Digital Travel US 2024
October 07 - 08, 2024
Hyatt Regency Austin, TX
DAY TWO: Booking & Experience, TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019
7:40 am - 8:40 am
Continental Breakfast & Registration for All Attendees in the Solutions Lounge
9:00 am - 9:05 am
Welcome Remarks
Krishna Patel -
Program Director,
Digital Travel Summit
9:05 am - 9:20 am
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Michael Taylor -
Practice Lead, Travel,
J.D. Power
9:20 am - 9:40 am
FIRESIDE CHAT I’ve Discovered an Easier Way to Get People to Book Directly
Francisco Trejo -
Managing Director, Digital Products,
United Airlines
Justin Bachman -
Associate Editor,
Bloomberg
There has been a slow progression to understanding how the majority of travelers are comfortable in booking. This discussion will unpack several important factors to keep in mind when working to create more ease, interest, and convenience for customers.
9:40 am - 10:00 am
KEYNOTE: The Age of Assistance
Jennifer Wesley -
Director, Travel,
Google
Today’s consumers can get what they want, when they want. As a result, they’re more curious, demanding, and impatient than ever before. As this shift expands across purchasing behavior, we’re seeing changes take flight in the travel industry too. Enabled by technology, travelers have greater expectations for assistance. When they need information or have a question, they’re looking for assistive experiences that are useful, personal and frictionless. Google’s Jen Wesley will speak to what it means to win travelers across the journey in today’s “Age of Assistance”
10:00 am - 10:40 am
PANEL (Tonight Show Style): Win the booking! Now with… MORE CONTENT
Michael Taylor -
Practice Lead, Travel,
J.D. Power
Michael Goldrich -
VP – Marketing, E-Commerce & Distribution,
Denihan Hospitality Group
Niklas Schlappkohl -
Senior Director, Travel Solutions,
Translations.com
Debbie Johnsen -
Digital Marketing Director,
The Watergate Hotel
Doug Ralston -
CEO,
OmniExperience
•Examples of getting people to book and stay using branded content
•Content is expensive, the space is crowded, how are companies coming up with new and fresh ideas for content?
•The challenges of content and getting quality content
•What kind of content are people looking for that is going to inspire and convert them in the transaction phase
•Pros and cons of leveraging UGC
10:40 am - 11:20 am
Thank You for Booking! Please Enjoy These Drinks and Snacks As Part of Your Conference Experience This Morning
11:20 am - 11:40 am
FIRESIDE CHAT The Best Vista Ever – Getting to the Lookout Point that Gives You a Clear View of Your Customer
Simon Lejeune -
Head of User Acquisition,
Hopper
Alex Otrezov -
Head of Search & Experimentation,
Uber
This fireside chat will feature a peer to peer interview on how each company is leveraging customer data to get a fuller view of his/her needs as they prepare for or are actively traveling.
•Considering how your offering may tie into the larger set of travel services needed
•How can we get all the data, get all the nuances, read into that and make conclusions?
•Is AI real or a buzzword?
11:40 am - 12:00 pm
KEYNOTE: What's Trending Next Year? Planning for Tomorrow's Future Likes and Bookings Today
Sanjay Bhatia -
Industry Manager, Travel,
Facebook
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Seats Still Available for Lunch and Networking!
LiveRamp Lunch + Learn
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm The Ultimate Marketing Destination = Reaching Your Target AudienceHave lunch with LiveRamp to hear more about how you can better reach your target audience. Come learn how first-, second-, and third-party data should play a central role within your entire tech stack to improve your targeting, personalization, and measurement capabilities. If you have interest in attending, please email maria.youssef@wbresearch.com
TRACK A
International
This track will discuss how you can go beyond the borders of your company to reach consumers or work with industry partners to achieve business goals.
1:00 pm - 1:15 pm Chairperson’s Afternoon Address
Michael Taylor - Practice Lead, Travel, J.D. Power1:15 pm - 1:35 pm CASE STUDY Trouble Shooting Niche Targeting
Maclin Williams - Director of Marketing, Porter AirlinesHow do you find your needle in a haystack customer? Porter Airlines, Canada’s Flying Refined airline shares their journey of solutions exploration. Learn what worked and what didn’t and how creative thinking and testing agility can drive results.
