TTG's essential show preview to Travel Technology Europe 2019

Travel Technology Europe (TTE) is back and celebrating its 16th anniversary this year. Featuring more than 100 brands and start-ups working in the travel technology sector, the two-day free-to-attend exhibition will also welcome 120 professionals for a series of talks and seminars that will run in tandem with the main event.

Hot topics slated for discussion across the show’s three theatres include the Internet of Things, New Distribution Capability (NDC), cybersecurity, blockchain and personalisation.

Conference director, Mark Frary, who has been working closely with TTE’s 18 advisory board members in the run-up to the event, says visitors can expect a more streamlined experience this year.

“We have broken the conference down into three streams – Inside, Interaction and Innovation – to make it easier for visitors to identify the sessions that are the most relevant to them based on their business’s challenges,” he says.

“’Inside’ will address internal business issues; ‘Interaction’ at how brands can connect with travellers; and ‘Innovation’ focuses on forward-thinking topics and technology.”

Frary says that each keynote session will be staggered so that visitors can attend all three.

“Must attend sessions include Nicolas Dussart from Google Assistant talking about how brands must adapt their interactions to customers; Sharon Moore MBE, chief technology officer at IBM Travel and Transportation, who will be discussing women in travel tech; and the C-suite Question Time, featuring experts from dnata, Amadeus, Costa, Red Carnation Hotels and Rentals United.”

This year TTE will also take on a “Travel 2022” theme, which Frary says will address the challenge of developing a successful long-term business strategy.

“Looking ahead 12 months is never going to be enough to develop a future proof strategy. Three years ahead though, you can start taking a more visionary approach,” he says.

A key element of the Travel 2022 theme will be the show’s Innovation Playground – a dedicated area where established companies can showcase their latest products. Delegates include Austella – Ascot-based digital content creators that specialise in Virtual and Augmented Reality; AtmosVR – experts in 3D scanning; and EXP360, who offer VR solutions for sales, marketing and training processes.

Meanwhile, “Innovation 20:19, which takes place on February 21, will see industry thought leaders work against the clock to get their message across to the audience using only 20 slides. After 19 seconds each slide will automatically move on, meaning the presenter must be as concise as possible. Afterwards, the audience will vote for their favourite presentation.