ALTO is hoping to run this as a self- funding project through sponsorship and incoming fees from the purchase fees of the report. However, Andrew Mangion, treasurer of the association, indicated that ALTO may also commit funds from its healthy balance sheet to ensure the project takes off.

ALTO may also commit funds from its healthy balance sheet to ensure the project takes off

This new agenda coincides with a renewed membership drive across senior executives working at education agencies and language teaching organisations.

A new board was ushered in during the AGM held on the fringes of ICEF Berlin. New board members are Iñigo Alvarez from ASTEX Spain; Thiago España from World Study Brazil and Leanne Linacre from LILA* Liverpool. Juan Manual Elizalde, representing Spanish agency association ASEPROCE, was elected last year on the board.

They join Mangion of EC and chair, David Brown of ISIS Education, at the helm of the association, which now has 130 member organisations and is keen to reach 200.

ICEF CEO Markus Badde with outgoing Chair David Anthonisz. Photo: David Niland

At a formal lunch for members during ALTO’s most recent event, an honorary membership was also bestowed upon Markus Badde, CEO of ICEF, for his outstanding contribution to the language travel industry.

He told The PIE, “I feel truly honoured by ALTO for their recognition. And I would also like to thank my team of great people, without whom, ICEF’s success would not have been possible.”

The afternoon agenda focused on improving the financial and accounting acumen of members, most of whom run their own businesses. Members contributed to the afternoon sessions with their own experience, and many delegates acknowledged that the seminar reminded them of the critical importance of not leaving financial accounting and forecasting solely to the finance experts.

Speaker Andrew Needham explained how to assess business opportunities by learning how to interpret cashflow, financial statements and balance sheets. He underlined that company accounts never deliver answers, but enable managers to “ask the right questions”.

Most of the new ALTO board. Photo: David Niland

Next year, ALTO first set of professional development days are in Sao Paulo, Brazil (18 January); Bangkok, Thailand (21 February) and New York, USA (9-11 May). The US event is also open to non-members.