Buyers and sellers are midway through 110,000 appointments at IPW in Washington DC this week after a few days of pre-IPW famils, tours of Washington DC and networking functions. The opening function was held at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum with an outdoor concert on National Mall headlined by Aloe Blacc.

• At the NZ-Australia rooftop gig... At the NZ-Australia rooftop gig...
• Karen McCardle, Kanuckiwi with Emily... Karen McCardle, Kanuckiwi with Emily...
• Lisa Catron and Chris Ingram,... Lisa Catron and Chris Ingram,...
• Most of the Kiwis were... Most of the Kiwis were...
• Air New Zealand's Trusha Patel... Air New Zealand's Trusha Patel...
• Man on a mission: Darragh... Man on a mission: Darragh...
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Balinese suppliers who attended a destination showcase in Auckland last night say the success of the event showed that it should become a regular fixture n the trade calendar here. 'We'd like to make it an annual event,' says Marten Hubbeling, of DMC Asia Plus.
Hubbeling says the event was timely this year as it coincided with the introduction of Air New Zealand's Dreamliner Boeing 767 on the Auckland - Bali route, a move that has increased capacity by 30% over a season that runs from now through October.
Air New Zealand has reported a strong uptake for the service, matching the growth in seat availability. And airline spokespeople say that while the season may extend further next year, no details are available at this point.

• Reny Prawira (centre) of Hotel... Reny Prawira (centre) of Hotel...
• Lisa Watson, You Travel Broker,... Lisa Watson, You Travel Broker,...
• Ruzanne Keresoma, Rebecca Goodin, Vuyen... Ruzanne Keresoma, Rebecca Goodin, Vuyen...
• Samantha Brown, David Mulholland, both... Samantha Brown, David Mulholland, both...
• Marten Hubbeling, DMC Asia Plus;... Marten Hubbeling, DMC Asia Plus;...
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A record-breaking number of brokers attended the conference along with Travelsmart offices, unbranded agencies and suppliers when Travel Managers Group held its 16th annual conference in Nelson over the weekend.
Managing director Dave Wallace says some 200 delegates attended in all.
Highlights included an Air New Zealand sponsored Black Tie Awards Dinner. Among those receiving awards were the High Flyers, High Achievers, Broker of the Year, Top Travelsmart Shop, Top Division, Top Branch, Marketing Achievement Award, and Travelsmart Outstanding Achievement Award. It was also announced that The High Flyers and their partners would be hosted on a trip to Buenos Aires and the High Achievers would go to the Gold Coast later in the year.
The conference started on Thursday with optional business workshops and a niche supplier expo.
The official opening on Friday was themed ‘The Right Fit… Building the Perfect Jigsaw for You’ with MC Jackie Clarke and directors Kevin Weston, Dave Wallace and Nicola Jamieson painting the landscape for the next three years.
The large contingent got to enjoy Nelson and the surrounding area exploring the National WOW Museum and Nelson Classic Car Gallery, tasting the culinary delights at Jellyfish Mapua Wharf, and helping the local economy grow by shopping at the variety of creative art and designer stores. The Grand Monaco Marquee was the venue for a dinner hosted by Singapore Airlines on Friday night with entertainment provided by Jackie Clarke. A suppliers expo was held during the day on Saturday.

• Travel Managers Group director Kevin... Travel Managers Group director Kevin...
• High Flyers will be hosted... High Flyers will be hosted...
• TMG head office team (back):... TMG head office team (back):...
• TMG directors Kevin Weston and... TMG directors Kevin Weston and...
• Briar and Daniel Collins, Fine... Briar and Daniel Collins, Fine...
• Jackie Setz, Travelsmart Napier (Travelsmart... Jackie Setz, Travelsmart Napier (Travelsmart...
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One of the first functions of TRENZ was held last night by helloworld which hosted supplier drinks to launch the busy week of New Zealand's biggest tourism event of the year.

• Christine Wood, Rydges; Annette Nicholls,... Christine Wood, Rydges; Annette Nicholls,...
• Duncan Fletcher, Distinction Hotels and... Duncan Fletcher, Distinction Hotels and...
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• Mel Rauner, ATS Pacific and... Mel Rauner, ATS Pacific and...
• Jackie Costello and Nathan Williams,... Jackie Costello and Nathan Williams,...
• Katie Hanley, IHG; David Hurst,... Katie Hanley, IHG; David Hurst,...
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It was a site inspection of a different kind for seven agents as they reviewed Qatar Airways 777-200 LR aircraft earlier this week. While parked on the tarmac at Auckland International Airport, the 259 seat aircraft was given the once over by the agents. They not only played with all the buttons on the business class seats, including the massage and lie flat ones, but a lucky few sat in the cockpit as the plane taxied to its gate (from its parking spot).  
Geoff Hebditch from HoT Browns Bay says it was great to be able to look through the plane. ’The economy class seats have a reasonable distance from the seat in front and it’s a huge advantage to see the business class product.’ The unanimous decision from the agents was that the walk through was hugely beneficial as most have or have had bookings with Qatar Airways. ‘The price point is a big factor for many of our clients and as Qatar has extremely competitive fares to Europe, our bookings are growing,’ says Jenna Martin from HoT St Heliers. ‘Being able to see the product first hand means we can reassure our clients of the quality and also to be aware of the aircraft layout.’
Aishwarya Rangarajan, sales executive from Qatar Airways says they will have more plane walk throughs later on in the year as they want as many agents as to inspect the product. ‘We will also have some famils in the pipeline before the end of the year, with details of where and when being worked out.’

• About to board Qatar Airways... About to board Qatar Airways...
• So is Raina Jogia So is Raina Jogia
• In the QR hot seat... In the QR hot seat...
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