Blockchain payment platforms will revolutionize consumer and B2B payment processes. Real-time payment processing is now possible with cost reductions in billing, invoicing, payment, processing, collections, deposit, accounting, audit and reporting functions. By replacing manual processes with smart contracts, savings can be over 60%. In many cases, this doubles EBITDA for numerous primary suppliers and their resellers. Explore a roadmap that enables companies large and small to integrate blockchain into their existing booking platforms to massively reduce complexity and costs. Share and hear the challenges and opportunities this brave new world offers. We’ll also show how you can now sell into the fast-growing crypto market without touching digital currency.

Get an in-depth look at the key trends impacting the European hospitality sector in 2018. Identify the outperformers and those at risk, and learn what to expect in the upcoming years.

The increasing demand for customer support 24/7 does not have to mean increased costs. AI conversational chatbots are the key to having an engaging customer experience at the same time as reducing operating costs. Instead, AI-powered chatbots can now grow revenue, improve customer loyalty and deliver a better customer experience, all at once. Find out how to build chatbots that create engaging user experiences, understand how to design conversation flows for travel, how to shape your content tone and personality, how to create great conversations and overcome the technical complexity of deploying chatbots. Explore everything you need to know about deploying chatbots in travel.

Uncover the perfect travel shopping experience on mobile. And find out if yours comes close.

An exclusive first look at Worldpay’s new research of 16,000 consumers across 10 markets (U.K., U.S., China, India, Japan, Brazil, Russia, Germany, South Korea and Australia), with a focus on their last mobile shopping and booking experience, and factors contributing totheir decision to make a purchase via mobile.

When a mobile shopper wants to book a trip, they go through several steps: from downloading an app, browsing choices, setting up a profile, entering payment details and finally hitting ‘Book Now.’ But what does the optimal mobile shopping journey entail?

Explore how travellers pay on mobile, the six steps within the shopping journey where payments has a key role, top reasons why people don’t complete a travel purchase, and of course, what makes the mobile shopping experience better.

New research by Expedia Group Media Solutions builds on its initial bleisure study to further explore an emerging category of travellers who are extending business trips for leisure. Looking across multiple countries, the research reveals the influences, preferences, priorities, resources, financial factors and more of these travellers. With insights into digital bleisure traveller behaviors, marketers can make the most of this growing trend. In this session, attendees will walk away with the actionable insights needed to inspire and convert potential bleisure travellers from around the world.

New leadership and a fresh approach is energizing Europe's largest hotel company. Find out how Accor is inspiring its talent while redefining the chain's role in global hotel distribution for years to come.

Global travel activities has the potential to be a US$170+ billion market by 2021 (source: Phocuswright), so it's no wonder that many companies want to get into the act. A select few will have what it takes to break new ground in this fragmented, manual marketplace that's just screaming for technology solutions to catapult it ahead.

Secret Escapes led and survived the wave of member-only hotel booking sites at the turn of the decade to become one of the most recognizable new online travel brands. Their co-founder reveals how a new funding round, smart marketing campaigns, and acquisitions have kept them in the limelight.

Boosted by AI-powered digital assistants, Web-enabled devices are smarter and not only keep travelers online, but can help with online tasks. Phocuswright’s latest research unwraps European travelers’ willingness to use digital assistants for travel planning and receive a personalized experience.

A series of acquisitions has cemented the leadership position of the world's largest bedbank, but can they compete on a global scale? Their executive chairman explains how the newly merged business will influence hotel distribution for years to come.

While traditional tour operators are reshaping their business, new players are entering the packaging arena. Are airlines, hotels, OTAs and metasearch companies the new tour operators?

Mobile has fundamentally redefined how people travel, shop, share, discover and more, forcing hotels, airlines, OTAs, and other travel companies to adapt how they market to and reach customers. Facebook’s head of global strategy highlights what some of the most innovative brands are doing to drive traditional business objectives in new, more efficient and technologically advanced ways.

Find out the winners of Battleground and Launch!