VIRTUOSO® TRAVEL TECH SUMMIT FOSTERS INNOVATION BY BRINGING TOGETHER BIG TECH, VENTURE CAPITALISTS AND START-UPS

NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtuoso®, the leading global network specializing in luxury and experiential travel, is hosting its second annual Travel Tech Summit during the 35^th annual Virtuoso Travel Week on Saturday, August 12, 9am-2:30pm at ARIA Resort & Casino. Technology will take center-stage in support of Virtuoso's long-held belief that its members and partners are best served by having choices when it comes to finding tech solutions for their respective businesses. Led by tech entrepreneur, investor and Virtuoso board member, Gilad Berenstein, the 2023 Travel Tech Summit will spotlight innovation in the travel industry with insight from established companies including Microsoft, Hopper and Deloitte, paired with a showcase of 20 startup businesses that are making waves in the travel tech space.

Matthew D. Upchurch, Virtuoso Chairman and CEO, will kick off the session.
"Integrating the Travel Tech Summit as a recurring session at Virtuoso Travel Week supports our mission to constantly discover the newest solutions for our members and partners, allowing for efficiencies so that they can focus on what they do best – creating exceptional travel experiences for clients. Bringing together established and emerging tech companies during a larger event solely focused on furthering luxury travel provides us and our network with the invaluable opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation – something that is imprinted in Virtuoso's DNA."

Berenstein will then lead an Innovator Spotlight, where he will be joined by a handful of the industry's top pioneers, including Shane O'Flaherty from Microsoft speaking about the connected trip, Stuart Greif from Forbes Travel to touch on social commerce, Cara Whitehill from Unlock Advisors to advise on how large corporations can collaborate with startups, Charaf El Mansouri from Dharma to spotlight non-travel companies that are monetizing their brands through travel offerings, Zach Demuth from JLL to highlight sustainability in hotels and resorts and Carolyn Corda from Deloitte to explore travel tech trends. Virtuoso's proprietary Tech Ecosystem will also be highlighted with insight from in-house innovators: Barbara Joseph, Senior Product Manager, B2B Digital Partnerships; Travis McElfresh, Senior VP, Digital & Consumer Products; and Helen McCabe-Young, Senior VP, Marketing.

"The success of Virtuoso's inaugural Travel Tech Summit reaffirmed that while technology has been developed to serve the luxury traveler, there remains a void in tech solutions for those who actually sell luxury travel and service high-end clients," said Berenstein. "Virtuoso's role in the tech ecosystem is to bring together fellow entrepreneurs, agency owners, travel advisors, suppliers and the tech community, so that we can cocreate solutions that solve pain points for each of these entities. Building on last year's format, we are introducing the Startup Showcase, which will feature 20 innovative startups alongside Venture Capital investors, large technology innovators and our own Virtuoso team, highlighting the work and connection between the travel space, the finance community, big tech and more." 

Businesses participating in the Startup Showcase will be divided into four groups based on areas of focus. Attendees will engage in two showcases of their choice.

Startup Showcase Participants & Groups: 

Advisor & Agency Tech

• HyperGuest
• Tern Travel
• TravelWits
• Tres Technologies
• TripSuite

Hotel, Cruise, Tour & Transportation Tech

• NLX
• Origin
• ResortPass
• The Host Co
• TRVLR

Sustainability Tech

• Ampaire
• Hydrogen
• Kind Traveler
• Tuzmo
• Weeva

AI & Emerging Tech

• Dharma
• Legends
• Point.me
• Tango
• Voyage.AI

For more information on Virtuoso, visit www.virtuoso.com.

About Virtuoso
Virtuoso® is the leading global travel agency network specializing in luxury and experiential travel. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 1,200 travel agency locations with more than 20,000 travel advisors in 54 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Drawing upon its preferred relationships with more than 2,300 of the world's best hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and premier destinations, the network provides its upscale clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. Normalized annual sales of (U.S.) $28-$32 billion make Virtuoso a powerhouse in the luxury travel industry. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com.

SOURCE Virtuoso