GBTA POSTPONES SHANGHAI CONFERENCE

The Guild of Business Travel Agents has confirmed that its conference in Shanghai is to be postponed until 2004 due to the current outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in East and South East Asia.

The Guild will however go ahead with the conference programme and events over the same weekend, 9th to 12th May in southern Spain. A full day of business sessions with the theme "Making Sense of Market Chaos" will take place on Saturday 10th May. Speakers remain the same including independent analyst Chris Tarry, Karolien de Hertogh, divisional manager-trade,  bmi British Midland, Steve Ridgway, chief executive officer Virgin Atlantic and Mastercard's Max Chatterjee,  vice president business development-corporate payment solutions. A closed members session will be held on Sunday 11th May.

"The decision to postpone the conference at the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai was not easy and is disappointing for all concerned," said Philip Carlisle, Chief Executive, Guild of Business Travel Agents. "However we have every intention of staging our 2004 conference there. In the meantime it is vital that we go ahead with the business programme, members session and certain social events, so we are working hard to find a suitable venue in southern Spain"

ends

For further information: Vanessa Aves/Steve Dunne, Brighter PR, Tel: 020  7603 2168

<back