“It’s amazing what you can learn when you shut up, sit down, and open your ears,” says The Travel Corporation CEO Brett Tollman. A poignant reminder. At the Skift Global Forum 2016, held recently at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, top brass from the travel industry’s brightest, best, and disruptive brands say travel is having its moment. “This is the Golden Age of innovation, especially in travel,” said Priceline founder and Upside CEO Jay Walker. “Ask not, ‘How we can do this, but what if we did this…it takes imagination to think big, even when know one around you is paying attention. We have a recipe for explosive change.”
There was no lack of imagination, or change makers, during the two-day brain gain staged by Skift, which included such speakers and highlights as Marriott International, Inc. President and CEO Arne Sorenson; Skift President Carolyn Kremins; Facebook’s VP of Global Business Marketing Sarah Personette; Zillow Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Rich Barton; Bunkhouse Founder & CCO Liz Lambert; Expedia, Inc. President & CEO Dara Khosrowshahi; and CEO & Managing Partner of Standard International Amar Lalvani, among other inspired minds.
The buzzwords? Millennials, of course (on that much-hyped subject, Clayton Reid, CEO of MMGY, delivered a powerful message titled “Avoiding the Plague of Travel Stereotypes”). Personalization, and experience-forward marketing. As such, top scene and heard quotes at Skift Global Forum 2016:
“What is the rarest thing these days? It is time. It is space. And it is beautiful nature.” – Henri Giscard d’Estaing, Club Méditerranée Chairman & CEO
“The essence of travel is that you discover how alike you are, no matter how different the place you go. In fact, you learn to celebrate the differences, instead of fearing or avoiding them.” -- Arnold W. Donald, President + CEO of the Carnival Corporation
“There’s no reason you shouldn’t be traveling and sharing your experiences with the world.” -- Brett Tollman, The Travel Corporation CEO, on the threat of terrorism
“Creativity is found when employees feel in power, and are not working from a place of fear.”-- Niki Leondakis, CEO of Two Roads Hospitality
“Bad personalization is worse than no personalization. -- Michael Klein, Head of Retail, Travel & Hospitality at Adobe
“[Stereotyping millennials] would be like suggesting every youth from the ‘70s was part of the Woodstock generation.” – Clayton Reid, MMGY Global CEO
“The world has gone mobile, and it’s been the fastest technological shift of our lifetime.” -- Sarah Personette, Facebook’s VP of Global Business Marketing
“We have very few iconic brands that capture the human imagination. And I think it’s because we’ve put data and technology in control. Brands that know how to make their customer the hero really know how to reach out to the world.” -- Ije Nwokorie, Wolff Olins CEO
