The Leading Invitation-only Gathering for Senior Data Leaders in Travel and Hospitality

Here's what you missed...

• An exciting round of Lightning Debates – attendees were asked to position themselves (on either side of the room) on prompts such as “personalisation is overhyped in the travel & hospitality sector” and “AI should have the autonomy to make ethical decisions without human intervention”. Certainly some were more divisive than others!
  
  
• Inspiring case studies – top data leaders, including Just Eat Takeaway’s Eric Bobek and Merlin Entertainments’ Kinnari Ladha, took to the stage to share their journey towards data maturity, and took part in an interactive Q&A with the audience to offer insights on best practices, what worked, what failed and what is vital for a data team’s success.
  
  
• Industry roundtables – attendees were given the opportunity to take part in an interactive roundtable discussion focused on their specific industry, aimed at highlighting the specific challenges they face accordingly. 
  
  
• An ABBA themed drinks reception – at the end of day one, attendees were met with a selection of Greek delicacies and a selection of ABBA songs to finish off the day in style and keep the conversations going into the evening.

Key Learnings in 2024

• Get the foundations right. 
  AI, predictive analytics and collaborating with other companies to better share data amongst others will be much more difficult down the line if you do not have a base of high-quality data beforehand.
  
  
• Communicate. 
  Show a reason behind your strategy, share the data team’s function with the rest of the business, and work collaboratively with stakeholders (and your DPO!).
  
  
• Find data allies. 
  Identify one or two people at board level who understand the function and importance of data, and work with them to demonstrate the vital role it has to play in the business going forward.
  
  
• Create definition. 
  What does “ethical” mean in the context of data? What type of AI is being discussed? Where does the data team sit in the company? Where should it sit? Establishing clear definitions will help your team foster transparency, ensuring everyone is aligned on key concepts and goals.
  
  
• Never stop trialling. 
  For data teams, continuous experimentation and learning is key to understand what works and what doesn’t within your specific company model. Embracing failure as part of the process allows for growth and resilience in the long run.