DRMumbai: The highlight of ITB Asia 2018 will be on the interdependence of travel and technology. The conference theme ‘Travel Reimagined’ will see key leaders in travel and tech provide insights on the major trends provoking disruption across the travel industry whilst analysing how companies are innovating to stay ahead. The event will be held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands from October 17 – 19.
C-level leaders to discuss practical application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), biometrics, blockchain and robotics in travel management and other areas with case study examples
Top technology and travel companies across the globe, including Booking.com, Egencia, Fliggy, Hotelbeds Group, KAYAK, Microsoft, Sabre, SITA, Skyscanner, Tencent, Travelport and Tujia will be joining the show with senior representatives, from Vice President to C-Level, on the stage talking about which technologies will truly transform travel.
The series of talks on travel technologies will take place at the Travel & Tech Hub, allowing delegates to immerse in the game-changing technology that is progressing travel, meetings and business. The show’s agenda will be dominated by discussions from AI to virtual reality (VR), biometrics, blockchain and robotics utilising case study examples and practical application in travel management, business travel, hotel operations, travel photography, and dining experience etc.
Speakers will demonstrate how emerging tech can offer meaningful connections between travel brands and customers for true RoI. “Delegates will gain insights into what the future holds for the leisure, MICE and corporate travel sectors and the industry’s biggest challenges that can effectively be resolved through new tech,” says an official statement.
Launching the new MICE Tech Showcase, the conference will feature innovations that will help solve today’s complex issues in the MICE industry.
As a partner at the MICE & Corporate Hub, Troovo, a leading Robotic Process Automation solutions provider, will join ITB Asia to tackle the positive impact of virtualisation and robotics for the travel industry. Exploring the endless possibilities of the virtual world and utilising them to expand the possibilities of the actual world, Troovo provides solutions on virtual payments, automating workflow and simplifying data process in corporations.
As a strong believer in automation to enable greater productivity and higher profitability, Troovo’s Co-founder and CEO, Kurt Knackstedt, will host a one-hour session on October 18 to discuss how we can take away the laborious task of data entry and grunt work of processing travel and payment transactions. Sharing further insights, he will draw on his experience which spans over 20 years and 4 continents, across technology, travel, procurement, leadership and marketing roles at multinationals, start-ups and his own consulting business.
According to ‘The State of Travel Start-ups 2017’, there were 1,497 digital startups around the globe which attracted nearly $62 billion in funding, almost double from the previous year. Taking 8 per cent of global travel tech share, China has accounted for over a quarter of funding to the travel tech industry since 2013.
This year, ITB Asia is joining hands with Asian Development Bank with the Mekong Innovative Start-up Tourism (MIST), Innovel Travel Tech, Skift and Troovo as the representative. Skift will be hosting a session at the Knowledge Theatre on ‘Post Experience Economy: Innovators At The Edge of Travel’. This new term, the ‘Post Experience Economy’ will look at the travel economy where everyone is marketing experiences and smart innovators are thinking about the post-experience economy.
ITB Asia’s strategic partnership with Asian Development Bank and Innovel Travel Tech will reach out to tech-savvy companies world over that are innovating with breakthrough technologies. Both will be hosting a session on travel start-ups at the Travel and Tech Hub.
Destination Reporter is an official media partner.
