FFP Moderators discuss Vancouver and beyond

Ravindra Bhagwanani and Roger Williams

2007 FFP Conference, Co-Hosted by American Express, took place in Vancouver, Canada from 27 February - 1 March 2007 and was attended by over 265 delegates from more than 60 different airlines from around the world. Dozens of major industry suppliers also participated, including 17 corporate sponsors. The next FFP Conference will take place in Istanbul in March 2008, Co-Hosted by HITIT Computer Services. We hope that you will join us the, but in the interim, please feel free to download the 2007 FFP Conference presentations free of charge at: www.ffpconference.com

RB: Wasn't it good to see so many happy faces at FFP Conference in Vancouver?

RW: The feedback has been very positive. I think we offered a good mix between a powerful agenda and great networking opportunities. With 270 delegates from airlines, non-air loyalty partners and relevant suppliers, this was the place to be for travel loyalty marketing professionals.

RB: Let me also stress the excellent value of the conference presentations. Each was cutting edge and highlighted a hot industry topic. Many FFP professionals got their first introductions to much debated new FFP models, such as those of Aeroplan and Etihad Airways. Given the community atmosphere, our speakers are also approachable by delegates in order to gain additional insights- a very important value.

RW: Good point. I also want to remind delegates that there will always be some variation in subject complexity, some speakers deliver concepts and data that will keep you occupied for weeks, while other speakers will candidly discuss the softer-side of the business and share insight that simply cannot be learned from white papers or books.

Moreover I always like to see lunch tables where you have people from Qantas and Virgin Blue or from American and Southwest sitting next to each other. As delegates keep telling me, at the end of the day everybody faces the same issues and this annual gathering is designed to address them and find constructive solutions. Everybody can learn from everybody. That’s why it was also particularly valuable to have non-airline partners with us for the first time and to have American Express as Co-Host. They offer different perspectives to the same issues from which everyone can take something away.

RB: I agree. An example is the presentation from Sol Meliá. It highlighted the fact that only one small step can turn a partnership into a successful one. Yet, so many partnerships have yet to make that step.

RW: Was there anything that you disliked about the event?

RB: I really didn’t care for the snow and cold weather. It rarely snows in Vancouver, which is why we chose it as a venue, but it was cold enough that I caught a cold during the event. It was however very nice to see the excitement of those delegates who had never seen snow before.

RW: There is nothing we can do about the weather, but I didn’t like the extension of the conference to be over three days instead of over two days as it was in the past. However, for the first time hosting the FFP Partnership, I believe that it was important to offer more to ensure value and to create working opportunities that could be scaled up or down for next year. For top management, it is easier to take two days out of the office instead of three. I suggest that we make the Istanbul event a compact 2-days, but run two simultaneous tracks that include agenda topics of interest to both senior loyalty managers and partnership managers, including non-airline partners. I'm also working with Chris and some of the consulting team on a special module that I think will be to both your liking and our advanced delegates.

RB: This sounds like a good plan to me. So the dates to be noted for FFP 2008 will be EARLY MARCH in Istanbul. We will be announcing those dates and offering pre-early bird discounts within the next few weeks. In the meantime, we are always open to additional feedback from delegates concerning additional enhancements. We don’t organise this conference for our own pleasure, but so that our delegates get the most benefit and hopefully return saying “Wow, this was the best conference I’ve ever attended”. This is exactly what want them to think until they attend the next year’s FFP Conference, which will hopefully be even better than the previous one.

*   *   *

Send Page To a Friend

Editorial Headquarters
2, rue du Bac; F31700 Blagnac/France

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Ravindra Bhagwanani

ADVERTISING AND DISTRIBUTION
Christopher Staab

LETTERS
FFP Online Feedback