FFP 2006 Conference Overview

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Edition 4: March - May 2006

FFP 2006 Conference - Bangkok

FFP 2006 took place at the Sofitel Central Plaza in Bangkok, Thailand 21-22 February 2006. Loyalty managers from over 63 airlines of all sizes and from all corners of the globe participated in this second annual frequent flyer extravaganza. Airline delegates reported that the sense of community created by FFP Conference was the most important part to them, as before FFP they had no face to go with the names of FFP colleagues whom they had known for years or at best saw them in a quick business meeting.

The second year of FFP brought with it a natural momentum of delegate interaction during business sessions. "The workshop discussions took on a life of their own, as delegates expressed their views passionately to the entire forum after meeting together in small groups." said Roger Williams, co-founder of FFP Conference.

It can be said that FFP has transcended its conference bounds and formed a vibrant community of airline loyalty managers from a very broad spectrum of airlines. FFP co-founder Ravindra Bhagwanani said "this year we hosted airlines with frequent flyer programs containing as little as 5,000 members to carriers like American with over 40 million." The Far East location of FFP this year did not deter a strong turn out of North American and European Majors either. FFP is a unique venue where senior management from established carriers can become aware, and in some cases, learn from a littoral of small innovative international airlines. "execs from US Majors admitted to me both this year and last that they were pleasantly surprised by FFP's diverse delegates - there's simply no place else for them to get such exposure." reported co-founder Chris Staab.

A new feature added to the conference this year was a pre-conference workshop designed especially for delegates new to the loyalty field. The workshop was facilitated by Global Flight Consultant and veteran loyalty program trainer, David Radford. The conference closed with a dynamic panel discussion on "What do our customers really want from today's FFPs" featuring managers from Continental Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Kingfisher Airlines faced off against the outspoken travel consumer advocate from the International Herald Tribune, columnist Roger Collis. The discussion confronted frequent flyer programs' very existence and eventually culminated in the acceptance that airline loyalty marketing and frequent flyer programs will indeed remain and continue to grow. Issues of program complexity, matching, differentiation, and balancing incremental revenue with loyalty continue to be debated by delegates and will provide fascinating material for future FFP Conferences and this publication. Next year's conference, FFP 2007 will come to North America taking place in Vancouver, B.C. Canada, 27-28 February, 2007

“Looks like your FFP conference proved to be a format for the future"

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad

“It is good to be a part of a fraternity & understand how each region/airline deals with challenges in this complex market. Appreciate the coordination & efforts you all put to make this happen & successfully at that!”
Jaishri Shivaram, Kingfisher

“Thank you very much for the fantastic conference in Bangkok. As a first-timer, I thoroughly enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. I fully intend being in Vancouver in 2007.“
Scott Wegener, Virgin Blue

“Thank you to you and your team for the excellent organisation and facilities. It was my pleasure to be part of the conference.“
David Reeve, Qantas

“I thought the conference was very well organised and I am glad I attended.”
Kyrl Acton

“It was an awesome conference. Circumstances permitting, I would love to attend the Vancouver stint too.”
Hanim Fisher, Gulf Air

"The event has all the makings of an excellent conference, and has plenty of value for delegates and suppliers"

Dominic Purvis, Cathay Pacific

“Thanks for an excellent conference.”
Tricia Gibb, British Airways

“It was a real pleasure to participate in the conference and a very productive experience.”
Mary Kyriakou, Aegean

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