FROM AFTA’s chief executive, Jayson Westbury – Today is the day that the NTIA judging extravaganza
kicks off at the spectacular Qantas Campus in Mascot. Qantas is the major sponsor of the NTIA and also plays host to the entire NTIA judging process at their wonderful facilities in Sydney. AFTA remains very grateful to Qantas for providing its facilities and supporting AFTA and the NTIA the way it does.
This year, we will have more finalists than ever facing the gruelling
judging process that has been developed for NTIA, with candidates
presenting to a distinguished panel of three judges for each category.
In total we have 12 judges across multiple categories, which include
individuals talking themselves up and companies of all shapes and sizes
being put to the test. It is a process that will have us uplift some 60
candidates from other states from around the country bringing the best
of the best to what you might call the “battle rounds”.
It is an exciting time for all those involved, and of course a very big best
of luck to everyone who is appearing. I can’t wait to see the results on 21
July at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney.
By the way, tickets are almost sold out and we are looking at the
biggest event we have ever had. I’m pleased that the NTIA continues to
deliver the excitement and recognition that the travel industry deserves.
This coming weekend (03-05 Jun) the ICC and Sydney will play host to
the IATA AGM. It has been a long time since so many airline ceos and
senior executives have been down under. The AGM serves as a rally point
on an annual basis for the aviation sector to get together to see what
is the latest talk of the town and some of the great innovations that
are going on within the aviation industry. It is also the time when the
organisation IATA presents its “State of the industry” report and results.
I can’t wait to see the results, and as one of the very lucky golden ticket
holders, I will be sure to let you know what goes on in this column next
week. So a big week ahead for all in the travel industry, an industry that
now accounts across the globe for some $1.6 trillion in booking value
and is set to have a 5-6% growth rate this year.
What a time to be in travel.
Source: traveldaily