• Michael Issenberg, Chairman & COO, Accor Asia Pacific
• Ho Kwon Ping, Executive Chairman, Banyan Tree Holdings
• Hans Lerch, Vice Chairman, Hotelplan, Switzerland
• Nigel Roberts, President, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
• (More to be confirmed)

Who’s thrived? Who has not? And what will come out of the wash as the global financial crisis takes its toll on the Asia Pacific tourism landscape? What are the things we can no longer take for granted? And what are some of the things that must change? A no-holds-barred discussion with CEOs from some of travel’s most influential travel companies that will set the stage for discussion for WIT 2009.

• Ram Badrinathan, General Manager-Asia, PhoCusWright Inc

One of Asia Pacific's leading watchers of the online landscape shares his vision of the future – a scenario in which the status quo is challenged, in which the power of the brand is diminished and in which collaboration takes on a whole new meaning. A presentation that will inspire, challenge and make you think about your business model and how it fits into this new future.

The Web Dissected

His blog on the online travel space is one of the most read – in May 2009, it passed its 100,000th visitor mark. His postings are fresh, his views considered, his opinions always frank. In this session, Timothy Hughes will dissect the online travel landscape and shares his ideas on what works, what doesn't and what could work in future.

• Timothy Hughes, Blogger, BOOT – The Business of Online Travel
  

Stormy Skies

Moderator: Gordon Locke, Vice President, Airline Marketing & Strategy, Sabre Airline Solutions & Sabre Travel Network

• Chong Phit Lian, CEO, Jetstar Asia
  
• Azran Osman Rani, CEO, AirAsia X
  
• (More to be confirmed)
  

An airline panel that will examine the hardest-hit sector of tourism and look at what some have done to survive, even thrive, while others have floundered. What’s ahead on the horizon for the battered aviation sector?

• Robbie Cooke, CEO, The Wotif Group
• Richard Noon, CEO, Webjet
• Adrian Currie, Chairman, Agoda

The WIT Start-Up Pitch returns for the second time but this time, in a slightly expanded format. Three finalists will pitch their ideas in five minutes each to the audience and our panel of investor judges in this session. Four runner-ups meanwhile will have the chance to have their ideas listened to, and workshop-ed, in the WIT Ideas Lab on Oct 22.

* The winner of this Start-Up Pitch will be given assistance by Stream Global to position themselves to receive a Singapore government grant worth S$50,000 in the Interactive Digital Media space.

Judges:

• William Liu, Chairman, Stream Global
  
• Lim Kim Hai, Executive Chairman, Regional Express Airlines
  
• Dennis Melka, East Pacific Capital
• Wu Hai, CEO, Orange Hotel Group, China
  
• More to be confirmed

Moderator: Aya Aso, CEO, Agora Hospitalities, Japan

A look into the land that is possibly the most progressive in terms of online and mobile adoption yet the most difficult of markets to understand and penetrate. Some of Japan’s biggest online players will share their stories and insights into the Japanese online travel market during one of the most challenging times facing Japanese tourism.

• Masashi Okatake, President, Rakuten Travel, Inc
• Suguru Tomizuka, Company President, RECRUIT Co. Ltd., Travel Information Company

• Sam Flemming, CEO, CIC
  
• Morris Sim, CEO, Circos.com
  
• Shashank Nigam, CEO, Simpliflying
• Martin Symes, CEO, Wego
• Robbie Hills, CEO, GroupM Search Asia Pacific
  

Moderator: Timothy Hughes, Blogger, BOOT – The Business of Online Travel

Has search become too powerful? Will it lead to even more commoditisation as the battle for keywords continues and reduces us to the lowest common denominator? What are the other tools out there that will help your brand presence on the Great Milky Web? A panel of experts will debate these all-important questions.

• Romain Roulleau, Director E-commerce, Accor Hotels
  
• Apo Demirtas, Chief Marketing Officer, Jumeirah Group
  
• Patrick Andres, Managing Director, SynXis Asia Pacific
• (More to be confirmed)
  

• Roshan Mendis, President, ZUJI/Regional Vice President, Travelocity Asia Pacific
  
• Jens Uwe Parkitny, Managing Director-Expedia Affiliate Network
  
• John Frean, Head of Marketing, Asia Rooms

The second in a series of one-on-one interviews and ending in a cross-chat and who knows, everyone asking questions of one another. After all, that’s what happens in a chat room.

Brand Value vs Ancillary Revenue: Which makes more sense, protecting brand value at all costs or trying to earn revenues at all costs? A panel debate that will pit a brand champion against a believer in ancillary revenues.