Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and Airports Council International (ACI) recently announced the group of speakers that will be presenting at the upcoming ‘Airport Service Quality’ Conference. The speakers hail from across the world, and are expected to cover the many aspects of quality service found in today’s major international airports. The event is being held under the guidance of His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan, Chairman, DCA, and is organised by ACI.
Aiming to introduce the delegates to enhanced communication networking and training prospects, ACI has invited top aviation experts to present throughout the conference and exhibition.
The ‘Airport Service Quality’ (ASQ) Conference will have a combination of workshops, one-on-one networking sessions and an exhibition providing a platform to obtain information on cutting edge technologies, products and services.
H.E Ahmed Yousif Al Hosani, Assistant Undersecretary, DCA, will be the first to present at the conference followed by Paul Cooper, Director, Institute of Customer Service who will introduce the conference’s theme. Session One, titled “Why Excellent Service Pays Off”, will include the following speakers: Martin Moodie, Managing Director and Group Editor, The Moodie Report; Ylva Persson, Global Marketing Director, Bacardi Global Travel Retail; Mark Entwistle, Executive Partner, Pragma Consulting, ARC Airport Retail Consultants; Peter Mawson, Airport Commercial Manager, NCP Ltd; Mark Crawson, Head of Business Development, International Currency Exchange plc; and Mohammed Mounib, Managing Director, Abu Dhabi Duty Free.
Speakers of session 2, “Customer Friendly and Efficient Terminal Operation”, are invited from world renowned entities: Peter Mayerhofer, Project Manager Sky Link Terminal, from Vienna International Airport; and a senior executive from Amsterdam Schipol International Airport.
Speakers of session 3, “Quality Management”, include: Dr. Evangelos Peter Poungias, Director, Commercial and Property Activities, HOCHTIEF AirPort; a senior executive from BAA plc; Craig Bradbrook, Head of Safety, Security, Environment and Planning, Airport Authority Hong Kong; and David Feldman, Managing Partner, Exambela Consulting.
Session 4, “Communications and Education”, will be covered by Athens International Airport and Aéroports de Paris.
“This conference will play a major role in developing industry professionals on service excellence in airports,” said HE Sheikh Dr. Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan, Chairman, DCA. “We are proud to be hosting this specialised conference in Abu Dhabi and to have the chance to congregate with high calibre international airport management and experts,” concluded his Excellency.
The agreement between DCA and ACI was made official at a press conference held on December 14th 2005. Abu Dhabi's consent to participate in ASQ – an international ACI customer satisfaction benchmarking survey - is hoped to aid Abu Dhabi International Airport to capitalize on customer service by satisfying existing customers whilst attracting new ones. It will provide a benchmark that measures the Airport Services' performance over time, finally leading to increased customer satisfaction and better service quality overall.
The conference is targeted towards individuals and associations directly linked to the Civil Aviation, Travel, and Airport Services Industries. Those include airport and airline executive officers, management personnel, Civil Aviation Authorities' representatives, service technology and solution suppliers, airport management companies, suppliers, retailers, consultants, and many more.
Organized by Airports Council International (ACI)- the international association of world airports- the Council's main aim is promoting professional excellence, providing travellers with safe, secure and efficient airport systems, and ultimately advancing airports' interests.
The ASQ Conference, scheduled to take place at the Beach Rotana Hotel and Towers from March 5 – 7, 2006, is sponsored by ADNOC as Diamond Sponsor and National Bank of Abu Dhabi as Official Conference Bank, with Etihad Airways being the official air carrier.