1:35 pm - 2:15 pm PANEL: Everyone Can Win When We Admit: No One Owns the Customer, The Customer Owns Us
Michael Taylor - Practice Lead, Travel, J.D. Power Becca Doten - Managing Director, Media Relations, Los Angeles World Airports Steve Mayers - Airport Director, Customer Experience, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Mikhail Krymov - Founder, Sleepbox Gene Sutch - Director of Revenue Strategy and Analysis, MWAAWhen it comes to offering customized products and services to people through their preferred channel, it takes a lot to admit that that favorite channel might not be you. This discussion will bring together cross industry players to discuss how the travel industry can work more collaboratively to provide better service to the customer across the digital ecosystem.
•Benefits to partnerships
•Working around sensitive areas like customer privacy and proprietary systems
• Who is the key interactor with the customer and how they can be a touchpoint for other players to provide everything the traveler needs to have a smooth journey
Steve Mayers
Airport Director, Customer ExperienceHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
2:15 pm - 2:35 pm FIRESIDE CHAT: Win the booking! Now with… MORE URGENCY
Krista Pappas - SVP, Lola.com Brian Sumers - Senior Aviation Business Editor, SkiftAs travelers leave more and more to the last minute, companies are searching for ways to create urgency in the booking process that go beyond discounts.
•Tips and tricks for staying top of mind with the customer
•Benefits for customers convenience perks
•Benefits for companies including the opportunity for increased touch points
TRACK B
Domestic
This track will focus on what you can accomplish within your company to improve your conversion rate and provide excellent experience.
1:00 pm - 1:15 pm Chairperson’s Afternoon Address
Efrat Ravid - CMO, Quantum Metric
1:15 pm - 1:35 pm GROUP WORKSHOPPING SESSION Speaking with One Voice: Challenges and Successes When It Comes to Getting Your People to Coordinate Across Departments
Stevie Stevenson - Director of Offer Strategy, Hilton- How to balance interactions across departments that have a stake in the omni-channel experience including including leading and coordinating high-stakes cross functional projects
- Create processes or initiatives to increase collaboration and innovation
- Bring your biggest headache and get feedback and guidance from your peers!
1:35 pm - 2:15 pm CASE STUDY INTERACTIVE Win the booking! Now with… MORE ANALYTICS
Connie Marianacci - Director of eCommerce Strategy & Performance, Digital Marketing, North & Central America, Accor HotelsIt’s the same age old question: how can you get that sweet sweet conversion? Let’s discuss what’s new when it comes to:
· How touchpoints with customers that support conversions have changed over the past few years
· Leveraging technology when you don’t have huge analytics tools
· Integrating data from different platforms to form a complete picture
· Building and testing your approach to attribution and incrementality
Connie Marianacci
Director of eCommerce Strategy & Performance, Digital Marketing, North & Central AmericaAccor Hotels
2:15 pm - 2:35 pm CASE STUDY Trust Me You Will Love It – Creating a Culture of Optimization
Asmita Singh - Vice President, Marketing and Demand Analytics, Travel Leaders GroupWhether your company is playing catch up with digital strategy or toeing the line of the newest burning innovation, change is something everyone has to deal with. It’s also pretty universal that people love what they are used to – when was the last time you switched up your coffee order? – and thus there will be some resistance from members of the team to a new direction. This session will explore strategies to bridge the change haters and the ones who can roll with the punches to bring your team to that next level together.
• Methods to incorporate and get people excited such as incentive programs
TRACK C
The Lounge
Bring your questions on the suggested category and discuss in small group.
1:00 pm - 1:55 pm VIP WORKSHOP: Humans over Hype: Leveraging Traveler Intelligence and Digital to Drive Bookings
Jennifer Pintaluba - Director of Digital Marketing, Regent Seven Seas Cruises Mike Lund - Vice President, Business Development, ConversantThis interactive workshop session will discuss how cruise lines and other travel brands can optimize their marketing investments through ongoing digital conversations with travelers throughout the entire booking journey. How do travel brands navigate in today’s more complex omnichannel world to deliver brand experiences that will resonate with consumers who have more choices than ever? During this session, we’ll explore how Regent Seven Seas and other travel brands are leveraging strong customer identity combined with advanced digital strategies to increase bookings and customer loyalty. We’ll address the best practices that travel brands need to drive real marketing success through digital.
