The warm atmosphere at ALTO’s 5th Annual Conference in Madrid wasn’t just due to the Spanish weather; this event is second to none when it comes to a collaborative spirit, friendly ambiance, and a productive element behind each activity. The beautiful 5-star Westin Palace in the heart of Spain’s capital city played host to
Verne Harnish aka “The Growth Guy” needs little introduction in ALTO’s circles. He joined us in 2011 for our London seminar, which left attendees invigorated with new ideas. (For a “blast from the past” moment of nostalgia, check out the old video clip.) Proving that not all sequels are bad, Verne’s second appearance for
Given the explosive rise and powerful influence of peer-to-peer platforms, the Madrid conference also welcomed Rosario Silva, tourism industry expert and Professor of Strategic Management at IE Business School, IE University Madrid. Rosario examined research into the sharing economy’s influence on the hotel industry in Spain, giving us food for thought as to how
Friday morning in Madrid kicked off with a powerful keynote presentation on emerging business models and how to adjust to stay relevant in increasingly competitive times. ALTO was proud to welcome Carlos Escario, who serves as an Adjunct Professor at IESE Business School. Carlos is also involved with a number of additional academic institutions
The next time you find yourself in a foreign country about to have the first meeting with a new business partner, make sure you take time to grab a local newspaper or have a coffee in a local cafe. It could help you land the deal. This is the advice guest speaker Vikas Shah
“I’ve got a gun”. These were the words uttered from behind a door, where Jonathan Quinn from CES was being held hostage. It fell to six ALTO delegates to talk an unstable woman down and persuade her firstly to release Jonathan and then not to harm herself. This was a novel and stimulating way to
ALTO held its annual conference in San Francisco in 2016, with high profile keynote speakers and opportunities for the leaders of the industry to get together and exchange ideas during the roundtable and panel sessions. The 2-day event was also designed to maximise the networking potential of having prominent industry players in the same room
Unstable economies, devalued currencies and political tensions may have shaken student mobility in Brazil, Spain, Russia and Turkey in recent years, but educators need not lose hope. This was the message shared by representatives of agency associations in the four countries at ALTO’s panel on market trends, held during ICEF Berlin 2015. Coming together for
Stand up, stand out, and stand firm: this was the message delivered by Shaun Smith to ALTO delegates as he rattled through a roll call of best practice in brand management and customer service in September 2015 in London. Business case studies such as Zappos shoes and Lexus cars provided tangible examples of brands that
Education agencies have a unique opportunity to shape the future of the study travel sector given their proximity to their client base. This was the message delivered by education strategist, Dr Alex Grech, at the 2-day ALTO Conference in New York City in 2015. The annual event brought together over 60 education agents and leaders
