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Adventure Travel World Summit Agenda to Rally Industry Toward Shared Vision, Deliver Practical Tools for Business Success

“Beyond Survival: Co-creating the Future of Adventure Travel”

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) has unveiled an unprecedented program schedule to inaugurate its Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) which will be held in Seattle on October 16, 17, and 18, 2005, at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center on Elliot Bay.

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 (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com) in April 2005.  The ATTA’s intentions are to rally the industry toward a shared vision and to bring an unprecedented offering of speakers and sessions to give participants practical knowledge for their own success.

The shared vision to be explored during the ATWS is one in which partnerships are formed, new research is collectively analyzed, challenging issues are debated with an eye toward solutions, group-buying power is developed, a stronger community is built, and progressive visions are created and realized. The outcome of the Summit is to enable the industry to better serve travelers, promote responsible tourism, and optimize the industry’s market potential.

Among the more than 30 in-depth sessions created to help industry participants fuse big-picture vision with everyday practicality. Sessions include such topics as how emerging technologies will impact the way people travel, crisis communication strategies, liability insurance and risk management, online marketing, live focus groups, research reports and a host of forward-looking programs to contribute to improved bottom-lines of adventure travel businesses.

Summit attendees will garner insights from and interact with experts representing critical business disciplines within and outside the industry including the following organizations:

 World Bank

Orbitz.com

Yahoo!

Microsoft

The Travel Institute

Adventure Collection

Geographic Expeditions

Explorandes

Off the Beaten Path

Discovery Tours, American Museum of Natural History

ExOfficio

Eagle Creek

Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI)

Virtuoso

Northern Outdoors

MSN.com

NBC Today Show

Travel Channel

National Geographic Adventure

Outside Magazine

Robyn Waters Trends
Moementum

Poimiroo & Partners

Travel Tech Consulting

Marketek

National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)

Stratus Insurance

Hibbs, Hallmark & Co. Insurance

Silver Steep Funding Partners

Sustainable Travel International

Xola Consulting

Ascent Advising

Memetic Systems

Michigan State University

Adventure Travel Trade Association

Complete session schedule and descriptions with the names of presenters are available at http://www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com/atws-program.html.* The majority of Summit sessions are specifically designed to stimulate interactive learning, engage attendees in dialogue, build a stronger community, and facilitate effective networking opportunities. Core topics include trends, research, marketing, partnering, operations, sustainability, and funding.

Day one 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 Adventure Travel World Summit caters to industry executives and decision makers of domestic and international tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, and travel agencies worldwide. Specialty adventure travel agents, lodge, resort, and attraction owners also are expected to participate, along with media, travel, tourism and recreational governmental agencies, plus marketing and technology service organizations serving the adventure travel industry.

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, and Eagle Creek.

The Seattle-based Adventure Travel Trade Association (www.adventuretravel.biz) is a strategic membership organization dedicated to raising the profile of adventure travel globally. The ATTA, established in 1990, provides valuable services, knowledge, and connections that help ATTA members succeed in their businesses, thereby helping the industry grow.

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

Media Contact:
Chris Doyle, Director, Adventure Travel Trade Association
916.791.9409,