Once in a lifetime…do you have what it takes to launch a new travel brand?
Do you have an entrepreneurial itch? Ever fantasised about starting your own travel firm? Well now is your chance…read on to find out more.
For two days in May, four teams of four will have the opportunity to put their collective insights, experience and expertise together to see if they can come up with a viable business proposition for the travel industry.
If this sounds like a tall order, it is. In this highly competitive business not only do you need to know exactly what the consumer wants, you also need to understand whether travel suppliers will be willing to pay for it. "Uniquely in our business many travel companies have to serve the traveller but get paid by the travel supplier," explains Tim Gunstone, managing director of EyeforTravel which is sponsoring the event with Lastminute.com.
The competition to create a brand new travel business will take place at the same time as the EyeforTravel Travel Distribution Summit in London from May 23-24. After being briefed by well-known innovation experts, the teams will have the opportunity to network with over 300 online savvy travel suppliers from brands like easyJet, Thomas Cook, Lastminute.com and Hilton WorldWide. "This is a unique event because we have people attending from every corners of the industry and across all the travel sectors. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," says Gunstone. After all, every new business needs knowledge and this requires researching the market thoroughly. "We're offering teams the chance to achieve all this in the space of 48 hours, which would be impossible to achieve in any other scenario."
After two days of intense meetings, briefings and brainstorming, the teams will present their business idea to an audience. Since serial travel investors are often present, the idea may even become a reality and you may find yourself heading up a brand new company. On the other hand you may just choose to walk away with hundreds of new contacts and a great experience.
There are no restrictions on who can apply. "If anything we're looking for as wide a range of people and skills as possible," says Gunstone. Anybody from college graduates to high-level executives and retired industry experts will be considered.
The winner walks away with hundreds of vital contacts, a proven idea and pots of PR. What are you waiting for? Fill out the online application today
About Reuters Events
Reuters Events is a community where the world’s top online travel brands – from hotels to airlines, online travel agents, cruise, car hire firms and more – come to meet to drive forward growth and innovation in the industry.
We know that working in the turbulent online travel industry is as exciting as it is challenging. In this constantly evolving market place, we appreciate that keeping up with the pace of change can be tough, not to mention time consuming. You need the right information, contacts and strategic insight to succeed.
Established in 1997, by Tim Gunstone, we offer a diverse product portfolio including industry analysis, insights, research, webinars, reports and conferences to suit the needs of our clients.
Our clients read as a who’s who of online travel. From major hotel brands to new startups, we help our 80,000 strong customer base make better decisions, build better brands, close the most lucrative deals and ultimately sell more of their product. After all, increasing travel brand profit margins in the cutthroat travel industry is the name of the game!
No other online travel intelligence provider has been charting the growth of online travel as long as we have. We were here at the inception of online travel and we know the industry inside out. What’s more, we’re a small, friendly team. Forget impersonal hierarchies, we like to get to know our customers and work towards their exact needs.