Social Media Portal

Prachi Palli Panda, conference director for Digital Travel Summit APAC share more about the forthcoming event

Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your name and what do you do there for the Digital Travel Summit APAC 2017?

Prachi Palli Panda (PPP): I?m Prachi Palli Panda, conference director for Digital Travel Summit APAC. I conduct 2-3 months of research for the conference with leading c-level industry experts, put together the agenda for the event based on that, identify and collaborate with all speakers. I also outline the objectives for and support our internal teams to achieve a great experience for all attendees of the conference on-site.

SMP: Briefly, tell us about Digital Travel Summit APAC

PPP: Digital Travel APAC is the regions most senior-level e-commerce and digital event for travel.

The event strives to drive the travel industry with high-level and forward looking exchange of ideas, interactive discussions and help leading travel brands evaluate which technologies such as mobile solutions, CRM and payment solutions, or AR, VR and AI will work best for them.

SMP: How long has the event been going and why it is needed for the sector?

PPP: Digital Travel is a global series of conferences conducted by Worldwide Business Research (WBR). This is the second  annual APAC Edition of Digital Travel Summit.

This conference is needed for the travel sector in APAC since it is the only platform for influencers in the sector to join a highly interactive agenda mixing case studies, roundtables, debates, panel and deep dive country clinics ensuring all attendees can pick and choose sessions of their choice and find real solutions to each of their pain points.

SMP: Who are your target audience and why?

PPP: We aim to bring together over 300 VPs and directors of ecommerce, digital, digital marketing, mobile and social media from APAC?s leading airlines, hotels, OTAs, cruise lines and car rentals. The goal is to focus on key and pressing current issues including delivering seamless multi-channel booking for today?s connected travellers, powering conversion, perfecting customer experience, re-defining loyalty, personalizing online experience, maximizing industry partnerships and more.

SMP: How can stakeholders get involved?

PPP: We are always happy to hear from advertisers, exhibitors, guest speakers, sponsors etc. They can get in touch with us on sgwbrinfo@wbresearch.com or visit our website www.digitaltravelapac.wbresearch.com to understand how best they can engage with the conference.

SMP: When is the Digital Travel Summit APAC and where is it being held?

PPP: 25-27th of April 2017, at the Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore.

SMP: Who are the main guest speakers and keynotes?

PPP: The absolute must attend sessions include:

• Opening keynote by Alwin Loh Tek Ken, head of digital transformation & Innovation, Malaysia Airlines on how to connect with the digitally distracted consumer.
• A brand new technology benchmarking day on the 25th of April that will give attendees an unbeatable, time-saving opportunity to meet and compare leading technologies in the space with new level of detail & interactivity in just one afternoon of networking.
• Keynote panel on morning of 27th of April discussion everything from Pokémon GO to artificial intelligence and virtual reality to determine how the rapid evolution of technology will change the way businesses and marketers gain insight.
• Women in Travel Think Tank Lunch to discuss how the digital travel industry can better attract, develop and retain top female talent.
• Exclusive VP and director only boardroom discussion on navigating the ocean of technology led by John Sinke, assistant vice president digital marketing, ecommerce and social media, Resorts World Sentosa
• Interactive Dragon?s Den to end the conference with exciting companies such as Anywhr, ZuZu Hotels and Waynaut. The attendees get a chance to participate via audience polling and choose which models are best to invest in to achieve greater business impact

   
SMP: What do you hope delegates will take away from the event?

PPP: We hope that all delegates can find practical solutions to their most pressing challenges, be exposed to new areas of opportunities that will exponentially increase profits, network with and find the right partners to work and scale their businesses with.

SMP: What are you looking forward to most from Digital Travel Summit APAC?

PPP: We are looking forward to delivering a great on-site experience for all of our speakers, delegates and partners who have been working with us behind the scenes for the past year to make this happen.

APAC is projected to surpass North America to become the largest travel region of the world in 2017. Therefore, we hope that Digital Travel Summit APAC serves as the best means for those digital travel executives eager to stay ahead of today?s new landscape to embrace forward-looking strategies and technologies to capitalise on this perfect storm.

SMP: What are the challenges that you?ve encountered and how are you overcoming them in what you have been doing so far at Digital Travel Summit APAC 2017?

PPP: Given the fragmented nature of the market, making the conference a whole of APAC focussed event along with incorporating the unique opportunities and hurdles presented by each geo was a big challenge.

We have overcome this by ensuring our main sessions focus on broader issues affecting all travel brands across the region and the addition of deep dive country clinics over two days of the main conference on each of APAC?s main geos. These country clinics give the attendees a chance to hear from experts in that region and then join roundtable discussions where they get to share their experiences and pose questions to the speakers.

SMP: What are the high moments of what you have been doing so far?

PPP: Getting together an amazing group of Advisory Board members from the industry including senior professionals from Agoda, Resorts World Sentosa, Sojern and more that have shared with us their constant feedback and insights and helped us grow the event from strength to strength with great content, the quality and quantity of attendees has been truly rewarding. It has truly made it an event by the travel market for the travel market in APAC.

SMP: Best way to contact you and Digital Travel Summit APAC 2017?

PPP: They can get in touch with us on sgwbrinfo@wbresearch.com or visit our website www.digitaltravelapac.wbresearch.com


SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?

PPP: A large glass of orange juice for breakfast!

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

PPP: I took some hot soup for my sick friend after work a few days back.

SMP: If you weren?t working at Digital Travel Summit APAC 2017 what would you be doing?

PPP: Spending more time learning dance, working with children welfare organisations and travelling!

SMP: When / where did you go on your last holiday and why?

PPP: Spain in last November! I was there for work for a few days but spent a week after that travelling to beautiful Barcelona, Granada and Seville.

SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?
Switch on the lights since I?m almost always the first one in!

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

PPP: It would be the ability to be at multiples places, doing different things at all times. Too many experiences to have and not enough time!

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