Conference highlights travel and tourism career opportunities
A conference focused on careers in travel, tourism and hospitality post-Covid is being jointly hosted by University College Birmingham and the Institute of Travel and Tourism.
As an ITT Centre of Excellence, the university has been hosting the Future You conference for the last five years, providing insight into careers within these dynamic industries.
Traditionally, the Future You annual conference has only been open to students.
However, this year, the event - which takes place on Wednesday 10 March - is also open to the public and business community, sharing insights on developing digital profiles, virtual networking, useful online resources and general guidance on careers within these industries.
The conference will be followed by an employability fayre to get students - primarily from its business, hospitality, travel and tourism-focused degrees and college courses - in front of employers and give them a foot on the career ladder.
Professor Michelle Callanan, Deputy Dean for the University 's School of Business, Tourism and Creative Industries, said: “It 's been the most challenging year for the travel, tourism and hospitality industries, but we remain positive and resilient and want to inspire students and industry professionals to see the light at the end of the tunnel following the Prime Minister's Covid-19 roadmap announcement this week.
“With an excellent line-up of speakers, we hope to provide some invaluable insight into how graduates and professionals can tap into new opportunities and trends within these critical industries. ”
The line-up of guest speakers kicks off with Nicholas Hall, founder and CEO of Digital Tourism and a leading expert in destination transformation, current trends and digitalisation, inspiring industry, corporates, universities, associations and government the world over.
Danny Waine, board director for the Institute of Travel and Tourism and head of membership for ABTA, a trusted travel brand for 70 years with more than 4,300 members, will then share his insight.
Looking at how the industry can adapt and develop in a socially-changing world, the conference will also feature travel and tourism expert Jamie-Lee Abtar (pictured).
As executive director of BAME Women in Travel CIC, Jamie-Lee empowers and champions for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women to progress through the travel and tourism industry, encouraging travel brands to step up and commit to racial and social justice and equality in the industry.
Finally, the conference will hear from Matthew Gardiner, Travel Massive director and head of marketing and external communications at IAG Cargo, part of International Airlines Group.
For more information and to book on to the Future You conference and employability fair, visit the hired@UCB events page on the portal.
Business professionals and the general public should email Sabath Shazia at [email protected] to book a place.