Sydney's World Energy Congress 2004 is the first to sign up for oneworld's new conference fares

oneworld™ eventflyer, the new sales product for the conference and conventions market from the leading international airline alliance, has won its first contract – just three weeks after the new fare was launched.

More than 3.000 delegates will be travelling with the alliance's member airlines to attend the World Energy Congress at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre, Sydney, Australia, in September 2004, taking advantage of eventflyer's special ticket prices, one-stop travel shopping and easy booking processes.

The World Energy Congress is hosted by the World Energy Council, representing leading members from across the global energy industry, heads of international energy organisations, government representatives and academics specialising in the oil, gas, electricity and nuclear energy sector. The congress takes place every three years.

Participants from more than a hundred of the 136 countries served by the alliance are expected to travel to the event in Sydney next year.

oneworld eventflyer was unveiled at the seventh annual congress and exhibition of the International Congress and Convention Association, the biggest congress of the year for this sector of the travel industry, in Busan, Korea, late last month.

The new sales product is designed to win for the alliance's member airlines – Qantas, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Iberia, LanChile, Finnair, Aer Lingus and, from early next year, Swiss International Air Lines - a growing share of the US$700 million a year spent by delegates to fly internationally to the 5.000 major conferences and conventions staged annually by various organisations around the world.

oneworld Managing Partner John McCulloch said: "Signing up such a major convention as the World Energy Congress so soon after launching eventflyer is a great testimony to the strength of the product and the overall offering of oneworld.

"We are already talking to the organisers of a number of other big conferences and conventions planned for various other parts of the world in the year ahead. Based on initial reactions, oneworld's eventflyer looks set to establish itself quickly as the leading product for this important and growing market."

Jim Starkey, Executive Director of Sydney World Energy Congress 2004, said: "The World Energy Congress is delighted to be working with Qantas and the oneworld alliance. Our partnership with oneworld offers delegates flying from around the world to our Congress in Sydney in September 2004 generous fare concessions and the superb service and attention of some of the best airlines in the world."

Between them, oneworld's existing eight member airlines plus member elect SWISS serve more countries than any global airline alliance, with flights to more than 570 destinations in 136 countries. Members of any oneworld airline's frequent flyer scheme can earn awards and points on eligible fares and redeem them throughout this network. The eight airlines and their affiliates carried more than 220 million passengers last year on a combined fleet of almost 2.000 aircraft, earning revenues of some US$50 billion. In the past three years, oneworld has delivered more than US$2 billion in value to its members, through increased revenue and cost savings. It was last month named the World's Leading Airline Alliance in the World Travel Awards, based on votes cast by 80.000 travel agencies professionals from more than 200 countries.

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