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Meet with innovators and exhibitors one-on-one! The showcase is open for business and abuzz with activity.

Coffee and tea available through the day.

Ever wanted to pick the brains of people who've actually built, led and exited successful travel companies and are shaping where the industry goes next? Grab a coffee and join Rod Cuthbert, straight-shooting founder and former CEO of Viator (yes, the one he sold to Tripadvisor); Chris Hemmeter, managing director at Thayer Investment Partners and a seasoned entrepreneur and investor; and Mario Gavira, one of the sharpest voices on AI and travel marketing, for a candid and unfiltered session.

Between them, Rod, Chris and Mario have built iconic brands, backed the next generation of travel startups and navigated the AI shift rewriting how travel brands find and win customers. They'll share real-world lessons from the front lines of travel innovation, revealing what worked, what didn't and what they'd never do again.

New to Phocuswright Europe? This session is tailor-made for first-timers, rising stars and anyone looking to fast-track their understanding of what it really takes to succeed in travel today. But even seasoned pros will walk away with fresh insights, hard truths and maybe a few laughs.

No fluff. No filters. Just real talk from three of the best.

Immerse yourself in an intimate, interactive environment to learn about hot topics impacting today's travel marketplace.

Immerse yourself in an intimate, interactive environment to learn about hot topics impacting today's travel marketplace.

Witness the future of travel tech unfold at the Global Startup Pitch, a dynamic competition showcasing the brightest seed and scaleup companies! Sixteen innovative startups, selected from a pool of global applicants, will take the stage at Phocuswright Europe 2026 to pitch their groundbreaking ideas to a panel of industry-leading investors and mentors.

Global Startup Pitch Schedule:

14:00 PM - Welcome to The Global Startup Pitch!
14:10 PM - BizTrip AI
14:17 PM - EchoWi
14:23 PM - Lobby
14:30 PM - 1-CP GmbH
14:36 PM - Hands In
14:43 PM - BookAfrica
14:49 PM - DecisionRM.ai
14:56 PM - BaggageTAXI
14:02 PM - Vibe Adventures
14:09 PM - SocialSeal
14:15 PM - SPUN
14:22 PM - OneJourney
14:28 PM - Roame

Innovation Spotlight puts the industry’s most exciting breakthroughs front and center, giving startups, scaleups, and established companies a powerful platform to unveil game-changing innovations

Stop letting traditional fintech trap your working capital or stall ticketing with declined cards. Battle-tested by travel professionals, Zyzza delivers a dual-rail payment infrastructure that optimizes carrier acceptance and provides structured credit facility. It is the ultimate competitive lever to protect your margins, reduce cost of sale, and drive global volume.

Every AI travel app being built today misses the booking moment — the user searches within your product and is redirected to transact elsewhere. RouteStack fixes that. One MCP-native API gives developers real inventory across flights, hotels, and cars, and a deep-link checkout handoff that keeps the customer in a flow your team didn't have to build. Powered by 30+ years of direct supplier integrations.

Innovation Spotlight puts the industry’s most exciting breakthroughs front and center, giving startups, scaleups, and established companies a powerful platform to unveil game-changing innovations

Innovation Spotlight puts the industry’s most exciting breakthroughs front and center, giving startups, scaleups, and established companies a powerful platform to unveil game-changing innovations

The travel industry is entering a new phase of change, shaped by AI, shifting consumer expectations and a more complex competitive landscape. The opportunity is significant, but so are the risks for companies making the wrong bets or moving without a clear strategy. In this opening session, OAG CEO Filip Filipov shares a big-picture perspective on the forces reshaping travel, the questions leaders should be asking now and what the industry’s next moves could mean.

AI is rewriting the economics of building a travel company. Startups that once needed millions in funding and dozens of employees can now achieve meaningful revenue with a small team and little or no outside capital. The implications for the wider industry are significant. Drawing on Phocuswright's startup database and latest European consumer AI research, this session connects the dots among collapsing deal volume, the rise of AI-native competitors and what established travel companies need to do now about their technology, operations and go-to-market strategy before today’s advantages become tomorrow’s table stakes.

The era of easy money is over, but the need for innovation in travel is not. As investors raise the bar, startups face tougher questions about differentiation, durability and the path to value creation, while established players look more carefully at acquisition targets and strategic bets. This panel explores how the rules of travel investment are changing and what that means for founders, investors and the wider industry.

The Margin Shift Travel Has Been Waiting For

Join the Changemakers session to uncover the margin travel companies are quietly losing and the infrastructure built to give it back. We’ll expose the FX Exposure Gap, show why it’s the biggest profitability leak in global travel, and reveal how leading brands are taking control inside the booking workflow. And yes, there is a partnership announcement that will reshape what’s possible in travel.

Join us for drinks and enjoy networking with your fellow attendees, speakers, and the Phocuswright team!