Here’s what went down at the Helloworld Business Travel Summit

Helloworld Business Travel (HWBT) members from across Australia recently wrapped up their two days of conferencing at the 2019 Helloworld Travel combined OMC and Business Summit in Saigon, Vietnam.

Featuring exclusive events and high-profile presenters, the summit brought together the HWBT network with supplier partners and Helloworld staff to share in the latest developments within the division and the business as a whole.

Helloworld CEO and managing director Andrew Burnes and board member Mike Ferraro opened the first morning of the conference, followed by keynote speaker Sergeant Harry Moffitt, who spoke about lessons in communicating objectives and leading teams.

Following the keynote, HWBT members broke out for their corporate-focused Business Summit. David Padman (pictured above), general manager of independent and corporate networks at Helloworld, opened the summit to talk about the evolution of HWBT.

Highlights included business travel trends in 2019, key take-outs from a recent member business sentiment survey, the plan to further leverage the strengths of the network, and HWBT’s unique value proposition.

Attendees also got a first look at some of the new technology available, and in development, for members, including a demonstration of new BI dashboards and the corporate client portal project.

The summit’s keynote speaker, Clare Payne – a leading voice on ethics in society – spoke about the importance of not only building trust, but also being clear what you stand for as a company when it comes to winning and retaining clients.

A panel session with the HWBT Advisory Council provided an opportunity to hear their thoughts around leveraging strengths, changing the conversation with clients and selling value.

Pictured L-R: The Helloworld Business Travel Summit panel discussion featuring Karsten Horn (Reho Travel), Peter Williams (Phil Hoffmann Travel), Peter Hosper (The Travel Authority), Kathryn Sari (Verve Travel) and David Padman (Helloworld Travel).

Sessions focused on what’s ahead for business travel, future proofing and innovation filled the remainder of the two days.

The final day finished up with a presentation from HWBT’s new national sales manager, Sharon Stanley, who outlined what members can expect from her and what she will be focusing on for the next 90 to 100 days – communication, development and getting to know their businesses.

Padman said this year’s summit was a great success, featuring new insights and content focused on development.

“Our Helloworld Business Travel members have many strengths, and the two days of conferencing focused on developing these strengths into real competitive advantage,” he said.

“With Sharon Stanley coming into our team, bringing with her a wealth of industry knowledge and experience, we are excited to take on the year ahead and get the most out of it for our members.”

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