Mobile and AI to top agenda at Travel Technology Europe 2018

Mobile and AI to top agenda at Travel Technology Europe 2018

Two-day showcase takes place at Olympia Grand, London, in February. Continue reading

Mobile and artificial intelligence such as chatbots are the technologies buyers in the travel industry are most excited about for 2018, a new survey has found.

Travel Technology Europe is to feature both prominently on its 2018 conference programme, which is now available to view online, off the back of its research.

Other hot topics include robotics, GDPR, the alternative accommodation sector and blockchain technology.

Visitors to the show can hear about these technologies from companies including Expedia, John Lewis, Apex Hotels, SACO and Contiki.

A new ‘Innovation 20:18’ session will search for the industry visionary of the future giving five people the chance to present 20 slides for a total of 18 seconds per slide to get their message across against the clock. Applications to take part are open now.

Over 50 hours of conference sessions will see current and future issues, tools and opportunities discussed at Travel Technology Europe across four streams – Marketing Technology, Travel Technology, Hotel Technology and Innovate.

The hotel theatre will include over 15 sessions about the latest innovations in hotel technology. This will include sessions on removing the front desk, using local services to increase revenues and the technology needs of the alternative accommodation sector.

Ian Richardson, co-founder and principal consultant, ?ICE Technology Services, who will be speaking on day one, said: “AI is one of the most hotly discussed topics of the moment and there’s huge potential for it to revolutionise many aspects of the travel industry. I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts on how travel businesses can apply exponential technologies to their businesses to reduce costs, improve customer relationships and drive revenues.”

Another speaker, Daniel Dickinson, director of IT, SACO said: “Travel Technology Europe offers a great opportunity to explore the latest technologies and gain insights from others in the industry. As the alternative accommodation sector continues to grow I’ll be sharing my insights into the specific technology needs of this sector and what others can learn from it.”

David Chapple, event director, Travel Technology Europe, added: “With chatbots transforming customer service and more and more people booking travel on their mobiles it’s no surprise buyers are eager to invest in these technologies. We are embracing this content within the 2018 conference programme to help buyers understand what the latest mobile and AI technologies are and how they can be practically implemented.”

Travel Technology Europe takes place at Olympia Grand from February 21-22, 2018.

TTE’s survey showed the following technologies are what buyers are most excited about in the coming year:

Rating Technologies buyers are most excited about the impact of in 2018
1 Mobile
2 AI / chatbots
3 Content marketing
4 Guest-facing experiences
5 Security systems
6 Internet of Things