Benchmark your organisation’s innovation levels against the industry’s best.
FTE conferences deliver a memorable learning experience by providing progressive insights from industry leaders, technology giants, disruptors, parallel industries, academia and startups. We run plenary sessions to provide outside-the-box thinking and inspiration on the future, and also hone in on the most pertinent topics and areas of interest. Our sessions utilise diverse formats ranging from case studies and panel sessions to co-creation roundtables and elevator pitches.
You can expect the conferences to cover innovation efforts around digital transformation, customer experience, commercial revenues, inflight innovation, operational efficiency, future airports and sustainability.
The agenda for FTE EMEA Conference 2024 is currently being developed, but to give you an idea of the overall quality and areas of focus, please review the FTE EMEA Conference agenda from our 2023 event
Pre-event exclusive inspirational webinar for FTE Dublin attendees
PRE-EVENT WEBINAR
Jamie is the Irish Growth Lead for Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform. He helps companies of all sizes use Stripe to launch new business models, enter new markets, and accelerate their growth. Jamie is a former Ireland rugby captain and start-up investor and mentor. He holds an MBA and a degree in Medical Engineering.
FTE EMEA Conference Agenda 2023
Tuesday 23rd May 2023 - Day 1
FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub Live (open to Corporate Partners only)

The members-only FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub Live event will be hosted as part of our Dublin event. Our Corporate Partners can expect high-level innovation keynotes, interactive panel discussions, co-creation roundtables, and quick-fire pitches from a selection of pioneering startups.
To learn more or to join the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub, click here.
FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group meeting (members only)

The FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group (BIWG) brings together the most innovative and progressive baggage supply chain companies, airlines, and airports from across the industry to provide a unique platform for cooperation and industry advancement. It is the platform for developing new techniques, technologies, and business models to deliver tangible change in the baggage sector.
Dublin Airport welcomes members to this face-to-face gathering, and to learn from one another and collaborate on game-changing proof of concepts (POCs) to reduce costs, improve passenger experience, and test innovations.
Please contact us for more information Airlines can join for free
City of Dublin Walking Tour

Brought to you by passenger disruption experts Plan3
We here at FTE pride ourselves on providing the very best in networking events; enabling our guests to unwind and connect with like-minded industry peers in a relaxed environment. To support that ambition, we have teamed up with passenger disruption experts Plan3, to invite attendees, to join them on Tuesday 23rd May for a City of Dublin Walking Tour.
Offering a local taste of Dublin in this 2-hour guided tour of the historical and cultural sights of this beautiful city, before joining your fellow participants at The FTE Dublin Ice Breaker at The Odeon.
NOW FULLY BOOKED
The FTE Dublin Ice Breaker – The Odeon

The Odeon provides the perfect backdrop for us to kick off the show. Originally, the Harcourt Street Railway Terminus, designed by George Wilkinson, it opened in 1850 operating as Dublin City centres main station until the line’s closure in 1959. This lovingly restored building has fast become the hot spot venue for evening drinks in the capital. We invite delegates to join us for the very best of Ireland’s famous drinks, food, and entertainment. Meet with your fellow FTE attendees, connect with industry colleagues both new and established – and if you’d like to continue your night, there are endless additional watering holes nearby.
Wednesday 24th May 2023 - Day 2
Airline Breakfast Workshop
Sponsored By:
Registered Invitees ONLY click here to register >>
Registration & Exhibition Opening
Show opening and VIP tour of exclusive unveilings on the floor by exhibitors, plus networking & coffee.
Opening Keynote for all participants


Daniel Coleman
Founder & CEO
Future Travel Experience


Dr. Joe Leader
CEO
APEX/IFSA


Sir Tim Clark
President
Emirates
An exclusive interview with the President of Emirates on his legacy and his future vision for the group, and the industry at large.
What are the products relating to the end-to-end customer journey of tomorrow that customers will really value and want to invest in, and how do we then retail these?


Eric Leopold
Founder and Managing Director
Threedot & FTE Ancillary & Retailing Content Director
What is a leading futurist’s view on the future of aviation, and what are the findings from the FTE/Fast Future Survey on the needs of tomorrow’s customers?


Rohit Talwar
CEO
Fast Future
What will NEOM Airlines in Saudi Arabia do to deliver real innovation – pioneering ideas and exceeding boundaries in a world inspired by imagination?


