Summit Partners

The Summit is organized in partnership with the following organisations:

• Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management is the Summit’s academic partner. The Institute will serve as a knowledge and expertise resource on hospitality management as one of the key focus areas to address in developing a successful and vibrant tourism industry.

• CNBC, recognised as the world leader in business news, is the Summit’s official broadcast media partner. It will take the lead in facilitating and moderating the panel discussions.

• VISA is the Summit’s official card partner. As the leading brand in the financial consumer space, VISA will share insights on the Asian consumer psyche and spending habits.

• The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is the Summit’s key industry resource that will provide an overview and business outlook for the Asian travel industry. 

The keynote address of the Summit will be delivered by Mr Alvin Toffler, who will provide a glimpse into the future of Asia and the defining trends for the travel industry in the next two to three decades. The keynote address will be followed by an industry overview organised in partnership with the WTTC with Mr Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President and CEO of WTTC, and Mr Adrian Cooper, CEO of Oxford Economics, outlining the growth potential of Asia and its role as the key driver for the global travel and tourism industry.

Sessions

Together with partners from leading travel and tourism organisations and companies, the Summit will delve into specific sessions for the following discussions:

• Session 1: So You Think You Know the Asian Visitor...Think Again. Presented by VISA, key panellists include Mr Tyler Brûlé, Editor-in-chief and Chairman of Monocle, and Mr Julian Persaud, Managing Director of Google Southeast Asia, who will explore the readiness of the industry to handle the ever-increasing and complex needs of the Asian traveller.

• Session 2: Uncovering Tomorrow’s Tourism Talent
  Presented by the WTTC, key panellists include Mr Ho Kwon Ping, Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings, Dr. Clint Laurent, Managing Director of Global Demographics, and Mr Gregory Duffell, CEO of Pacific Asia Travel Association, who will share insights on how the industry can bridge the talent gap in the face of rapid industry growth and expansion, and address issues on attracting new talent, workforce retraining and retention.

• Session 3: Sustainability – It’s real, it matters and what businesses can do about it

  This session on sustainability will feature panellists such as Ms Dorinda Elliott, Deputy Editor of Condé Nast Traveler, and Mr. Uantchern Loh, Senior Partner of Southeast Asia, Deloitte, who will discuss measures through which the industry can ensure current and future success, taking into consideration various inter-connected issues such as climate change and social instability.

• Session 4: What’s next for the online travel space? Moderated by Sanchit Sanga of Group M, the session will feature Mr Julian Persaud, Managing Director of Google Southeast Asia, and Mr Marc Charron, Managing Director, TripAdvisor APAC, who will discuss the growth potential for technology in the travel and tourism industry and how it will change the face of the industry.

Review by 

协办机构CNBC打电话来找我主持这个活动的时候我也吓了一跳。怎么说，这家电视新闻台是非常top class的，而且台内主播个个武艺高强，我算是小不点儿了。主管告诉我：You came highly recommended。呃，好吧，硬着头皮上阵。内心暗自窃喜：Yeah, CNBC找我咧！哈哈，当然不是当主播。主管解释：我们的主播都是journalists，不是emcees，所以需要你来串场，介绍各个节目，还有邀请贵宾们上台演讲。

以往大部分的商家都会要求我用中英文主持，这回，全程说英语。在CNBC的宴会上说英语⋯⋯不只是头皮要硬，脸皮也要够硬。

好啦，同学们，这是你们常问我的问题：主持商业活动10多年，上台前还会紧张吗？

答案是：有两种压力。There is distress, and there is eustress. Distress (negative stress) cripples you and binds you into a state of helplessness (this is not wikipedia, just my own understanding from undergraduate psychology classes), whereas eustress (positive stress) reminds you to stay alert, heightens your senses, and keeps you on-guard. You can’t run away from stress, it is inevitable. Those who constantly seek destress are really sending out help signals, warning signs that they ought to have a better balance physically and psychologically. So… 有压力是好的，身为主持人，关键在于如何应付压力。同学们，请翻到第12周到15周的讲义——“管理自己”——那几堂课，呵呵！

主持人的稿还有programme rundown改了数次，放心，了解程序就好了。快去熟背讲稿。活动前一天还有更改，可以，有准备就好了。活动当前收到简讯，要提早到场还有更动，吸一口气、吐气、微笑，没问题，大家一起合作就好了。

正式开始之前，一定会有sound check，也就是音响工作人员测试麦克风的时候。原本要用lapel mic，可是效果不好，声音有些弱，我要求用hand-held mic好了。有些主持人喜欢用扣在衣领上的麦克风，这样双手可以自由活动（当然举动要轻松自然、大方得体），免得一手握mic另一只手握小抄（cue cards）。那天晚上，我比较注重sound quality，有时候还会要求负责音响的工作人员EQ（equalize）一下，加一点bass，减一点treble，加一点treble，减一点bass，然后在monitors（台上的扩音机）前面走来走去。上回跟翠芳一起作秀的时候，她很惊讶：“哗，还要这样的呀？我只是听有没有自己的声音而已。要偷师。” 请交学费，呵哈！

这回请到一位学生仲达充当助理，帮忙拍照、录像、提包包。好学的孩子说：“重要的是看你怎么主持。” 真乖，好会说话，呵呵！我问他：“那，注意到什么？” 他说：“第一个上台演讲的，没有看稿，直接跟观众交流，保持眼神接触。另外一个比较沉闷。新闻主播不愧是经验老道的高手，很有魅力，能捕捉观众的注意力。” 学生的报告及格了。我后来发现：第一位演讲者是因为iPad上的讲稿突然一片空白，只好临场发挥，依靠本身具备的表达能力还有幽默感，完全没有“sorry, due to technical faults”的表现。要知道，任何技术上的问题都是人为的。不要相信广播员空中的解释，或是技术人员推搪的借口，总有办法应变、补救。

整个活动，最开心的是遇见我的主播偶像。当年，好几个最出色的新闻主播一窝蜂离开Channel 5的时候，那场exodus带来小小启发：出色的媒体人需要找到合意的、欣赏你的公司，才能大展拳脚、发挥所长。Christine Tan过台到CNBC后，成为台柱，屡次获得区域奖。我很喜欢她的型像、声音还有风格。一见面，跟她说：“I’ve admired you for a long time. You haven’t changed a bit.” 她笑了：“Let me show you where the changes are.” 听说，她私底下很亲切，没有荧幕上那么高不可攀。“You have a fantastic voice. Very pleasant indeed.” 一句话，乐了一整晚。Christine Tan夸我咧！

Asia Travel Leaders Summit由新加坡旅游局Singapore Tourism Board主办，召集了亚洲近100位最顶级的人物齐聚开会，商量／讨论／决定亚洲旅游业未来走向，出席的全都是CEO级的重要人物。我也很好奇，这次的峰会会带来什么样的改变？

最有趣的是听Daniel Levine, the Master of Trends, 提到关于social network的看法。他认为，the travel industry can no longer control what people think about your destination, your attractions and your promotions. Social network has changed the way people exchange information.

刚看完Ben Mezrich的《The Accidental Billionaires》(the book that inspired the movie “The Social Network”, about the founding of Facebook’s and its founders)，对“社交网战”（啊，电影中文名称翻译得真好！）有一些新的想法。这么巧，在这个峰会上也有讨论到。

来赚钱，有丰盛晚餐，还可以学点新东西，真好。