Explore the agenda for The Advantage Conference 2024, featuring a varied programme of plenary and breakout sessions tailored to the current and future travel landscape and delivered by industry experts and evocative speakers. Plus, an informal social programme to maximise networking opportunities.
Delegates transfer information
Please note delegates will need to organise their own transfers when arriving in Cancun.
Our friends at Holiday Extras have confirmed that Advantage Conference delegates can use the following link for transfers and parking, prices are already discounted by 20%. Visit the link to use the applied discount.
Our friends at Blacklane have kindly provided us with a discount code for delegates travelling to and from the station/airport (UK only). Bookings need to be placed through the Blacklane Website or App. Valid for two rides per participant Bookings can be placed until 31 May 2024. Details here.
Registration will be open in the hotel foyer and will re-open on Thursday morning in the conference centre.
A warm welcome awaits as we join together for the start of The Advantage Conference 2024.
Conference Doors Open
Morning Plenary Sessions
Speaker: Julia Lo Bue-Said
Advantage CEO Julia Lo Bue-Said kicks off The Advantage Conference 2024, welcoming members, partners and friends of Advantage to the event.
Speaker: Sarah Whiting
Julia will welcome Thrust Carbon’s Sarah Whiting to the stage who will walk us through how we have embraced travel as a force for good in the planning of The Advantage Conference 2024 conference.
Speaker: To be announced shortly
With more than four billion of the world’s population set to cast a vote at the ballot box in 2024, we can be sure of global change and perhaps a surprise or two along the way. What does political change on this scale mean for the travel industry? Our expert will guide you through the runners and riders, winners and losers' likely results and, most importantly, what this could mean for you and your business in 2024.
Speaker: Natalie Campbell
London Mayoral candidate, social entrepreneur and CEO – take your pick. Natalie Campbell takes great pride in disrupting business as usual, encouraging clients, investors and, latterly voters to put inclusion and purposeful travel at the heart of their decisions. Drawing from her exciting and varied career Natalie shares tangible takeaways on how you can disrupt your organisation refocusing with passion and purpose.
Speaker: Natalie Campbell | Julia Lo Bue-Said
Our host and moderator David Meade hosts a fireside talk with Natalie, Julia and our political commentator, further exploring the pace, passion and purpose they offer and their varying perspectives on sustainability, business with purpose and the dynamic and changing global political landscape.
Coffee Break
During this time delegates will be able to choose to attend business travel focused main stage content that incorporates the ITMC Summit, or leisure travel focused breakout sessions.
Business Travel Focused Workstream
(main stage)
Strawberries & Cream, Morecambe & Wise, and Posh & Becks - all remarkable partnerships; if you knew the secret formula, you would bottle it and make your fortune! January 2024 saw the re-birth of the Advantage Business Travel Symposium hosted in London, during which we put relationships under the spotlight to explore how TMCs, corporate buyers and travel suppliers can establish those critical perfect partnerships. During this session, we will bring to life the output from that session as we delve even deeper into what makes the perfect partnership and how agencies and suppliers can hone their approach to deliver perfect partnerships with travel buyers.
The first and last mile and how to capture the data and spend have long befuddled TMCs and corporate buyers alike. During this live gameshow-style session, we’ll be quizzing our three panellists to get to the core of the issue, exploring technological solutions, the role of national and local government in infrastructure, and the benefits and outcomes of successful carbon reporting in this area.
Leisure Travel Focused Breakouts
Delegates will be able to attend two breakout sessions during this time, topics will include:
Lunch
Speed Dating
Pre-Dinner Drinks
Dinner
Conference Doors Open
During this time delegates will be able to choose to attend leisure travel focused main stage content or business travel focused breakout sessions that incorporates the ITMC Summit.
Leisure Travel Focused Workstream
(main stage)
With 25 years of experience in all aspects of leisure travel Lisa Minot, Travel Editor from The Sun really has seen it all! With a breadth of experience from camping to five-star luxury, Lisa joins our moderator and host David Meade in conversation to discuss consumer trends, differing expectations of younger travellers and what members and partners can expect in the leisure travel space in the coming years.
With help on hand from moderator David Meade, Advantage’s Chief Operations Officer Paul Nunn gazes into the crystal ball and sees what cards the regulators are dealing the travel industry in the coming months and years. Paul will guide us through new regulations with insight and amusement in equal measure.
We gather and store data with every transaction and interaction we process. But how can we put it to great use to drive engagement with customers and prospects and increase sales? Advantage’s very own Head of Marketing David Forder welcomes data experts Radar to the stage to give insights into how we can best use our customer data and insights in marketing to grow, win customers and build our organisations.
Our moderator and host David Meade, adopts a fictional role as travel agent, and takes a seat in the Shark Tank exploring opportunities within three key sectors of the leisure market: Cruise, Adventure & Touring and Luxury but at the end of it where does David place his money?
Business Travel Focused Breakouts
Delegates will be able to attend two breakout sessions during this time, topics will include:
Coffee Break
Morning Plenary Sessions
Speakers: Advantage Senior Management Team | David Meade
The Advantage team are quizzed on stage by our moderator and host David Meade on changes, developments and updates from Advantage to support the growth and development of the membership and our partners.
Speaker: Simon Ferguson
Simon Ferguson, Senior Vice President at Modaxo, will address delegates on the major tech changes and trends impacting the global travel and business landscape and offer insights into how independent businesses can respond.
Speaker: Jamie McDonald
Jamie McDonald is no stranger to adventure, having embarked on a series of record-breaking adventures, from cycling Bangkok to Gloucester to running across Canada, all while dressed as his alter ego – Adventure Man. Jamie’s fascinating story discusses his challenges with neurodiversity and how he has made this his superpower, at the forefront of his quest for adventure and raising vast funds for charity. Jamie will close the event with a rousing keynote session.
Speaker: Julia Lo Bue-Said
Lunch
Delegates will participate in a range of sessions designed to support and give back to the local Costa Mujeres community. Find out more here.
An evening of fine food and entertainment to round off this year's conference.
On the morning of Saturday 18 May, we are aware some delegates are extending their trip so the hotel has kindly organised a range of optional activities on-site at the Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort and Spa that they will host. The activities will take place between 11am and 1pm, the options are:
These activities are complimentary but please register for your chosen one so we can work out numbers here.
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