2:15 pm - 3:10 pm VIP WORKSHOP: Get Peer Feedback on Your Incremental Lift Experiments
Chris Lehman - Senior Vice President, adMarketplaceSometimes marketing to your consumers can feel daunting – it's hard to measure the impact of your efforts. Was it your channel that created that incremental sales lift, or was it something else? Here’s your chance to get some peer review and insights from a provider with views across many travel brands. Bring your performance marketing challenges and examples of how incrementality is discussed throughout your organization and get ready to be workshopped!
2:35 pm - 2:45 pm TECH STOP: Delivering Hyper-Personalized Experiences to Boost Your Customer Relationship
Christian Selchau-Hansen - CEO / Co-Founder, Formation
2:35 pm - 2:45 pm TECH STOP: Tying Digital Ad Spend to Booking Conversion
Mike Skladony - General Manager – Consumer Services, Semcasting
2:45 pm - 3:05 pm CASE STUDY Your Journey Begins With Us - Listening to Our Customers to Enhance Their Travel Experience
Gene Sutch - Director of Revenue Strategy and Analysis, MWAAMWAA has been stepping up their digital game with a new mobile app including virtual navigation and augmented reality to help customers have a smooth experience. Join them to hear about the launch and promo of the app, plans to integrate food service, data analysis of customers, and more!
2:45 pm - 3:05 pm CASE STUDY: Virtual Reality – The Awareness Exists in the Mind, The Sales Exist in Reality
Robecta Ma - VP of Marketing & Digital, Americas, Cathay Pacific AirwaysThis case study will delve into how Cathay Pacific leveraged VR content to exceed the performance of its brand campaign and aggregate additional incremental bookings.
•Finding the right tech partner
•Repurposing VR content to drive views and leads
•Strategies for measuring the impact
3:05 pm - 3:45 pm
This Afternoon Only - Networking Before Your Roundtables. Book Now!
Make sure to take a minute between mingling and snacking to drop your questions for our 4:25 pm Roundtables with Polling at the Registration Desk!
3:45 pm - 4:25 pm
PANEL (DEBATE TEAM STYLE) How to Pick the Right Service Provider When So Many Are Offering Similar Services
Jonathan Stephen -
Sr. Manager, Mobile Strategy & Digital Engagement,
Norwegian Cruise Line
Andre Miller -
Director, Global Communications,
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation
Shannon Jennewein -
Digital Marketing Manager,
Diamond Resorts
Michael Goldrich -
VP – Marketing, E-Commerce & Distribution,
Denihan Hospitality Group
Garrett Ruhland -
Senior Director, Brands,
LiveRamp
This session will attempt to present a non-biased approach to talking about what the service providers are offering and how to determine the best fit for your business. Fine, let’s be honest. Everyone is biased. This debate will embrace that and showcase different perspectives on vendor selection.
4:25 pm - 5:05 pm
What’s Troubling and…. Trending? Guided Discussion Roundtables with Polling
Stevie Stevenson -
Director of Offer Strategy,
Hilton
Jonathan Stephen -
Sr. Manager, Mobile Strategy & Digital Engagement,
Norwegian Cruise Line
Discussion Led by the Digital Travel Summit Advisory Board
A highlight of Digital Travel Summit, roundtable discussions are your best opportunity to deep-dive into the nitty gritty and idea-share with your peers. This year we are using this session to connect and discuss the biggest challenges you’ve have in the past 12 months but, with a twist – we’ll be taking suggestions on challenges during the break and kicking off the at-table discussion with live polling through our app to discern how many of you are impacted. Discussion may include:
• Things change every three months, what are recent developments of note and what can we expect next?
• When GDP drops, travel drops, what companies are doing to combat uncertainty caused by trade problems
• Any new or pending mergers and acquisitions and their impact
• Pending disruption from players including Google and Amazon
At the 20 minute mark everyone will switch tables to gain exposure to different view points. Get ready to move and learn!
4:25 pm - 4:35 pm
J.D. Power Inaugural U.S. Travel App Satisfaction Study Award Winners Announcement
Michael Taylor -
Practice Lead, Travel,
J.D. Power
The Inaugural J.D. Power U.S. Travel App Satisfaction Study measures user satisfaction with travel apps across four segments of the travel industry: Airline, Hotel, Rental Car and Online Travel Agency. We are pleased to present awards to those brands ranked highest in mobile app experience. Come celebrate with them at our Day Two Cocktail Party!