Klaus Goersch
CEO
NEOM Airlines
Session Sponsored by:
Coffee and networking in the exhibition hall
FTE EMEA Innovate Awards Pitch Session: “Best New CX Concept” category
At the epicentre of this show is the region’s largest and most respected innovation competition. Industry stakeholders will pitch on a stage in an effort to impress our judges and audience, whose all-important votes will dictate who wins.
The format will be a 5-minute pitch from each finalist, with quick-fire questions and comments from the judges.
Enabling airlines to engage the Next Gen customers


Viktor Nekrylov
Co-Founder & CEO
DRCT
Uptrip – Airline loyalty meets gamification


João Fernandes
Junior Venture Development Manager
Lufthansa Innovation Hub
Offering an enhanced Engagement & Gamification experience for travelers, via the FRAwards initiative


Katerina Glynatsi
Copywriter & Content Manager
MPASS
Make your app (and website) your client’s destination


Uri Sperling
Founder & CEO
UCPlaces
Innovative approaches to better drive industry efficiency ambitions, and to protect the planet
After a scene setting keynote each speaker will talk for five minutes from their seat on how they are evolving their approaches to driving efficiency and sustainability for their organisations. After everyone has voiced their opinion, the panel will share their ideas for the future.


Clyde Hutchinson
General Partner
Team ABC (former Head of Viva Air Labs)
Build future success today: innovation, collaboration and sustainability. How to improve company & industry performance and to protect the planet


Sjoerd Blum
Schiphol Group Aviation Solutions
Royal Schiphol Group


Andrea Chiappetta
Head of Innovation
ITA Airways


Mats Berglind
Innovation Manager - Strategic Initiatives and Innovation
Swedavia


Arlette van der Veer
Senior Manager Radical Innovation
KLM
Lunch and networking in the exhibition hall
Start-up pitch session
How Royal Air Maroc’s Open Innovation Program is giving startups the opportunity to engage with leading players in the aviation industry, and potentially sign commercial contracts with the airline


Mohamed El Mehdi Driouiche
Vice President Digital & IT
Royal Air Maroc


Mohamed Amine Briuni
Head of Digital Strategy & Governance
Royal Air Maroc


Ola Barramou
Innovation & Culture Lead
Royal Air Maroc


Fatima Zahra El Mernissi
Digital Strategy Manager
Royal Air Maroc



Sponsored By:
The FTE EMEA Metaverse, NFT & Crypto Symposium
OPTION 1
Format: Following a scene-setting case study, our industry experts will discuss their experiences of rolling out metaverse environments and crypto/NFT initiatives for their organisations and share the lessons learned along the way, plus potential use cases for these exciting new technologies.


Rohit Talwar
CEO
Fast Future
How is Lufthansa leveraging the metaverse with VR & XR to champion new product offerings to the world, and what other use cases are there for the metaverse across its business?


Dr. Bjoern Becker
Head of Future Intercontinental Experience Program
Lufthansa


Bastian Schütz
Product & Business Development
Meta Reality Labs


Camillo Stark
Deputy Managing Director (AR/VR Labs)
MSM.digital
How Flybondi is revolutionizing the customer experience by providing retail attributes to airline tickets. Flybondi has become the first airline to fully tokenize its inventory. Leveraging the decentralizing attributes of blockchain to enable more customer flexibility, reduce servicing costs and introduce a multiplier effect to its sales and distribution strategy. Every Flybondi ticket is now an NFTicket.


Manuel Jose Alvarez
Data & Business Intelligence
Flybondi


Juan Pablo Lafosse
CEO
TravelX
How is airBaltic implementing new blockchain solutions as for example Planies NFT for the aviation industry to enhance the customer experience?


Arturs Garais
Web3 Project Lead
airBaltic
How can we take CX experiences involving the airport, baggage & aircraft to the next level for tomorrow’s customer?
OPTION 2
The moderator will set the scene, and then each speaker will talk for five minutes from their seat on how they are evolving their approaches to CX for passenger and baggage journeys. After everyone has voiced their opinion, the panel will share their ideas for the future.


