Entrepreneur and businesswoman Alex Depledge has been announced as the keynote speaker for the TTG New to Cruise Festival on December 10.
Depledge is co-founder and former chief executive of website Hassle.com and since selling the company for £24 million, she has gone on start a new venture, Resi.co.uk, which aims to disrupt the architecture sector.
She will consider what her experiences can tell both would-be entrepreneurs and big organisations seeking to adopt a start-up mentality.
She will also examine the importance of a strong brand, how to scale up a business without losing the culture that made it special and how to respond to customer needs.
Depledge, who is also an active voice in the UK tech sector, will examine the threats and opportunities artificial intelligence offers for both the workplace and workforce.
Elsewhere, Silversea has become the latest cruise line to sign up as a Gold Partner to the festival. There are now 20 supplier partners exhibiting at the festival, including three Platinum Partners: Hurtigruten, Norwegian Cruise Line and Oceania.
The inaugural TTG New to Cruise Festival is designed to provide the tools, knowledge and education for agents who want to sell cruise.
The free all-day event will take place at the Concorde Conference Centre in Manchester, featuring sessions on how to start selling cruise as well as a trade fair and speed networking sessions.