WTM 2016: Comtec and Travolution to debate the future of the travel agent

Two leading players in the UK Travel agency sector will discuss the future of the industry with technology supplier Comtec at next week’s World Travel Market. Miles Morgan, owner of Miles Morgan Travel, and Gary Lewis, managing director of The Travel Network Group consortium will join Comtec founder Simon Powell in the Travolution session. The … Continue reading WTM 2016: Comtec and Travolution to debate the future of the travel agent

Two leading players in the UK Travel agency sector will discuss the future of the industry with technology supplier Comtec at next week’s World Travel Market.

Miles Morgan, owner of Miles Morgan Travel, and Gary Lewis, managing director of The Travel Network Group consortium will join Comtec founder Simon Powell in the Travolution session.

The session will take place in the Travel Tech Theatre (TT390) in the Travel Tech Show at WTM zone on Monday November 7 at 1pm. Travolution is the global media partner for the technology show within the show.

Lee Hayhurst, Travolution editor, said: “The session will look at how new technologies, specifically those allowing for much greater use of data to personalise service and product, will change the role of the travel agent.

“Although technology has been widely seen as a threat to the traditional agent, flourishing high street retailers like Miles Morgan and members of The Travel Network Group increasingly see it as complementing and enhancing what they do.”

Comtec will unveil a new master brand for its growing portfolio of sister businesses at WTM.

The new inspireTEC brand will incorporate Comtec, which develops specialist tour operator reservations systems, and Eysys, a new-generation e-commerce and customer relationship management system.

It will also cover incentriq, a Canadian firm selling travel and loyalty software, and Clarius, which provides finance management, information packs and HR services to travel businesses.

The final company under inspireTEC is Sequence, a Cardiff-based digital agency that Comtec founder Simon Powell invested in last month.

Sequence brings front-end website design to the Comtec suite of services for the first time.

Powell has become the agency’s chairman as part of the deal for the firm that has worked on websites for VisitBritain and Visit Wales.

Sequence’s 30-plus management and production teams will remain at its headquarters in Cardiff.

Powell said: “Combining the best of creativity, machine learning, customer understanding and established product, inspireTEC brings together a group of complementary companies, allowing us to offer a full-service and complete end-to-end product solution for our customers.

“The group will offer solutions in travel data and content, retail selling and management, tour operator systems, CMS, CRM and best-of-breed websites. Each product is available on an individual basis, but can be combined for an integrated solution.”

The session takes place in the Travel Tech Theatre (TT390) on Monday November 7 at 1pm.