Darin Juby
Head of Baggage Transformation, Future Travel Experience & Managing Director, Operational Performance Transformation
Greater Toronto Airports Authority


Kevin Kleist
Senior Emerging Trends Advisor
Southwest Airlines


Sujata Suri
Vice President Strategy and Commercial Development
Hamad International Airport


David Kondo
Head of Airport Customer Experience
Finnair & APEX Board Member


Bob Kwik
Global Head of Airports
Amazon Web Services
More speakers to be announced shortly.
Workshop: How to – practically – integrate sustainability into everything your organisation is doing day to day?
OPTION 3



Mats Berglind
Innovation Manager - Strategic Initiatives and Innovation
Swedavia
Coffee and networking in the exhibition hall
Day 2 Closing Session


Dr. Joe Leader
CEO
APEX/IFSA
What can we expect of tomorrow’s customer, and how can the travel sector embrace new technologies like AR, VR, and AI to better serve their needs?


Russell Pert
Director, Head of Industry, Financial Services and Travel
Meta
daa: Thinking BIG in airports.


Kenny Jacobs
CEO
daa
Networking Reception & FTE and APEX Awards Ceremonies

Make the most of the vital networking opportunities provided at the FTE Dublin Networking Reception, where delegates can enjoy demonstrations in the exhibition and network with their peers over drinks before our Awards ceremony.
It has been a time of real transformation across the sector and we want to honour and recognise those efforts in Dublin. On the FTE side, we are delighted to have revealed the FTE Airline & Airport Digital & Innovation Power Lists EMEA 2023 to shine a light on those who are pioneering new approaches that have the potential to improve travel for passengers and make the industry safer, more efficient and commercially successful. Six of the 20 nominees will be awarded with an “Outstanding Achievement” trophy, and six will be Highly Commended, during an official awards ceremony which will provide the perfect opportunity for us to announce and honour our nominees and winners, amongst industry friends and colleagues. In addition, 15 airlines and 15 airports have also been shortlisted for FTE World Ancillary & Retailing Awards 2023, with one in each category being honoured as the best of 2023 at the ceremony.
Following this, the APEX Passenger Choice Award Winners ceremony will take place, recognising airlines from Europe, South America & North America for their outstanding CX efforts as voted for across 1.2 million flights through TripIt.
Networking Reception Sponsored By:
‘Summer in Dublin’ Travel Massive Meet Up

The Travel Massive Dublin Chapter invites FTE delegates to attend a meet up in the iconic watering hole, Café En Seine. The “Summer in Dublin” informal social event is the perfect opportunity to continue your conference networking and connect with the local travel community. The not-for-profit Travel Massive Dublin has been hosting free-to-attend social events, insightful interviews, educational panels, and generally supporting the travel industry in Ireland since October 2013.
Thursday 25th May 2023 - Day 3
Registration & Exhibition Opens
The show opens once again for further unveilings on the floor by exhibitors, plus networking and coffee.
Opening Keynote
OPTION 1
How is Alaska Airlines using innovation to take itself to the next level?


Charu Jain
Senior Vice President Merchandising & Innovation
Alaska Airlines
Opening Keynote
Option 2
How will BEOND – the new only all-premium airline worldwide of its kind – deliver an experience like no other and succeed in such a competitive marketplace?


Tero Taskila
CEO
BEOND
Special Keynote
Transforming an airline from the ground up – the journey of creating the “new Vueling” with super-strong customer centricity.


Heather Figallo
Chief Transformation Officer
Vueling


Guido Woska
Global Executive Partner & Managing Director
Manyone
FTE EMEA Innovate Awards Pitch Session:“Most Innovative Airline Initiative” category
At the epicentre of this show is the region’s largest and most respected innovation competition. Industry stakeholders will pitch on a stage in an effort to impress our judges and audience, whose all-important votes will dictate who wins.
The format will be a 5-minute pitch from each finalist, with quick-fire questions and comments from the judges.
Finnair’s elevated long haul experience


David Kondo
Head of Airport Customer Experience
Finnair & APEX Board Member
The “Bold Moves” initiative


Arlette van der Veer
Senior Manager Radical Innovation
KLM
Lufthansa’s application of Metaverse and Extended Reality (XR)


Dr. Bjoern Becker
Head of Future Intercontinental Experience Program
Lufthansa
Coffee and networking in the exhibition hall
Special Segment
OPTION 1
Joe Leader, CEO, APEX/IFSA interviews Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic
Session Sponsored By:
Workshop: How do we advance robotics and automation in air transport, and what can we learn from early efforts in these areas?
OPTION 4


Darin Juby
Head of Baggage Transformation, Future Travel Experience & Managing Director, Operational Performance Transformation
Greater Toronto Airports Authority


Ryan Ghee
Chief Operating Officer
Future Travel Experience
New ways of thinking to drive unique and inspiring customer experiences – inspiration from industry leaders & disruptors in parallel sectors
OPTION 1 continued
The panel members will each share a range of dynamic approaches from their panel seats on how they are leveraging technology to deliver next-level customer experiences, before engaging in a discussion on how modern consumer expectations are evolving and what approaches are needed to respond to current trends.


