Women in Travel Meetup Returns to Arabian Travel Market 2017

The registered social enterprise announces its programme outline and speakers.

Women in Travel, the registered social enterprise focused on leveraging travel and tourism to economically empower women, is returning to Arabian Travel Market for a second year.

The Women in Travel Meetup will kick off with a Leader’s Interview discussing the issues faced by women in the region working in travel. During the session, Rick White of Dunleavy White will be interviewing Suhair Saleh, HR Director at Gulf Air.

The interview will be followed by an Entrepreneurship Debate hosted by Alessandra Alonso, Founder of the Women in Travel social enterprise. The speakers are Shabnam Bahrami, CEO of Silk Road Tour and Travel Agency, Iran; Manal Kelig Ph.D, Executive Director of ATTA & Co and one of three co-founders of Gateway To Egypt; and Zayna Al Hamarneh, Co-Founder and CEO of Mode Marketing & PR. During the panel, these respected industry figures will share their own journeys and discuss why a third of the global female population refrain from setting up a business and the changing female entrepreneurship landscape in Dubai.

The Women in Travel Meetup will take place in the Showcase Theatre on Monday 24 April 2017 from 16.00 to 18.00:

Following the sessions, there will be the opportunity for great networking with industry peers. Refreshments will be available and guests will continue developing the conversations, finding the inspiration and building this amazing international community of women over a drink
Alessandra Alonso, Founder of Women in Travel CIC said: “I’m delighted to be bringing our Women in Travel Meetup back to ATM for a second year. Last year’s event was a huge success and I’m hoping to see even more ambitious women from the region coming together to share their knowledge, network and help each other reach their career and entrepreneurial potential.”

Rick White of Dunleavy White said: “I have agreed to support the Women in Travel Meetup at ATM 2017 because I believe that the importance of women in senior leadership roles can only be a positive to the business world. As we see more and more women leaders in the political arena also being reflected in the corporate sector this can only be a good thing.”

The Women in Travel Meetup at ATM are recommended for ATM attendees interested in female leadership, entrepreneurship, whether thinking about launching a business or already running one. Attendees – both male and female – will benefit from inspiration, tips and practical answers to their entrepreneurship questions.

Women in Travel, now a social enterprise but originally launched as an event by Alessandra Alonso in 2014, aims to engage with, reach out to travel and tourism businesses that believe that women can greatly contribute to this industry. Women in Travel recently announced its status as a social enterprise to support women in the sector internationally. As such, the limited company reinvests its profit in a big social aim: to provide communities in key travel and tourism destinations (such as the UK, Middle East, Africa and Latin America) with a sustainable livelihood by enabling women to become economically independent through entrepreneurship and a thriving career in this industry.

The event is open to all ATM attendees, whether exhibitors or visitors, and both women and men are warmly invited to attend.

For more information, please visit http://womenintravelcic.com/ or joined Women in Travel’s LinkedIn group or watch this video with Alessandra Alonso and Natalia Cohen discussing how women can be bold for change.

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About The Women in Travel Meetup
Launched by Alessandra Alonso in 2014 at WTM London, the Women in Travel Meetup is the international event for women in travel by women in travel. Women in Travel has this year become a social enterprise that aims to leverage a thriving global travel and tourism industry and its suppliers to provide women with the opportunity to fulfil their economic and individual potential through  education, engagement and entrepreneurship.   Its vision is To provide communities in key regions (UK, Middle East, Africa and Latin America) with a sustainable livelihood by enabling women to become economically independent through entrepreneurship and a thriving career in the travel and tourism industry  and in so doing become a recognised catalyst for women empowerment in the international travel and tourism sector.

The Women in Travel Meetup events are run in London at Dubai. They encourage women in the travel industry to come together and support each other. The events have a particular focus on enabling potential entrepreneurs to tap into a support network they would not otherwise have access to when trying to set up their own enterprise.

Now at ATM in its second year, the Women in Travel Meetup aims to engage with, reach out to and create a community of thousands of female professionals, current and future entrepreneurs and suppliers working in and around the travel industry who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access this type of support. Following the success of its launch, the Women in Travel Meetup programme grew from two sessions (on entrepreneurship and human rights) in 2014 to a half-day event in 2015 with more than 100 attendees.

Alessandra Alonso, Founder of the Women in Travel Meetup, is also Chief Mentor and Strategic Consultant at Everyday Mentor, an advisory business aimed at supporting individuals – especially women – and organisations in achieving their potential through customised, outcome driven interventions. As an independent consultant, coach-mentor and trainer, Alessandra Alonso has long-standing expertise and research in the field of women in work in the travel and tourism industry.

For more information or to book a mentoring session, please visit http://www.wtmlondon.com/events/Women-in-Travel/.