ADVENTURE TRAVEL WORLD SUMMIT RELEASES VISIONARY, PRACTICAL AGENDA

28 July 2005
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Summit Aims to Deliver Tools to Reduce Costs, Increase Customers, Revenue

(SEATTLE, WASHINGTON) – JULY 28, 2005 -- Featuring executives and luminaries from World Bank, Yahoo!, Microsoft, NBC Today Show, Orbitz, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), National Geographic Adventures Magazine, The Travel Institute, and dozens of respected and influential adventure travel industry experts, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) today unveiled an unprecedented program schedule to inaugurate its Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS).

The ATWS will be held in Seattle on October 16, 17, and 18, 2005, at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center on Elliot Bay.

Helping Summit participants fuse big-picture vision with everyday practical knowledge and tools to help businesses reduce costs, increase revenues and grow their own customer bases is the primary aim of the three-day conference.  ATWS sessions will offer interactive learning environments where partnerships are formed, new research is collectively analyzed, challenging issues are debated, group-buying power is developed, a stronger community is built, and progressive visions are explored.  The outcome of the ATWS is to enable the industry to better serve travelers, promote responsible tourism, and optimize the industry’s market potential.  Core topics include trends, research, marketing, partnering, operations, sustainability, and funding.

“The Adventure Travel World Summit is a long overdue opportunity,” says Kurt Kutay, President of Seattle-based Wildland Adventures.  “Over the past quarter century, adventure travel companies and related businesses have proliferated in response to an ever-increasing market of active, outdoor travelers. We have witnessed dramatic changes in the economic structure of our industry, insurance liability requirements, ongoing environmental and social concerns on the ground, and strategies for understanding and capturing our changing market. I anticipate a highly creative and productive collaboration among experienced executive-level colleagues for the benefit of our respective businesses and as well as setting the course for future development of our niche industry at this critical time.”

Summit attendees will garner insights from and interact with experts representing critical business disciplines within and outside the industry.  Session schedules and descriptions with the names of presenters are available at http://www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com/atws-program.html.*

Visionary sessions will look toward interactive sessions that will create an updated definition of the “adventure travel” category, challenge existing research data and traditional marketing strategies, all while encouraging participants to consider transformational initiatives that benefit the adventure travel industry.  Additionally, special emphasis will be lent to exploring collective marketing initiatives and strategic alliances considered “radical” by traditional industry measures.

Practical sessions will emphasize cost savings tactics specifically linked to online marketing, liability insurance and risk management, crisis communication strategies, staff recruiting and retention practices, and others.  Sessions designed to increase organizational revenues and attract new consumers include such topics as publicity generation, online marketing tactics, search engine optimization, how to market to niche audiences, and others designed to help organizations improve their bottom-line results.

Day one (Sunday, October 16th) of the 2005 Summit includes an unprecedented opportunity for attendees to raft, hike, climb, sail, fly-fish, and participate with adventure experts and colleagues, while days two and three feature interactive learning, strategy, planning, visionary, and networking sessions.

Hosted by the ATTA, the Summit is designed primarily for industry executives and decision makers of domestic and international tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, lodges, and travel agencies worldwide.  Building upon 12 previous World Congress on Adventure Travel events previously hosted by the ATTA in the 1990s, its new leadership introduced the Adventure Travel World Summit in April 2005.

Online registration is accessible at www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com. Registration Fees are $750.00 U.S. for ATTA Members and $950.00 for non-members. To ensure the quality and effectiveness of the Summit experience, attendance is limited to 500 participants.

Sponsors of the Adventure Travel World Summit include Orbitz.com, ExOfficio, National Geographic Adventure, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), and Eagle Creek.

The Seattle-based ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz) is a strategic membership organization dedicated to raising the profile of adventure travel globally.  Established in 1990, the ATTA provides services, knowledge, and connections that help its members succeed in their businesses and contribute to overall industry growth.

*Conference speakers, sessions and events are subject to change.

Media Contact:

Chris Doyle, Director, Adventure Travel Trade Association

916.791.9409, [email protected]

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