Events
Brace yourself for “explosion of creative destruction”, says Friedman to business events professionals
13/01/2021 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
EXPECT an explosion of creative destruction AC (After Covid), said Tom Friedman, author and New York Times columnist at the opening of PCMA Convening Leaders 2021 today. Calling it “incredibly exciting and destabilising”, he said this would happen because “never have more people had availa [...]
Tech adoption accelerates on cruises as safety takes top priority and customers go digital
17/12/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Singapore, Taiwan good models for restarting as safe cruise bubbles THE forced adoption of technology along the cruise customer journey – from pre-boarding to onboard – and the massive shift of consumers to digital booking channels during Covid will be trends that will underpin cruising lon [...]
Expedia’s Peter Kern (and moose) looks forward to “rebirth” of travel, “we are all miserable”
10/12/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
At Expedia Explore this week, CEO Peter Kern spoke to me about the moose, his spirit animal; his “zero doubt” that travel will be back; the pain Expedia has gone through to simplify and focus; and his growth mindset despite being labelled “Mr Restructuring”. PETER Kern, CEO of Expedia Gr [...]
Could I have attended this virtually? Events in the age of new protocols, cool tech and changed expectations
27/11/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
I had my first ART yesterday. I wished I could say this involved me splashing blobs of paint on a blank canvas like Pollock or Picasso; rather it was having cotton buds stuck up my nostrils. Honestly, the Antigen Rapid Test wasn’t as bad as I had feared, it felt more like the tingling you get fro [...]
JTB’s new chief sets end-to-end customer experience as key goal but for now, it’s survival and rapid digitalisation
26/11/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
EIJIRO Yamakita, who was appointed president of the 108-year-old company this year, is committed to continuing globalisation and digitalisation. In this wide-ranging conversation during WiT Japan & North Asia Virtual, the executive speaks about surviving Covid, reviving domestic tourism, gender [...]
“What Travel Recovery Will Look Like For Asia”: McKinsey’s Saxon lays out a slow and cautious roadmap
10/11/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Not surprising, as of September, the first three markets in Asia that have recovered the fastest are those with domestic markets. Sharing “Reboot: What Travel Recovery Will Look Like for Asia” at WiT Seoul earlier this month, Steve Saxon, partner with McKinsey, who leads the travel practice [...]
Don’t fear, K-travel is alive and well – industry’s bursting with creativity and feistiness
30/10/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
WiT Seoul 2020 captured how online travel players are executing by millimetres to last the long game If there’s one overwhelming feeling I got out of hosting WiT Seoul Virtual yesterday, it is that South Koreans are overwhelming in their creativity and fighting spirit. Yes, we see it in their [...]
WiT Seoul 2020 goes hybrid – physical Innovation Stage twinned with virtual event
23/10/2020 by WiT
WiT Seoul 2020, to be held October 29, will combine a physical WiT Innovation Stage in Seoul starting at 2pm local time, with a virtual Main Stage which will kick off at 5pm. The WiT innovation Stage, aimed at connecting local startups with investors in mentoring sessions, will be held from 2pm [...]
Globalisation and OTA power, two sacred cows killed by Covid
23/10/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Scoot’s Wilson on distribution: “Use the opportunity to recalibrate and build back better” while Pan Pacific's Choe says, “The Netflix culture is coming” Globalisation and OTA power are the two sacred cows that have been killed by Covid, as far as Campbell Wilson, CEO of Scoot, and Cho [...]
Climbing Hybrid Mountain: Lessons learnt from staging WiT Experience Week
15/10/2020 by Yeoh Siew Hoon
Just before Year 2000 kicked in I had the crazy idea that I wanted to mark the decade’s end on top of South-east Asia’s highest mountain, Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, East Malaysia. I called my best friend, living in Hong Kong at the time, and proposed the idea. Even crazier than I am, she said yes [...]