Agenda

Day 1 / Sept 21: Opening event and reception

Day 2 / Sept 22: Full day of sessions, lunch, and evening reception

Day 3 / Sept 23: Half day of sessions, ending at lunchtime

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Tuesday, September 21st

5:00 PM

Opening Event Welcome and Intro to The Future of Human Mobility

Rafat Ali

Skift
Founder & CEO
5:05 PM

The Future of Human Mobility and Forces Uprooting Us, with Dr. Parag Khanna

Parag Khanna

FutureMap
Founder & Managing Partner

Moderator

Rafat Ali, Founder & CEO
5:30 PM

The Future of Human Mobility and the Long Term Affects on Travel: A Fireside With Airbnb’s Brian Chesky

Brian Chesky

Airbnb
Co-Founder & CEO

Moderator

Rafat Ali, Founder & CEO
6:00 PM

Reception on TWA Hotel Tarmac

8:00 PM

Event Ends

Wednesday, September 22nd

8:45 AM

Conference Welcome

Rafat Ali

Skift
Founder & CEO
9:00 AM

World Music Performance

Max ZT & Priya Darshini

National Hammered Dulcimer Champion & Grammy-Nominated Vocalist
9:05 AM

Rebooting Customer Experience to Bring Back the Magic of Travel: Presentation and Panel, hosted by Skift Research in Partnership with McKinsey & Company

Haixia Wang

Skift
VP of Research

Kevin Neher

McKinsey & Company
Senior Partner

Andres Barry

JetBlue Travel Products
President

Matt Gaghen

Under Canvas
CEO
9:30 AM

Charting a Path for Growth Amid Travel’s Uncertain Rebound

Anthony Capuano

Marriott International
CEO

Moderator

Cameron Sperance, Hospitality Reporter
9:55 AM

Finding New Strategies for the Road Ahead

Dara Khosrowshahi

Uber
CEO

Moderator

Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor & Founding Editor
10:25 AM

Building Back Better: Traveler Trends & Insights Driving Recovery

Wendy Olson Killion

Expedia Group Media Solutions
Senior Vice President
10:45 AM

Networking Break

11:15 AM

Steering Through International Travel’s Volatile Recovery

Ben Smith

Air France-KLM
CEO

Moderator

Edward Russell, Airlines Reporter
11:40 AM

40 Years of Sandals Resorts: Bringing the Caribbean to Travel’s World Stage

Adam Stewart

Sandals Resorts International
Executive Chairman

Moderator

Carolyn Kremins, President
11:55 AM

Skift Research Presentation: Mapping Future Travel Trends

Seth Borko

Skift Research
Director
12:05 PM

The Power of Belonging – Putting the World on Vacation Through Subscription Travel

Michael Brown

Travel + Leisure Co.
President and Chief Executive Officer

Jacqueline Gifford

Travel + Leisure
Editor in Chief

Moderator

Carolyn Kremins, President
12:20 PM

Meeting User Needs and Supporting the Travel Ecosystem

Richard Holden

Google
VP & GM, Travel

Moderator

Seth Borko, Senior Research Analyst
12:45 PM

Attendee Lunch and Networking

1:00 PM

Online Breakout Session: Utilizing Google Travel Products to Help Capture Pent-Up Demand

Michael Trauttmansdorff

Google
Director, Product Management, Travel
1:45 PM

Welcome Back and World Music Performance

Max ZT

National Hammered Dulcimer Champion

Isaac Alderson

Multi-Instrumentalist
1:45 PM

Welcome Back

1:50 PM

Investor Predictions on the Future of Travel

Greg O’Hara

Certares
Founder and Senior Managing Director

Moderator

Rafat Ali, Founder & CEO
2:10 PM

Family Travel’s New Importance in the Larger Travel Ecosystem

Dr. Lynn Minnaert

Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality at New York University
Academic Director & Clinical Associate Professor

Haixia Wang

Skift
VP of Research

Rainer Jenss

Family Travel Association
Founder
2:25 PM

The Evolution of Luxury Travel

Audrey Hendley

American Express Travel
President

Moderator

Rafat Ali, Founder & CEO
2:40 PM

How Can Metasearch Evolve to Inspire Travelers, and Will it Work?

