ABTOF Conference

We went to Marseille where we put on a 2 day conference for ABTOF (The Association of British Tour Operators to France). Every year their annual conference takes place in a different French destination and they invite all of their members to join them. At the event there are presentations and informative discussions involving thought leaders and experts from within the travel industry. Delegates had the opportunity to quiz them on topics ranging from green travel to effective PR; Internet marketing to consumer research.


But we didn’t spend all of our time locked in a conference centre; the delegates went on various outings around Provence and got to see some of the beautiful countryside that the region is famous for. Evening entertainment was also welcomed with great enthusiasm (some were too enthusiastic for their own good). The whole event was rounded off with a gala dinner at the incredibly impressive Palais de la Bourse. We sat in the grand hall surrounded by amazingly carved stonework. Inevitably everybody moved from the dinner to the ‘official ABTOF’ bar, The Trolleybus, where a full size pitanque court in the basement kept us entertained until the small hours of the morning.

When we arrived at the airport for our flight home it became immediately obvious who had taken advantage of The Trolleybus more than others (of course we were amongst those who had remained completely sober throughout). We can’t wait for next year’s conference in Reims where the Champagne region is looking forward to showing us all they have to offer and we’re looking forward to a glass or two.