Simon Dempsey
CCO
Plan3 and FTE’s ‘Mayor for Startups’


Per Lilie
Founder
Transform Digital (formerly of Spotify, SAS & Qatar Airways)


Bobby Healy
Co-Founder
Meili & Manna Drone Delivery


Guido Woska
Global Executive Partner & Managing Director
Manyone


Russell Braterman
Proposition & Innovation Director
easyJet
More speakers to be announced shortly.
Lunch break on the exhibition floor
Innovation Pitch Session



FTE EMEA Innovate Awards Pitch Session: “Most Innovative Airport Initiative” category
OPTION 1
At the epicentre of this show is the region’s largest and most respected innovation competition. Industry stakeholders will pitch on a stage in an effort to impress our judges and audience, whose all-important votes will dictate who wins.
The format will be a 5-minute pitch from each finalist, with quick-fire questions and comments from the judges.
Runway to the Future – a condensed and unique journey on innovation for the Airports of Rome, from its first model to our CVC.


Emanuele Calà
Vice President Innovation & Quality
Aeroporti di Roma
Baggage handling, next generation


Idar Sørgjerd
Department Manager, BHS, Tech & Op. Excellence
Avinor
Experience the Lab Gate: a multifunctional, dedicated area for quick testing of innovative and surprising experiences, products & services with direct customer feedback


Manuel Wiesner
Leader Business Development
FraAlliance


Michelle Herr
Leader Customer Experience
FraAlliance
Digital Twin innovation


Haider Arif Hayat
Head of Enterprise Information Architecture, Analytics & AI
Hamad International Airport
Innovative approaches to solving industry pain points for tomorrow’s customers
OPTION 2


Andrew Price
Former Head of Transformation
Future Travel Experience
What are the most successful ways to support passengers during times of disruption?


Luca De Angelis
CEO
HRS Crew & Passenger Solutions


Yvo van der Tol
CCO
HRS Crew & Passenger Solutions
Southwest is on a mission to shave five minutes off turnaround times by boarding passengers faster at the gate, and has been testing 11 interesting concepts at gates at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. How has technology played a role to improve turnaround times, and what learnings and recommendations have been made?


Kevin Kleist
Senior Emerging Trends Advisor
Southwest Airlines


Tom Garrison
Solutions Architect, Innovation & Emerging Trends
Southwest Airlines
How can we revolutionise the ways in which the industry moves and tracks bags for stakeholders and our passengers?


Marlon van der Meer
Founder
BagsID
Coffee break in the exhibition hall
What are the new approaches, and technologies, that can make a transformational difference to the ways airports and airlines will operate in the future?
OPTION 1
What can we expect from Saudi’s ultra-luxury and futuristic Red Sea Airport which will be operated by daa International?


David Wilson
Managing Partner
daa International
How has Fraport used its Digital Factory to generate rapid solutions for its business problems, and what results and lessons have been learned from its passenger focused MVP’s?


Jörg Moßmann
Senior Project and Portfolio Manager
Fraport AG
How Aeroporti Di Roma’s new innovation model with collaboration at it’s heart is driving its mission to create a “digital, reliable, data-driven and sustainable airport”


Emanuele Calà
Vice President Innovation & Quality
Aeroporti di Roma
Workshop: How will ChatGPT, and applications like it, help us reimagine air transport?
OPTION 2


Rohit Talwar
CEO
Fast Future
Closing Keynote, FTE Innovate Awards Ceremony & Farewell Drink



Mesfin Tasew
Group Chief Executive Officer
Ethiopian Airlines
We culminate two days of learning, networking, and inspiration, by inviting all attendees to relax and enjoy a ‘farewell’ drink while taking in one final fantastic keynote. During those two days audience members will have heard from industry stakeholders, each pitching on stage in an effort to impress our judges and their fellow aviation colleagues. Join us as we see the region’s largest and most respected innovation competition come to a close, where those all-important audience votes will be tallied, and we will announce and celebrate our FTE Innovate Awards winners.
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