AFTA reveals program for the inaugural Women In Travel Summit

Two people, beautiful woman arriving in modern travel agency and shaking hands with travel agent.

The program for the Women In Travel Summit presented by the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) has been revealed for it’s inaugural year.

The Summit is an all day event that will be held at the Swissôtel Sydney on Monday 13 March is the first function in the 2023 membership calendar and is supported by major sponsor Air New Zealand.

The goal of the Summit is to gather information on how to continue supporting women in travel and the areas for improvement, which will then be detailed in AFTA’s Workforce Report. This report to be released annually will include achievable goals for the industry to work towards to better meet the needs of the majority of its workforce.

“AFTA has selected highly engaging speakers that will inspire all our guests at the first ever Women in Travel Summit in both a professional and personal capacity,” CEO, AFTA, Dean Long, said. “This event is all about supporting AFTA’s ongoing work in enhancing our member experience – both on the day itself and throughout 2023.

“Women represent the bulk of the travel sector workforce, so it’s essential we capture the detail we need from these sessions in the form of first hand feedback from our members on the front lines of post pandemic travel.”

Session 1 will cover how the travel industry can best support women in the workplace, while session 2 explores industry best practice into the future. Issues discussed will include the opportunities for career progression, challenges for women in the workplace, pathways towards flexibility and inspiring the next generation.Session 3 will highlight strategies for professional development with keynote speaker Chelsea Pottenger, the Founder and Director of mental health and wellbeing business EQ Minds. Chelsea is an accredited mindfulness and meditation coach, and an ambassador for mental health charities R U OK? and the Gidget Foundation.Attendees will then have the choice between 2 interactive breakout sessions:

Alpha Confidence – Unlock the secrets to elevating your personal branding and speaking with confidence. Discover how to boost your influence in the workplace, take ownership of your ideas and build your confidence.
Goal Setting and Visualisation – Learn strategies to assist in achieving your goals at work and in your personal life, and develop a toolkit to effectively manage any pressure or feelings of being overwhelmed.

“The insights we gather from the Women in Travel Summit will be used to shape and inform the development and results of our inaugural Workforce Report,” Long said.

The Summit is an exciting time for AFTA and the Australian travel industry as we continue working together toward better outcomes for the amazing people who shape our industry.”

Advertise with us

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

afta Chelsea Pottenger Dean Long Gidget Foundation R U OK? The Australian Federation of Travel Agents