Digital Travel US 2024
October 07 - 08, 2024
Hyatt Regency Austin, TX
DAY THREE: Loyalty & Sharing, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019
8:20 am - 8:55 am
Continental Breakfast & Registration for All Attendees
8:55 am - 9:00 am
Welcome Remarks
Krishna Patel -
Program Director,
Digital Travel Summit
9:00 am - 9:15 am
Chairperson’s Remarks
Richard Alan Reid -
VP, Global Content,
BuzzFeed
9:15 am - 9:35 am
FIRESIDE CHAT I Hear You - How Voice is Creating New and Meaningful Connections Between Travel Brands and Their Customers
Tristan Krause -
Director of Global Product Management,
Expedia
Brian Sumers -
Senior Aviation Business Editor,
Skift
Loyalty is a complex human emotion guided by positive feelings, need, and a sense of potential future benefits. This session will dig into how one travel brand is getting to the heart of member needs and recruiting the next generation of loyalty travelers through the use of voice tech.
· Voice as an extension of the Expedia Group media platform
· Specific voice learnings and use cases from Expedia Group
· Upcoming possibilities of voice technology as a series of interactions
9:35 am - 10:15 am
PANEL: Does it Have to Be a War for Talent? Attracting and Retaining Top Employees
Rick Seaney -
CEO,
FareCompare
Krag Klages -
Senior Manager, Advanced Analytics and Optimization,
Disney Parks & Resorts
Emma Jagunich -
Senior Manager, Global Product Operations – Human,
Airbnb
Andrew Wilson -
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer,
Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau
Loyalty is huge when it comes to the lifetime value of a customer, but what about the lifetime achievements of your team?
•Attracting the right talent, keeping them, things change a lot very quickly, having an environment concentrating on those changes
•Developing agency and tech style talents in house
•Trends on salaries
•How to keep your staff entertained and engaged
•Is there really such a generational gap when it comes to keeping people happy?
Andrew Wilson
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing OfficerAtlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau
12:00 pm - 12:20 pm
KEYNOTE Be Creative. Be Brave: Embracing Change and Finding New Paths to Alice’s Rabbit Hole
David Kepron -
Vice President, Global Design Strategies, Distinctive Premium Brands,
Marriott International
David Kepron
Vice President, Global Design Strategies, Distinctive Premium BrandsMarriott International
10:35 am - 11:15 am
Morning Refreshments & Networking Break with Retail (r)Evolution Book Signing with David Kepron
David Kepron -
Vice President, Global Design Strategies, Distinctive Premium Brands,
Marriott International
The Digital Travel Summit is pleased to present an exclusive opportunity to snag a free copy* of Retail (r)Evolution and the chance to have your book signed by the author.
Retail (r)Evolution, the latest title from ST Books and VMSD magazine, takes the reader through the ways the human brain has traditionally responded to retail environments, and how recent technological innovations are changing everything. From increasing reliance on handheld devices to the emergence, effects and future of social networking both inside and outside of stores, the contemporary human brain is being rewired to perceive the world in a very different manner than even half a generation ago. Author David Kepron cites numerous scientific studies that demonstrate the seismic shifts in customer attitudes, behavior and actions regarding, among other things, selection and choice, expectations and interactions (or not) with retail staff, and overall, long-term satisfaction with a brand or store based on in-store experiences.
(Supplies are limited, free copy of book available on first come, first served basis. One book per participating attendee.)
David Kepron
Vice President, Global Design Strategies, Distinctive Premium BrandsMarriott International
11:15 am - 11:35 am
CASE STUDY: The Next Frontier of Content: The Kind Not Intended to Convert
Emma Jagunich -
Senior Manager, Global Product Operations – Human,
Airbnb
Emma first spoke at the Digital Travel Summit in 2015 when she was a CX Operations Manager. Since then she has moved on to work in Airbnb’s Humanitarian Department which is involved in providing housing to refugees, people impacted by natural disasters, and in working with foundations like Make a Wish. Welcome Emma back to the DTS stage as she shares:
• How Airbnb is evolving and
• How Airbnb has is creating content that goes beyond what people can purchase, like their groundbreaking 2017 Superbowl ad
• What this evolution says about changing consumer expectations of brands
11:35 am - 12:00 pm
KEYNOTE: Win Loyalty by Being Customer Obsessed and Data Led
Brendan Witcher -
Vice President, Principal Analyst, Digital Business Strategy,
Forrester
For those brands within the travel industry, success (and survival) requires meeting the rapidly rising bar for customer expectations with exceptional, relevant, and value-oriented experiences. But no company can do it all, and good strategy requires data-led decisions around both prioritization and execution of new digital experiences. In this session, Brendan will discuss what drives consumer choice in today’s digitized world of travel, how organizations often confuse company-obsession with customer-obsession, top capabilities that leading organizations are investing in, and how data is being used as a competitive weapon for servicing, retaining, and achieving loyalty from the new digitally-savvy consumer.
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
KEYNOTE: Call in the (Brand) Reinforcements: What Is Actually Working When It Comes to Supporting Loyalty?
Michael Childers -
Chief Consultant, Content and Media Strategy,
Lufthansa Systems Americas, Inc.
It’s not all about a rock bottom fare. Travel companies continue to place increased emphasis on experience and loyalty programs to maintain happy customers and healthy margins. How are you separating the flash from the substance when it comes to reinforcing your brand? Michael will delve into the kinds of things that really do reinforce brands and support the concept of loyalty.
· The impact of better amenities
· Measuring the success of your loyalty program
· Creating more opportunities for your customers to use their loyalty points across industries
Michael Childers
Chief Consultant, Content and Media StrategyLufthansa Systems Americas, Inc.
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Bon Voyage Lunch with Key Takeaway Discussion Discussion Led by the Digital Travel Summit Advisory Board
Stevie Stevenson -
Director of Offer Strategy,
Hilton
Jonathan Stephen -
Sr. Manager, Mobile Strategy & Digital Engagement,
Norwegian Cruise Line
Krag Klages -
Senior Manager, Advanced Analytics and Optimization,
Disney Parks & Resorts
What will you remember most about the time you spent at Digital Travel Summit 2019, and how will it impact your
work moving forward? Enjoy one more chance to connect with your fellow attendees and take the critical step of
exchanging key takeaways before you go back out into the world. Key takeaways will be noted from the discussion and
distributed with the presentations post-event.
