main stage

BOOSTING BRAND LOVE: How to Create Distinctiveness and Difference to Grow your Business

In a crowded market where DMCs, destinations and property owners are constantly being disintermediated, how do you create difference and distinctiveness for your offering? Tapping in to his extensive experience in helping businesses grow and win consumers around the world, Andy Lark’s talk will look at how your brand can use rapidly evolving technology to create new offerings and orchestrate unmatchable experiences. Taking a long-term view, he will also probe what market shifts and prevailing trends are most likely to reshape your business – helping you to adapt to succeed now and in the future.

main stage

BE HAPPY FIRST: Increasing your Wellbeing in Work and Life

Wellbeing is more than just a trending buzzword: it’s the crucial ability to consistently feel good and function effectively, both in work and your day-to-day life. Delivered by one of the most renowned and accomplished experts in workplace happiness, this session will help you create a clear roadmap on how to consistently feel better, be happier and be more productive. You’ll leave with a stress-proof toolkit of happiness and wellbeing approaches that will enable you to confidently navigate the natural highs and lows that come with modern life.

HOW TO MASTER: Creating Sustainability Stories that Engage Guests and Staff

These days, people don’t just want to buy into what you do; they want to know why you do it, and to feel part of your company’s purpose. To really sell the sustainable side of your business you need to be an expert in storytelling – turning facts and reports into engaging narrative to educate and involve your staff, your guests and your shareholders. This masterclass will cover everything you need to know about sharing your sustainability journey with integrity and impact, whether you’re a seasoned sustainability pro or just getting started, covering everything from green-washing to identifying talking points and trends.

sustainability stage

COLLABORATION NOT COMPETITION: Why the Industry Needs to Work Together for Positive Change

Being truly sustainable is so much more than just ‘going green’; it requires a commitment to the four pillars of sustainability: environment, economics, culture and society. Good businesses do all four at once, but it’s also important to remove guilt from the dialogue around responsibility and sustainability so that every company realises that even small, easy steps can have a big impact. Sustainability should not be seen as a competition – it’s about realising that even 1% better is still an improvement. This talk will look at what all hotels, regardless of their size, can do to reduce their environmental impact without increasing costs; propose a new model for sustainable charity based on exchanging donations for valuable products and services; and engage local communities, from suppliers and employees to customers and governments.

HOW TO MASTER: Becoming a more Mindful and Productive Leader

We live in a world of constant change, uncertainty and increased complexity – and the biggest challenge to leadership is not intelligence or commitment, but staying focused, healthy and comfortable with the unknown. Mindfulness training not only changes our in-built response to pressure and strengthens our emotional intelligence – it also enables leaders to adapt and develop a more productive and sustainable way of operating in the world. This masterclass will arm you with practical mindfulness tools, and the science behind them; provide an overview on what mindful leadership is, and debunk the myth of multitasking; and demonstrate how these techniques can benefit you, your employees and your company.

HOW TO MASTER: Making social an extension of your brand

When it comes to branding, social media shouldn’t just be an afterthought – it should be a fully integrated part of everything your company does. Working out which platform is best for you, and how to use it properly, is vital. This immersive masterclass will show you how: to adapt your brand for social media; identify your brand pillars and style; work out who to follow to build your community; and interact with the people who matter. It will also cover the right way to collaborate with macro and micro influencers, as well as photography essentials like angles, colour schemes, hashtags, content variety and caption-writing.

HOW TO MASTER: Making social an extension of your brand

When it comes to branding, social media shouldn’t just be an afterthought – it should be a fully integrated part of everything your company does. Working out which platform is best for you, and how to use it properly, is vital. This immersive masterclass will show you how: to adapt your brand for social media; identify your brand pillars and style; work out who to follow to build your community; and interact with the people who matter. It will also cover the right way to collaborate with macro and micro influencers, as well as photography essentials like angles, colour schemes, hashtags, content variety and caption-writing.

HOW TO MASTER: Using Brand, Culture and Growth as the Framework for Your Business

This masterclass will draw on Gabbi’s extensive experience in various areas of brand strategy. It will provide a tangible framework for companies to better define their purpose, positioning and personality; develop their internal culture and behaviour; and also look ahead to future growth. By showing how to develop these foundational principles for your brand, Gabbi will give you the tools that will enable you to take a position of leadership, take on threats and opportunities, and, ultimately, take over the world.

sustainability stage

MAKE IT A MINDSET: Why Sustainability Needs to be More Than Just a Project

We are now at a crossroads: the planet needs minds to shift quicker, and that includes how we view the concept of sustainability. This insightful talk from one of the world’s most respected conservationists will explore why making sustainability into a mindset, and shifting attitudes from short-term to long-term – from exploitative to nurturing – is the only viable option for taking businesses into the future. Delphine will demonstrate how the 4Cs (conservation, community, culture and commerce) can act as a framework for taking a holistic approach to truly embed sustainability into an organisation.

HOW TO MASTER: Getting Started on Your Sustainability Journey (Without Feeling Overwhelmed)

This masterclass will focus on how to make the 4Cs (conservation, community, culture and commerce) the guide for your journey to true sustainability – using them as a mindset to understand that long-term business growth is inextricably linked to nature and community wellbeing. You’ll hear actionable takeaways, including five easy ways to reduce resource and increase profits, and how to communicate your vision to staff and guests. The session will also look at wider concerns in your sustainability journey, from understanding your place and identifying your role and relevance, to finding the right partnerships and transferring skills.

main stage

BE MORE PIRATE: The Art of Professional Rule Breaking

Realising that most of the ‘rules’ of work are just age-old bad habits that need to be broken is one of the most important breakthroughs you can make for you and your company. All it takes to change the rules – and get away with it – is for you to prove your new ideas work. This boundary-breaking headline talk will shatter the preconceptions surrounding rule breaking; encourage you to ‘Be More Pirate’ in your approach to business; and inspire you to stop asking permission, and prepare to start asking for forgiveness instead. After his Main Stage talk, join Sam for an interactive workshop that will help you rip up the rulebook on traditional business and learn how to truly master the art of professional rule breaking.

sustainability stage

COMMERCE AND LEGACY: Making a Business Case for the Future

One of the most pressing challenges for leading sustainable properties – and any business driven by more than just the bottom line – is how to secure their legacy and ensure the next generation carries on their good work. Drawing from innovative examples, including the likes of The Long Run, this talk will discuss the pioneering tools needed to ensure biodiversity is conserved; intergenerational plans to engage future conservationists; and the financial mechanisms needed to support the ‘4Cs’ of sustainability: conservation, community, culture and commerce.

HOW TO MASTER: Creating Food Tourism Experiences with a Positive Impact

This innovative masterclass will look at how brands can develop partnerships along the food tourism value chain, running the full spectrum of touch points – from farms, fishermen, beverage producers and farmers markets to restaurants, hotels, culinary schools and tours, local attractions, festivals and events. You’ll learn how to enhance your visitors’ experience, support local economic development and provide increased return on investment for your business.