Travel expert, Terry Jones to speak at WTM 2017

Organisers Expand Speed Networking Programme
Travelocity founder Terry Jones will be a keynote speaker at World Travel Market London 2017, which holds between November 6 and 8 in London.Jones has been involved in two launch companies, which have revolutionised how travel is purchased around the world.

Jones started out with Travelocity.com and then Kayak.com and is now Chairman of Wayblazer, using AI to disrupt travel again. He spent 24 years at American Airlines in marketing and information technology – including as Chief Information Officer at Sabre where he led the team that launched Travelocity.com. He spent seven years as Travelocity.com CEO transforming the online agency into a three-billion-dollar company and taking it public for $1.2 billion.

Jones then joined Kayak.com as Chairman and helped grow the company into a business sold to Priceline for $1.8 billion in 2013. He has served on the boards of fourteen companies that created more than $10 billion of market value. Today, he is Managing Principle of On Inc, a consultancy he founded to help companies improve their digital offerings.

Jones will cover a range of subjects including distribution in the travel industry, owning “the edge”, artificial intelligence and how to reengineer businesses to take advantage of new technologies.

“I am delighted to be invited to speak at World Travel Market London,” Jones said. “Travel industry businesses need to keep reinventing themselves to avoid being victims of disruption. Technological advancements are happening at such a rapid pace that businesses need to be ahead of the curve or risk falling behind.

“Travel companies are already deploying AI, Blockchain, Beacons, Big Data, Robiotics and more. It is not only these technologies that will be disruptive; it is the new business models that they will engender that will cause the most disruption. Only the most innovative companies will keep up.”

WTM London, Senior Director, Simon Press, said, “It is great WTM London can confirm Terry Jones as one of the keynote speakers for 2017.“Terry has a wealth of experience in the travel industry and has been behind some of the major innovations in travel purchasing over the past 30 years.

WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the event where the travel and tourism industry conducts its business deals. Buyers from the WTM Buyers Club have a combined purchasing responsibility of £22.6 billion and sign deals at the event worth almost £2.8 billion.

Meanwhile, organisers are introducing an extra Speed Networking session on the Tuesday of the event, meaning each day will kick off with a speed-networking event before the exhibition floor opens. The first day of the event – Monday 6 November – will start with the traditional regional speed-networking event, with more than 200 buyers taking tables split by the exhibition floor geographies they purchase. In 2016 around 1,000 exhibitors personal attended the Monday morning speed networking session.

Tuesday 7 November sees the introduction of the new sector-specific speed-networking event, with niches including responsible tourism, food tourism, adventure tourism and wedding and honeymoons covered. Buyers will be seated based on the sectors they purchase.

The final day of WTM London, Wednesday 8 November, sees the highly successful and re-named WTM Digital Influencers’ Speed Networking (formerly WTM Bloggers’ Speed Networking) return for its fourth year. The event will see 100 leading digital influencers discuss how they can help promote exhibitors’ destinations and products to their legions of loyal followers.

All three events will take place before the exhibition floor opens at 9am at the Networking Area AS900, giving exhibitors an extra hour to discuss and conclude business deals at WTM London. WTM London facilitates almost £2.8 billion in industry deals.