NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
The Association of Women Travel Executives teams up with Travel Weekly as media partner ahead of its annual awards. Lee Hayhurst reports
LAST YEAR: winners at the AWTE Awards 2017
AWTE unveils trio of men in line for its first ambassador award
This year’s Association of Women Travel Executives Annual Awards will for the first time celebrate the work of male members supporting gender equality in the workplace.
Also new for 2018 is AWTE’s
media partnership with Travel Weekly, which the association hopes will help spread its message and attract new members. The awards ceremony, to be held at the May Fair hotel in London
on September 10, will see a new ambassador award handed out. Sarah Clayton-Turner,
chairwoman of AWTE, said the 2018 awards would be a celebration of the good work in the travel sector to push the gender equality agenda by men or women. “One of the key things I have
realised since becoming chair is it’s all very well having a women’s association but we cannot do it on our own, we have to engage with our male members,” she said. “We are constantly challenged
about why we still need a women- only association; a few years ago we did consider whether it was time to drop women from the name but it was felt absolutely not. “We are lucky in this industry because there are a number of senior women on boards who we can use as positive examples. But
“I’ve realised we can’t do it on our own, we have to engage with our male members”
there is still a lot more to be done.” The ambassador award will be
given to the nominee AWTE judges decided actively encourages women in business and allows them to reach their potential. AWTE has had male members
for five years through its corporate membership scheme. This year is the first time the
AWTE awards have been judged by a panel drawn from the industry. It includes Travel Weekly editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley as part of the media partnership, as well as Phil Garder of Thomas
Book tickets for AWTE Annual Awards
Clayton-Turner: ‘There is still lots more that needs to be done’
Tickets cost £75 for AWTE members, £90 for non-members. Book at:
tinyurl.com/awteawards
12
travelweekly.co.uk 23 August 2018
Cook, Nick Hughes of dnata Travel and Lisa Henning of The Travel Network Group. Clayton-Turner said: “We have gone as far as we can on our own and needed a media partnership to help us achieve our goals and look for new ways to engage members and increase our numbers.” AWTE is striving to reach out to less-senior women in travel under Clayton-Turner’s leadership. “The events we put on are great
and well attended but it’s become more and more difficult to get people to attend,” she said. “We wonder if one of the reasons behind that is, while we have an amazing membership, a lot of those senior women already have the tools they need to succeed.” Clayton-Turner added that
the AWTE had sought to extend its focus beyond leisure travel by forging partnerships with corporate travel body the GTMC and the Aviation Festival. The shortlists for the four
awards have been announced (see facing page). In addition, three recipients will be awarded the AWTE benevolent enterprise gift.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
