Travel Forward, a global event for travel technology, has revealed an impressive lineup of big name brands to present live on stage as a part of sister event Arabian Travel Market (ATM).
This year’s ATM is a hybrid event. Travel Forward is part of the in-person event taking place at Dubai World Trade Center from May 16-19, co-located with ATM Dubai.
ATM Virtual will take place from May 24-26 and all sessions from the in-person event will be available to view during the virtual event.
In collaboration with the travel tech powerhouse Amadeus, Travel Forward Theatre will welcome Amadeus’s senior vice president of retail for Middle East and Africa, Jamel Chandoul, who will discuss how collaboration can help to rebuild the travel industry using technology to offer travelers a smoother and safer travel experience. The session looks at travelers’ top concerns including health apps. It takes place on May 17.
The four-day event kicks-off on May 16 with a two-part session featuring Gavin Harris from travel marketplace Skyscanner and Kathryn Wallington from next-generation global distribution platform Travelport.
Later that day, David Debeule, director of Expedia Group’s accommodation team in the Middle East and Africa, will talk not only about the insights that can be gleaned from listening to the global travel ecosystem but also how these insights can be converted into real-world action plans.
Elsewhere, an hour-long expert panel will outline “The Path Forward for Destination Marketing Organizations.” It will be led by Hans Clement from the Dubai office of Boston Consulting Group and Iva Kutle Skrlec, a destination marketing expert from Google. They will share the findings from an extensive collaborative research project, giving attendees practical advice and takeaways on how to position their destination for the return of travelers.
Hotels are also represented across the three-day event. Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, president for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey operations of Hilton, is part of a hospitality panel talking about how data and technology can support personalized trips and memorable experiences.
Simon Press, exhibition director at Travel Forward, said: “The lineup we’ve assembled for Travel Forward at ATM Dubai proves that senior execs from across the travel tech ecosystem are willing to travel and share their insights and expertise on how best to approach the first wave of post-pandemic travelers.”
Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Travel technology is integral to our hybrid format this year. With expert insight, it will be fascinating to find out just what the ‘new normal’ will look like, the role technology will play and how industry players and consumers will adapt.”
