Northstar

PEOPLE www.travelweeklyweb.com A chat with… Yeoh Siew Hoon Founder, Wired Ventures & Web-In-Travel (WIT) Conference She's energetic, eloquent and bursting with new ideas and initiatives 2005, she saw a need for the industry to recognise and deal with the changes that would come from the internet and technology. She highlights the important role of women in travel and is passionate about inspiring young minds which also drew success in the industry. This issue, we speak with Yeoh Siew Hoon who shares her thoughts on the keys to success in creating conferences like the upcoming WIT Conference which will be held on October 21 to23, 2013. WIT is a 2012 Singapore Experience Awards finalist in the Trade Conference of the Year category. Q. WIT Conference and ITB Asia will be held at the newly revamped Suntec Singapore this year. How do you feel about this? A. I love it. I did a tour with the chief executive officer and the best news is that Wi-Fi is included, that's a prerequisite in any facility, whether it's a hotel or a convention centre. The third floor has the most transformation where WIT will be. They have created a much more hotel-like meeting space so it doesn't feel like you are in an industrial convention area. There's plush carpet, nice lighting and the little design touches. There are a lot of high tech points as well. It's a good venue for a convention and we are looking forward to returning there. Q. Tell us more on the WIT Conference line-up this year. A. The theme for this year is the Asia Factor. We want to highlight that Asia is now. It is no longer emerging, or arising like what people have always referred it to. The interest in Asia is at an all-time high, particularly by foreign brands and newer players and we also want to showcase Asian-grown brands that are expanding and scaling. So we want to share some good local stories. Paraq Khanna, who is a global strategist and an author will be one of the speakers at WIT. Q. You started Wired Venture which is the creator of WIT Conference, in 2005. You were the finalist for last year's Singapore Experience Awards for the Trade Conference of the Year category. You're also a familiar name to the industry. What has brought you this far? A. What we are trying to do is to make a difference in the field that we are in. With 10 | ■ TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA | SEPTEMBER 2013 the travel industry changing as much as it has, what we want to do is to highlight the role of technology and the online space in how they have transformed the travel industry. I believe we have a very good niche which happens to be the area that's most watched right now. So we are in the right place, at the right time. Q. Speaking of Asia Factor, and focussing on Asia right now, there are definitely a lot of opportunities here but having spoken to the local tourism industry providers, I've heard that when it comes to managing new hires, it has been a tough journey. In the local tourism context, do you think we are doing enough to attract new talents? A. I think this goes beyond the travel industry, it is a socio-economic issue. Singapore is at its tipping point where like any other societies you'll be faced with a situation where there are jobs but the locals do not want to take them up but I think the authorities are doing a good job at handling the issue. As part of Web-In-Travel, we run WITNext which has been around for the last four years. It is a coaching and mentoring event. It is a Summer Camp and it is free for students, tourism professionals or anyone who wants to work in the travel industry but don't know where to begin. So it could be just a job seeker, or someone who is unemployed and looking for a job. It is a community event and we ran it at Singapore Management University this year. We had speakers like Michael Issenberg, chairman and chief operating officer at Accor AsiaPacific, Patrick Imbardelli, president and chief executive officer at Pan Pacific Hotels Group as well as the newer employers like Expedia and TripAdvisor. The idea is to form a bridge between people in the industry and the new generation who are coming in so that they can better understand each other's needs. When it comes to jobs, the landscape has changed for the newer generation. We tell them that in travel and tourism, it goes beyond hospitality. The travel industry is complex, there is a lot of diversity and opportunities. You can be a digital marketer in Expedia, work in travel in Google or a media sales person at TripAdvisor, there are many jobs available now that weren't ten years ago. The whole scope of jobs has changed. You can also be an entrepreneur in travel, because of technology, the new customers who are coming online. This creates a lot of opportunities for entrepreneurs, which is why we created the start-ups competition to encourage entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas. Q. What do you think is the most pressing issue for the tourism industry in Asia? A. I think it has always been people. The demand now is not only for numbers, but the right skills. It's the fight for talent, it will get tougher as more companies enter the market and the bigger brands come in and take the best people. So that is a battle for talent. Fo r the f u l l i n te r v i e w , v i si t www.travelweeklyweb.com. www.travelweeklyweb.com

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