Day 0 – Wednesday, 1 February 2017
20:00 – midnight: Opening party at MEININGER Hotel. Click here for more information.
Day 1 – Thursday, 2 February 2017
09:30 – 13:30: Amsterdam Fam Trip for buyers
11:00 – 13:00: Free Amsterdam walking tours sponsored by SANDEMANs New Europe
SANDEMANs NEW Europe invite you on an unforgettable FREE Tour of Amsterdam! This optional two-hour walking tour is the city’s number one ranked tour or activity on TripAdvisor. Don’t leave Amsterdam without seeing the main sites and experiencing the rich culture and history this incredible city has to offer. Join us as we visit Dam Square, the Royal Palace and the Anne Frank House. Learn about the canals, the architecture, masters of Dutch art, the widest bridge, the narrowest house and more. This tour also includes a cheese tasting! The tours will run in English and begin at the Tourist Office at Centraal Station (After the tour, the guides will drop you off at the conference venue. Please note that there is no lunch available at Beurs van Berlage. Beurs van Berlage is in the City Centre of Amsterdam so you will have enough options to have lunch on your own).
13:15: Registration opens
Address: Beurs van Berlage, Damrak 243, 1012 ZJ Amsterdam.
14:00 – 14:30: Welcome and STAY WYSE research update – David Chapman
Have OTAs stopped gaining power? Is 2017 the year the tables turn and hostels acquire more direct bookings than ever before? David Chapman, Director General of WYSE Travel Confederation, will share the highlights of STAY WYSE research on the business of booking beds against the backdrop of the rapid growth of international tourism, a continuously optimistic hostel sector and a global mood of uncertainty.
14:30 – 14:50: Boosting performance with benchmarking – Patrick Mayock, STR
Knowing your numbers is only half the battle. To succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace, owners and operators must have a better view into performance of their market and competitive set. In this 20-minute session, Patrick Mayock of benchmarking platform STR will provide that perspective, sharing never-before-seen data on hostel performance in Greater London.
14:50 – 15:50: Traveller panel – Carl Michel, The Strategy Exchange (Moderator)
Panellists
Alexey Pudovkin
Chloë Arkenbout
Jessica Walker
Robbert Munsters
A panel of young travellers will discuss their travel needs, preferences and expectations. How do the economy and prospects for the future shape their current lifestyle and consumer decisions and describe their anticipations for the future of youth, student and educational travel.
15:50 – 16:20: Coffee break
16:20 – 17:20: Buyer Panel – Liam Doyle, Clink Hostels (Moderator)
Panellists
Saul Burrows, Head of Product for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Topdeck
Carsten Herold, Founder, Owner and Managing Director, HEROLÉ
Maurizio Casatriste, Head of Programme Department, CTS Travel
Lawrence Walsh, Chief Operating Officer, Invasion
During this session, a panel of buyers from different markets and business areas within the youth accommodation market will discuss their approaches to working with accommodation providers, review quality and safety standards, and product packaging for the youth and student market. What are the most important qualities of an accommodation provider from a buyer’s perspective? Which markets are becoming increasingly important in the future? How can the relationship between buyers and sellers be further optimized in terms of efficiency and fairness? Another main focal area is the effect Generation Z has on the youth travel accommodation market. How can an accommodation provider best prepare for the needs of this emerging market and successfully work together with a buyer organisation? These and more interesting topics will be discussed during the panel. The panel is targeted at accommodation providers who are already working or are planning to work together with buyers and offers them the unique opportunity to get first-hand insights of the requirements and standards of some of the leading accommodation buyers.
17:20 – 18:20: BEDx – Philip Houghton (Moderator)
Andrew Landsburgh, Managing Director, Destiny Student and CODE Hostel
When does a hostel outperform other uses?
Michelle Hirschfeld, National Sales Director, Hostelling International USA
Making your hostel more than an overnight stay: HI USA and Hack for 2030.
Meir Razzon, Co-Founder & COO, HostelPass
No more bad reviews: Finding the hostel-traveller fit.
Duncan Waterman, Global Director of Sales, Guestcentrix
Hostel/hybrid hotel revenue management: A tale of 3 cities.
Open stage for a small group of hand-picked BEDx speakers. Each of them will share 15 minutes of industry best practice presentations.
18:20: SANDEMANs NEW Europe Walking Tour to Clink
19:20: Networking party at ClinkNoord Hostel. Click here for more information
Day 2 – Friday, 3 February 2017
08:30: Registration open
09:00 to 10:30: Business Appointments
10:30 to 11:00: Coffee break
11:00 to 13:00: Business Appointments
13:00 – 14:00: Lunch
14:00 – 15:30: Business Appointments
15:30 – 16:00: Coffee break
16:00 to 17:30: Business Appointments
17:45: Closing drinks at Hans Brinker Hostel. Click here for more information.
This is a provisional programme and is subject to change.