Online Travel Leadership Dinner, October 2018

On the evening of 16th October, Spectrum and Ardent co-hosted a private dinner in Mayfair for leaders in the online travel industry.

18 guests joined us for networking, and a discussion over dinner on the key themes shaping the travel industry. Topics discussed included:

  • The need for travel tech system interoperability
  • Developing an understanding of the value of data in the hotel industry
  • The consumer demand for specialisation and personalisation, and the ‘delusion’ of the unique travel experience
  • Conversely, almost everyone wants to go to the ‘big attractions’
  • The environmental impact of ever increasing travel
  • The lack of trust associated with review sites, and the ‘comfort’ of booking with a trusted brand for high-quality customer service
  • The recognition that at some point in the future, people will have never stayed in a hotel (the Airbnb effect)
  • Breakthrough businesses in travel tech are those that offer a better experience more cheaply
  • The impulse purchase: 80% of tours and attractions bought “at the gate”
  • Big travel economies that continue to drive growth are Asian
  • Travel merchant acceptance of crypto
  • The continued relevance of the high street travel agent
  • How to drive brand promotion beyond Google
  • The need for travel tech companies to compete, but also to build alliances and cross-fertilise business

The Spectrum & Ardent Leadership Dinners are a quarterly invitation-only forum for peer-level strategic discussion and relationship building.

To register your interest in attending our next London event, please contact Sarah Rush at Spectrum.

 

About Spectrum

Founded in 2001, Spectrum is a specialist London-headquartered leadership consultancy that partners long-term with ambitious European technology organisations to help them grow: by advising on, and subsequently appointing Board members, executive management, and interim executives.

About Ardent

Ardent is a boutique corporate finance house with a specific focus on the digital arena. Advising growth companies on financing and arranging exits/ trade sales, clients include online retailers, brands and publishers as wells as technology and service providers, both in the UK and across Europe.