The 80 delegates at the third annual Express Ticketing--1ndependence agents forum in Guangzhou last weekend all had their say in how to grow their businesses under the 1ndependence umbrella, according to Orient Express Travel Group’s 1ndependence Group CEO, Tom Manwaring.

“The forum slogans ‘Smarter, Faster, Stronger’ and ‘All Talk All Action’ were certainly fulfilled in the free-flowing forum,” he said. “No-one was preaching a corporate line; everyone was involved in discussions and the ‘All Talk’ had additional relevance because we spent time on exploring the mobile phone as a customer tool of choice.”

The forum was moderated by respected business journalist and communicator Michael Pascoe who ensured a broad range of business influences was covered.

“There was an optimistic outlook given the 1ndependence’s preferred status with 38 airlines and the increased  capacity via additional schedules of China Southern and Etihad and the fleeting of A380s by Emirates, Singapore and Qantas,” he said.

The number of delegates at this forum was double that of last year.

1ndependence invited seven suppliers to the forum – Sabre, China Southern, Singapore Airlines, United, Etihad, Virgin Atlantic and Qantas.

China Southern was the principal airline sponsor, which included the hosting of a stunning  dinner cruise on the Pearl River.

The airline announced during the forum that Orient Express Travel Group and its 1ndependence and Select agent groups was China Southern’s largest revenue provider in Australia in the last financial year.