The Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA) Annual Forum hopes to provide delegates with ‘Future Vision’ when it takes place in Manchester next month.

Industry heavyweights will advise hotel booking agents, hotels and venues how to prepare for the decade ahead in sales and leadership.

The event will take place at Ramada Manchester Piccadilly Hotel on 8-9 September and feature keynotes from speakers including hotel consultant Ian Gamse, who will reveal what lies in store for the hospitality industry over the next 10 years; and Reggie Aggarwal, CEO of Cvent, who will speak about entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship and the future of the meetings industry. He will also share tips on how to grow a business through a recession.

Meanwhile, more than 50 speakers will take part in plenary sessions and workshops, discussing topics ranging from insurance policies, security at events, latest mobile apps for the event sector, the A-Z of hiring celebrities, how to recruit develop and retain talented people, to technology challenges and the frustrations of distribution, content and pricing.

Juliet Price, chair of the HBAA, said: “We believe that the subjects tackled at the forum will have a direct impact on those attending, as they focus on issues being faced both now and in the future, making the 2011 HBAA Forum a real ‘must-attend’ event.”

The Forum will also be the backdrop for the association’s annual HBAA awards.

Video highlights from the 2010 HBAA Forum can be viewed at www.youtube.com/theHBAA