Travel Technology Europe 2018: Preview

Travel Technology Europe 2018: Preview

Travel Technology Europe 2018: Show expected to attract 6,000 visitors to Olympia this month. Lee Hayhurst previews the London event

Travel Technology Europe 2018: Show expected to attract 6,000 visitors to Olympia this month. Lee Hayhurst previews the London event

How will emerging technologies such as facial recognition, artificial intelligence, augmented reality and conversational interfaces be used in travel?

The answer to this will be discussed at the Travel Technology Europe (TTE) trade show, of which Travel Weekly’s sister title, Travolution, is the strategic partner.

The annual two-day event on February 21-22, which runs alongside the Business Travel Show at Olympia, will feature some of the latest technologies and experts.

An interactive playground will allow visitors to get hands-on with all the latest technologies.

TTE event director David Chapple said: “There will be cutting-edge chatbots and virtual reality headsets where visitors can ‘tour’ hotels, visit a destination, search for flights and walk through a plane to select a seat.”

Exhibitors at the playground will include Navitaire, The Ice Way, Zen3, Tengio and Visualise. ‘Time travelling’ augmented reality specialist Timelooper will also be offering demonstrations.

First-time exhibitor Lola Tech will be showcasing its voice interface technology that can power bots capable of holding conversations like a travel agent (stand TT144).

Technology consultancy The Ice Way’s stand will feature a live facial recognition demonstration that will read visitors’ moods as they pass by (TT95).

And travel systems developer Codegen will demonstrate the role artificial intelligence or machine learning can play to boost conversion rates (TT14).

Other highlights include Scott Crawford, Expedia vice-president of product management and experience, talking about AI and the future of the travel experience (February 21, 12.30pm, Marketing Technology Theatre).

Jamie Queen, Thomas Cook group marketing director, will address voice-activated technology and the future of search (February 22, 12.30pm, Marketing Technology Theatre).

 


Can personalisation transform travel?

Inspiretec will focus on how firms can employ technology to provide clients with a more personalised service.
The supplier was formed last year following the combination of booking system Comtec, big data e-commerce platform Eysys and digital agency Sequence.

Product manager Luke Francis and group sales and marketing director Richard Baker will lead a keynote session on the first day focusing on what personalisation really means in travel (February 21, 11.15am, Innovate Theatre).

Immediately afterwards, visitors are invited to attend a ‘Tech Huddle’ round-table where they can get more in-depth answers about personalisation and customer relationship management.


Experts to discuss spend forecasts of Travolution Report

Travel Weekly’s sister title Travolution will reveal the latest analysis of travel technology spend in the UK at this year’s Travel Technology Europe trade show.

Travolution’s annual Innovation Report
looks at investment in technology by operators, agents, hotels, aviation and cruise businesses.

A survey of more than 130 TTE travel technology buyers revealed the vast majority (60%) said their company would be focusing on investment in software in 2018.

The next biggest priority was investment in IT staff (29%) followed by consultancy and contracting (25%).

The findings in the Innovation Report will be discussed by an expert panel on February 21 at 2.40pm in the Innovate Theatre.

Registration for TTE is free: traveltechnologyeurope.com