Flight Centre Travel Group Commissions Plug and Play to Host Innovation Workshops for FCM Customers

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Sep 02, 2020, 06:00 ET

MONTVALE, N.J., Sept. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Flight Centre Travel Group has announced its latest step in bolstering its technology offering and investing in its future. The travel organization has commissioned Plug and Play to host innovation workshops for its FCM customers, in order to better leverage innovative technology to deliver a seamless and ideal travel experience for corporate travelers.

Plug and Play is one of the world's most prolific early stage investors with over 1000 portfolio companies. Their thriving ecosystem of startups connects the largest corporations to the world's best startups through industry-focused accelerator programs. Serving as a corporate liaison, Plug and Play sources startups for corporations seeking like-minded partners who aim to improve industry standards and elevate business offerings. The company starts important conversations among thought leaders and facilitates relationships between travel management companies and startups to boost the travel experience. Plug and Play invests in over 250 startups a year and has connections to 300 of the world's best VCs, with Flight Centre being one of their most active travel and hospitality partners.

"Although the industry is experiencing a severe downturn, we believe we're on the verge of a re-emergence," said John Morhous, Chief Experience Officer for Flight Centre Travel Group Americas. "We're taking this time to reassess our technological assets and examine how we can best utilize these assets with the needs and new priorities of travelers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Plug and Play's expertise and support can help us best determine how to maximize our offering and remain at the forefront of corporate traveler well into the future."

Since partnering with Plug and Play in 2017, Flight Centre Travel Group Limited (FLT) has made great strides in the travel industry, led by its deep commitment to open innovation and emerging technologies. Together with Plug and Play's consultation and support, the company has acquired Umapped and made significant investments in various companies such as, Upside and Shep.

In their newest acquisition, FLT purchased the travel management platform, WhereTo. Flight Centre's acquisition will increase advancement in their technology capabilities as well as allow them to integrate WhereTo into products and services in both its Corporate Traveler and FCM Travel Solutions brands.

"It's great to see a corporation supporting startups and investing in their future during one of the most difficult times the Travel and Hospitality industry has ever endured. I hope our collaboration with Flight Centre underscores for other organizations in the Travel and Hospitality industry just how critical innovation and digital transformation are to the longevity of an organization. I hope it propels them to follow Flight Centre's lead in partnering with like-minded companies. We believe Flight Centre will come out ahead from this pandemic vs. their competition because of their willingness to evaluate, explore and evolve." Jordan Bray, Head of Corporate Partnerships, Travel at Plug and Play.

For more information on Plug and Play's Travel & Hospitality program, visit: https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/travel/

About Flight Centre Travel Group

The Flight Centre Travel Group Limited (FLT) is one of the world's largest travel groups and now has more than 20,000 people across the globe. The company's vast leisure and corporate travel sales network now extends throughout four major regions including, Australia and New Zealand, The Americas, EMEA, and Asia. FLT's global corporate travel management network, FCM Travel Solutions. Extends to about 75 other countries through strategic licensing agreements. The company now has over 30 brands. FLT has twice been judged Australia's best employer, in addition to claiming a number of other employer travel agency awards in Australia and overseas. For more information, visit https://www.fctgl.com/.

About Plug and Play

Plug and Play is the largest global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 35 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 400 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/

SOURCE Plug and Play