Update: This post is about the conference in 2008.  See our posts on World Savers Congress 2009 at our Travel Industry blog.

Wendy Perrin blogged about Conde Nast Traveler’s efforts to recognize travel industry players doing innovative things to bringing social responsibility to their business.  She invited bloggers to attend the Conde Nast savers Congress (press release here)so I decided to invite myself to the event and get myself New York to cover it!

The awards were announced in the September issue of Conde Nast Traveler and can be found on the web here.

So what is “social responsibility”?  Conde Nast has organized this concept into five categories:

  • - Poverty – creating economic opportunities for people in poor countries
    - Preservation – positive impact on the environment
    - Education – providing educational opportunities
    - Wildlife – sustain wildlife habitat
    - Health – access to healthcare and services

I’m seated next to Pam Mandel of NerdsEyeView who was invited to live-tweet the conference!  Follow her on Twitter to see her tweets.

Agenda for the Day
7:30 a.m. – Registration & Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – Opening Remarks by Condé Nast Traveler Editor in Chief Klara Glowczewska
8:45 a.m. — Keynote Address by Jeffrey D. Sachs
9:00 a.m. – World Savers Awards Winners Announced, by Klara Glowczewska
9:50 a.m. – Condé Nast Traveler Environmental Award Winner Announced
10:00 a.m. – Breakout Panels

Panel 1 – The Consumer: Is Social Responsibility Smart Business?
Panelists:
Robert Katz, CEO, Vail Resorts
Sven Lindblad, Founder and President, Lindblad Expeditions
Adam Steward, CEO, Sandals Resorts International
Tensie Whelan, Executive Director, Rainforest Alliance
NEW – Andrea Ross, Director of Tours and Marketing, Journeys Within
Moderator: Wendy Perrin, Consumer News Editor, Condé Nast Traveler

Panel 2 – Technology: How Green Can You Be?
Panelists:
Susan Chapman, Global Head of Operations, Citi Realty Services
Daniel J. Hanrahan, President, Celebrity Cruises
John MacKinnon, Senior Vice President, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
William McDonough, Founding Principal, William McDonough & Partners
NEW – Dennis W. Quaintance, CEO and Chief Design Officer, Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels

Lunch

12:00 noon – Lunch
12:30 p.m. – Ashley Judd announcement regarding Conde Nast Traveler’s Five & Alive Fund

Keynote

1:00 p.m. – Keynote Address by Queen Rania

1:30 p.m. Breakout Panels
Panel 1 – China: Expansion and Accountability

Panelists:
Barbara Finamore, Director, Natural Resources Defense Council’s China Clean Energy Program
Edwin D. Fuller, President and Managing Director of International Lodging, Marriott International
Albert Ng, CEO, WildChina
Orville Schell, Director, Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations
Moderator: Dorinda Elliott, Deputy Editor, Special Projects, Condé Nast Traveler

Panel 2 – The Middle East:  Development and the Road to Peace
Lyndall De Marco, Executive Director, International Tourism Partnership
Maha Khatib, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Jordan
Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman, Jumeirah
Mounir S. Neamatalla, Founder, Environmental Quality International (EQI) and Siwa Sustainable Development Initiative
NEW – Malia Asfour, Director, Jordan Tourism Board in North America
Moderator: Susan Hack, Contributing Editor, Condé Nast Traveler

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