Tech Titans To Address Travel Leaders

<H1> Tech Titans To Address Travel Leaders</H1>The titans of travel technology will highlight a star-studded lineup of industry leaders making presentations at and participating in the fifth annual Masters Program, at Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C., Nov. 19-21

Technology panelists are Greg Conley, IBM general manager, travel and transportation industry; John Neilson, Microsoft vice president of information products; Jose Ofman, EDS senior vice president and group executive of travel and transportation; Jeff Katz, Sabre Travel Information Network president; and a representative yet to be named from Anderson Consulting. The panel is assembled and moderated by Jack Alexander, WorldTravel Partners CEO.

The program also will feature 1997 forecasts from the following presidents and CEOs: Joe Vittoria of Avis, Travis Tanner of Carlson Wagonlit, John Sharpe of Four Seasons Regent, Dieter Huckestein of Hilton and Ivan Michael Schaeffer of Woodside Travel Trust.

This year's Masters Program chairman, Maritz Travel Co. president and CEO Mike Boland, said the program is "designed to build on last year's success, particularly the next generation technology panel, CEO stories and more opportunity for interaction."

Interaction by top executives from supplier companies in every industry segment at previous Masters meetings led to the formation of the Travel Business Roundtable-an ad hoc group of more than 60 chief executives of travel supplier companies working to promote the U.S. travel industry-which is now the official sponsor of the event.

TBR chairman Jonathan Tisch, Loews Hotels president and CEO, will discuss the group's progress in advancing such industry priorities as creating a Standard Industry Code for travel, establishing a leading economic indicator for travel, defining a national strategy to promote inbound travel and raising business meal deductibility. Call 202-775-8549.