DAY ONE- September 1st 2008

9:00 WELCOME by  Lindiwe Mahlange

CEO Johannesburg Tourism Company

9:15 INTRODUCTION by
Damian Cook  MD
E-Tourism Africa
Tourism in a Web 2.0 World- Setting the Agenda

9:45 ONLINE TOURISM- GLOBAL TRENDS by
Amy Scarth, HEAD OF RESEARCH
EYE FOR TRAVEL
Trends, Key Markets, Research and Projections for the Online Travel Sector.

10:15 ONLINE TRAVEL DISTRIBUTION by
Diego LoFuedo Director for Eastern Med. & Africa
EXPEDIA
Online Travel Sales have now dominated the global tourism market- the World's largest online travel agent discusses how online distribution works, and how you can sell your products online.

10:45 Networking Coffee Break

11:00 BREAKOUT ONE
GETTING YOUR TRAVEL INVENTORY ONLINE
by Theresa Emerick
NIGHTSBRIDGE
How to have your inventory sold and distributed across a range of partner and intermediary tourism websites. 

11:00 BREAKOUT TWO
TOUR OPERATORS ONLINE
by  THOMPSON SOUTH AFRICA
Online tourism has not excluded traditional tour operators, who have evolved and are claiming a growing share of the business. Find out how you can work with them.

11:30
E-MARKETING STRATEGIES
By Rob Stokes CEO
QUIRK
How to use Web 2.0 to spread your marketing message further then ever before- and access, attract and retain the right customers for your business and utilize technology to rethink and reinvent your marketing strategy.
 
12:00 BREAKOUT ONE
DESTINATION MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING
by RICHARD VEAL, MD 
NEW MIND
Marketing and Management Solutions for Tourism Destinations in an Online World. How to manage, maintain and market your tourism resources in an effective and harmonious manner. 

12:00 BREAKOUT TWO
ONLINE MEDIA
by NOW Media
The Web is now viewed by many as a broadcast media channel, and online magazines and publications are now joined by direct webcasting and podcasting as a highly effective and targeted means of communicating to clients and partners.

12:30 LUNCH

1:15
TRAVEL SOCIAL NETWORKING
By Jerome Touze- Co Founder and CEO
WAYN.com
As online social networking becomes an everyday part of life around the globe- what has been the impact on tourism? The Founder of the World's largest Travel Social Network shares his remarkable success story and the way his website has changed the landscape of tourism.
 
2:00
SEARCH MARKETING
By GOOGLE
Search is still the first step in many potential clients travel research and shopping process- and being visible to search engines is still a major problem for many businesses. What is the best way to achieve this, and how can search become a strategic part of your marketing plans?

2:30
ONLINE VIDEO MARKETING
By Anthony Rawlings- MD
Digital Visitor UK
The web is fast becoming a visual medium, and using video to promote your business on the web is easier, faster and cheaper than ever. Find out how you can begin using this powerful marketing tool.

3:00
DIGITAL TELEVISION
By Pierre Van Der Hoven- CEO
SA Direct TV
Digital Television has made this once prohibitively expensive medium affordable and accessible for most tourism businesses. Find out how you can get your products on a new African Travel channel broadcast as part of the SKY TV group.

3:30 Networking Coffee Break

3:45
WEBSITES THAT WORK
By Damian Cook E-Tourism Africa
A review of what makes a successful tourism website- and what makes an unsuccessful one- and how to build, upgrade or replace your own.

4:15
DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT AS PART OF A 360 Degree BRAND STRATEGY
By David Kaye
Technology Evangelist
Developing a complete marketing strategy that uses technology to support, enhance and embolden your various sales and marketing strategies- and strengthen your corporate image.

4:45 Close
 
DAY TWO- September 2nd 2008

9:00 MOBILE DATA SOLUTIONS
The future of the internet is in your hands- literally- as cell phones and handhelds become the most popular way of accessing the web- but what can you do to be sure that your online content is 'mobile friendly' ?


9:30
THE SAFARI GOES ONLINE
By Matthew Swart
Safarinow.com
How a South African company has built a powerful local intermediary and how they have fund success by overcoming local challenges to sell online.

10:00 BREAKOUT ONE
TRAVEL REVIEWS
A discussion of the power and advantages of independent reviews and how shared opinions are now playing a major role in travel sales and marketing- and how you can use reviews to your competitive advantage. Includes a presentation from Trip Advisor.

10:00 BREAKOUT TWO
PARTNERSHIPS TO BUILD TOURISM
by Zunaid Khan MD,  URBAN WALKABOUT TOURS
How smart partnerships with an international partner have helped an innovative South African tour operator


10:30
BETTER CREDIT CARD USE
by Visa International
How to make better use of credit card payments to take online payments, streamline your business and add value to your clients travel experience

11:00 BREAKOUT ONE
REWARDING YOUR CUSTOMERS
By Kulula.com
Technology will not just help you find new customers but retain them via Customer Relations Management- see how a leading airline achieves this.

11:00 BREAKOUT TWO
TOURISM FINANCIAL SERVICES
by Pieter De Bruin,  FNB
Shifting into online business means fundamental changes to the way you manage your business and your finances. FNB outline some solutions and services for Tourism

11:30 Networking Coffee Break

11:45
ONLINE REALTIME RESERVATIONS
By PREBOOK
The key element in online sales and distribution is the ability to make realtime reservations and payments. A local provider shows you just how easy this can be to achieve.

12:15 BREAKOUT ONE
JOHANNESBURG- A WORLD CLASS ICT CITY
By Johannesburg Tourism Company
How the City of Johannesburg is working to become an African tourism and business capital using technology and communication.

12:15 BREAKOUT TWO
SELLING SOUTH AFRICA ONLINE
by SA TOURISM
How South Africa is using a range of web and e-marketing tools to sell the destination to a global audience.

12:45 LUNCH

1:30 TOURISM- RETURN ON INVESTMENT
by  Mmatsatsi Marobe, CEO, TOURISM BUSINESS COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA
The Tourism Electronic Investment Platform, a new initiative being launched by the WTTC and UNWTO, and the SA TBC are supporting in the SADC region.

2:00 MICROSOFT- Developing African Tourism
by MICROSOFT
Microsoft is supporting the development of the Tourism sector through various programmes- chiefly a bold new initiative to provide small scale tourism operators with access to free, easy to manage websites


2:30 BREAKOUT ONE
ONLINE CHALLENGES FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
by Adrienne Harris - Tourism Consultant

How can SME’s escape the Digital Divide and use both tourism and technology as a tool to level the tourism playing field?

2:30 BREAKOUT TWO
MEASURING YOUR SUCCESS- PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE 
by Eddie Scheun
Diversified Technologies
A key element to strategic planning for your tourism business is constant monitoring of your own service and product delivery to be sure you are giving your clients what they need. Technology allows us to do this much more effectively.


3:00 THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP
by MATCH
It's here, it's coming and it's what everyone is talking about- what will it mean for tourism to the region and how will it be managed?

3:30 2010 -A PANEL DISCUSSION
Chaired by Johannesburg Tourism Company
Are we making the best use of the web and new media to promote awareness and to manage this all important event? Our international guests give their opinions and local experts and stakeholders debate the issues.

4:15 10 KEY STEPS TO ONLINE SUCCESS
By  Damian Cook E-Tourism Africa
Ten key steps to succeeding in online tourism

4:45 CLOSING COFFEE AND NETWORKING SESSION

Please Note- programme is subject to change