Axel Hefer

Trivago
Managing Director & CEO

Moderator

Sean O’Neill, Senior Travel Tech Editor
2:55 PM

Digital Transformation: Building What’s Next in Travel

David Peller

Amazon Web Services
Managing Director, AWS Travel & Hospitality

Tom Kershaw

Travelport
Chief Product & Technology Officer

Moderator

Jeremy Kressmann, Research Editor, SkiftX
3:20 PM

What Will the Future of Travel Sound Like?

Lauren McGuire

Made Music Studio
President
3:30 PM

Networking Break

4:00 PM

Alternative Accommodations 3.0: No Longer the Alternative

Carl Shepherd

HomeAway
Investor and Co-Founder

Francis Davidson

Sonder
Co-Founder & CEO

Moderator

Sean O’Neill, Senior Travel Tech Editor
4:20 PM

Designing Smart Digital Strategies for a Changing World

Joseph Rajadurai

Cognizant
VP & General Manager, Travel & Hospitality

George Turner

IHG Hotels & Resorts
Chief Commercial & Technology Officer

Moderator

Jeremy Kressmann, Research Editor, SkiftX
4:35 PM

Exploring the World of Travel While Deaf

Marlene Valle

Deafinitely Wanderlust
Founder
4:45 PM

Why Travel Can No Longer Afford to Ignore Social Issues

Naledi K. Khabo

Africa Tourism Association
CEO

Jeremy Sampson

The Travel Foundation
CEO

Moderator

Lebawit Lily Girma, Global Tourism Reporter
5:10 PM

Powering Travel Beyond the Booking to Boost Recovery

Peter Kern

Expedia Group
Vice Chairman and CEO

Moderator

Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor & Founding Editor
5:35 PM

How We Live and Work Has Changed for Good, Will Travel?

Christopher Nassetta

Hilton
President & CEO

Moderator

Rafat Ali, Founder & CEO
6:00 PM

Reception on the TWA Tarmac

7:00 PM

Event Ends

Thursday, September 23rd

8:50 AM

Welcome Back

8:55 AM

World Music Performance

Max ZT

National Hammered Dulcimer Champion

Samir LanGus

Multi-Instrumentalist
9:00 AM

Aviation’s Inflection Point: How the U.S. Moves Forward From Here

Bob Jordan

Southwest Airlines
President and CEO

Moderator

Madhu Unnikrishnan, Editor, Airline Weekly
9:25 AM

Why Travel Needs to Work Together as it Rebuilds

Glenn Fogel

Booking Holdings
CEO & President

Moderator

Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor & Founding Editor
9:50 AM

Future Growth in Luxury, Lifestyle, and Sustainability

Sébastien Bazin

Accor
Group Chairman & CEO and Luxury & Lifestyle Division CEO

Moderator

Cameron Sperance, Hospitality Reporter
10:05 AM

Customer Data 2.0: Insights to Build Long-Term Loyalty

Jeanne Jones

Amperity
VP, Community and Customer Marketing

Lisa Checchio

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Chief Marketing Officer

Moderator

Jeremy Kressmann, Research Editor, SkiftX
10:20 AM

Where Do U.S. Destinations Go From Here?

Caroline Beteta

Visit California
President & CEO

Elliott Ferguson

Destination DC
President and CEO

Dana Young

VISIT FLORIDA
President & CEO

Moderator

Lebawit Lily Girma, Global Tourism Reporter
10:50 AM

Morning Networking Break

11:15 AM

Speculating Hospitality’s Biggest Opportunities in the Decade Ahead

Tyler Morse

MCR Hotels
Chairman & CEO

Moderator

Rafat Ali, Founder & CEO
11:35 AM

Transformation in Travel: Spotlight on Payments

Carleigh Jaques

Cybersource, a Visa solution
SVP & General Manager

Moderator

Wouter Geerts, Senior Research Analyst
11:50 AM

A Return to Experience: Building New Models for Travel’s Future

Stephen Kaufer

Tripadvisor
President and CEO

Moderator

Seth Borko, Senior Research Analyst
12:10 PM

Future of SuperApps and Mobile

Frederic Lalonde

Hopper
CEO & Co-Founder

Moderator

Dennis Schaal, Executive Editor & Founding Editor
12:35 PM

Technology’s Role in Safely Re-Connecting the Globe

Caryn Seidman Becker

CLEAR
Co-Founder, Chairman, & CEO

Moderator

Sean O’Neill, Senior Travel Tech Editor
1:00 PM

Conference Ends