Travel Technology Initiative´s Sprjng conference is scheduled for Tuesday 25 April in London. TTI has assembled a top rate group of speaker who will address the topic of going Beyond Search. Speakers confirmed for the event are Stuart Jackson, Commercial Director, Cosmos Holidays; Graham Donoghue, Head of New Media, TUI UK; Tanya Lidstone, Head of Web Development, Opodo; Daniela Wagner, Managing Director EMEA, Consumer Travel Services, International Markets, Cendant Travel Distribution Services, and Stefanie Lofgren, Global Business Development Manager, Travel and Hospitality, Sun Microsystems.

The best of the Caribbean´s carnivals, regattas, arts and entertainment, foods and flowers will be showcased in New York at this year´s 33rd Annual Governments of the Caribbean State Ball, themed “Festivals of the Caribbean”. Hosted at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on Friday, June 16, 2006 at 7 pm, this elegant black-tie celebration is the official conclusion of Caribbean Week 2006 and is a fundraiser for the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Foundation, which provides scholarships to Caribbean nationals pursuing tourism-related studies.

The Caribbean placed special attention on the German market at a specially organized event at the world´s leading travel and tourism trade fair, ITB Berlin 2006, that came to a close Sunday in Germany. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and Messe Berlin, the trade fair organizers, joined forces to present the 7th Annual Karibik Forum, a lively and informative presentation and debate for the European travel trade press and other European and Caribbean delegates to ITB. The presentation took place Friday at the International Congress Center.

For the third consecutive year hotel chains Hilton, Intercontinental, Marriot and Sol Meliá are sponsoring LACIME, alongside airlines Lan and Varig. LACIME 2006 will once again be the most important event for the incentive travel and meetings industry in Latin America and the Caribbean. Organizers Reed Exhibitions Brazil expect investment to reach some R$5 million in this year´s edition, which will be held on June 20 to 22 at Transamerica Expo Center in Sao Paulo. “Renewal of such important sponsorships demonstrates that these large players in the travel and tourism industry have confidence in both the technical capabilities and the business model behind LACIME 2006,” says Daisy De Marco, show manager for Reed Exhibitions Brazil.

BITTM, the Beijing International Travel and Tourism Market taking place April 3 to 5 this year, is announcing the participation of exhibitors from 40 countries including South America and the Caribbean. The event, which will enable overseas destinations to identify partnership opportunities with tourist organizations will attract attendance from tourism ministers and ambassadors from Mexico, Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) has announced new dates for its 2006 show. The pre-exhibition conference will take place on 4 December, at the Palais des Congres, Cannes, with the exhibition running from December 5 to 7 in the same venue. The caliber of attendees at 2005´s ILTM in December was second to none –over 98 percent of visitors were prime decision makers in their company (Senior Management, Partner or CEO bracket). But even the lofty come to learn: 94 percent rated the opportunity to understand new product and trends as one of their main motivations in attending the show.