% higher than in 2019.

In recognition of their leadership, President Radev awarded UNWTO Secretary-General Pololikashvili and the Director for Europe Alessandra Priante with the Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius, 1st Class and 2nd Class respectively, at a special ceremony in the Coat of Arms Hall.

The two parties jointly recognized tourism’s importance for driving economic development and strengthening peace and understanding.

The UNWTO delegation welcomed the Bulgarian Government’s work to diversify its tourism sector, with a focus on growing new areas including wellness, health and gastronomy tourism and supporting rural communities.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “European tourism is recovering strongly and on track to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. This is exactly the time to step up our efforts to transform our sector, with a skilled workforce and proper investments vital for making it more resilient, sustainable and inclusive.”

European Members Focus on Key Priorities

High-level delegations representing 40 countries, a historic high participation, including Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Tourism, gathered for the Regional Commission. Member States were given an overview of UNWTO’s work, with a focus on:

• Jobs: UNWTO continues to support the Institutions of the European Union in the context of the European Year of Skills, with the co-implementation phase of the EU Transition Pathway for Tourism now underway to re-skill the tourism workforce of the European Union.
• Education: Members were updated on the creation of a first Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainable Tourism Management, in partnership with the Lucerne University of Applied Arts and Sciences, and to launch a toolkit designed to help make tourism a subject in high schools worldwide.
• Investments: Identified as a key priority for the sector, UNWTO set the stage for World Tourism Day 2023 (27 September) with its theme of ‘Green Investments’, and also looked ahead to the UNWTO Tourism Investment Forum (Yerevan, Armenia, September 2023).
• Sustainability: UNWTO continues to guide global tourism’s climate action efforts, key works include the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (49 signatories to date, with 17 from European countries), and the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism (800+ signatories to date, more than half from Europe).

The UNWTO Regional Director outlined how European Members champion tourism as a driver of resilience and recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic and amid the fragile socio-political situation in the region, caused by the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

Looking Ahead

Adhering to the Organization’s statutory obligations, Members agreed:

• Ukraine will serve as the Chair of the Commission for Europe for the period 2023 to 2025. Greece and Hungary will serve as the Vice Chairs.
• World Tourism Day 2024, to be held around the theme of “Tourism and Peace” will be officially hosted by Georgia.
• The Commission will meet in Uzbekistan this fall for its 69th meeting and in Albania in 2024 for its 70th meeting.

On the eve of the meeting, UNWTO launched the Global Startup Competition for Mega Events and MICE Tourism, with the support of the Government of Uzbekistan and the participation of UEFA, the International Congress and Convention Association, and Mastercard. Finally, following an earlier announcement, UNWTO and Aviareps announced that Albania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Romania and Uzbekistan will be the first five countries to benefit from their collaboration.

The article UNWTO Commission for Europe meets in Sofia first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.

The Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers will be transformed into a huge international knowledge hub for the month. The 6G network, the dams of the future, advances in research into urogenital cancer, blood transfusion and organic and medicinal chemistry will be among the topics discussed at the meeting place.

“Never before has our calendar been so packed with international meetings in June. We are proud to welcome these five prestigious international congresses to our venue,” said Malin Erlandsson, Director Congress & Events at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers.

The events reflect the breadth of current issues that are frequently discussed at the meeting place. They include the EU-sponsored EuCNC & 6G Summit, focusing on the 6G network for a green and digital transition, and the annual meeting of ICOLD, which brings together almost thousands of international delegates to discuss the current state and future of the world’s dams.

Every year, two million people visit the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers, a key part of the Gothenburg’s tourist economy. More than 30 trade fairs are organised annually and nearly 8,000 exhibitors participate in the events. Hundreds of major national and international congresses and events are held every year, and everyone from prominent scientists, royalty, Nobel Prize winners and politicians have taken part in various events hosted at the meeting place over the years. With 1,200 hotel rooms, 40,000 square metres of multi-purpose meeting space and five restaurants, there are opportunities for fantastic holistic experiences right in the heart of the city, with all of Gothenburg’s attractions close by.

The following international congresses taking place in June:

• 6-9 June: EuCNC & 6G Summit, European Conference on Networks and Communications
• 11-15 June: ICOLD, International Commission on Large Dams Annual Meeting
• 17-21 June: ISBT, 33rd Regional ISBT Congress by The International Society of Blood Transfusion
• 27-30 June: 23rd Tetrahedron Symposium
• 30 June – 2 July: UROonco, A meeting steered by the EAU Section on Oncological Urology

The article Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Gothia Towers in Gothenburg celebrates 100 years as a venue first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.