{"id":22159,"date":"2020-06-04T13:00:16","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T09:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/?p=22159"},"modified":"2020-06-06T13:43:04","modified_gmt":"2020-06-06T09:43:04","slug":"travel-forward-at-atm-virtual-reveals-messaging-platforms-will-be-key-tool-for-travel-and-hospitality-brands-to-interact-with-consumers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/travel-forward-at-atm-virtual-reveals-messaging-platforms-will-be-key-tool-for-travel-and-hospitality-brands-to-interact-with-consumers\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Forward At ATM Virtual Reveals Messaging Platforms Will Be Key Tool For Travel And Hospitality Brands To Interact With Consumers"},"content":{"rendered":"

At a time when face to face communication has not be possible as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the face of travel technology has evolved with consumers turning to messaging to interact with all forms of travel brands from airlines to hotels and resorts, industry experts revealed during the debut Travel Forward<\/a> at ATM Virtual<\/a> event.<\/p>\n

During the month of March 2020 alone, messaging increased by more than 50% in many of the countries hardest hit by the global health crisis, according to the latest data from Facebook, with over 20 billion messages currently exchanged with businesses every month on Messenger.<\/p>\n

During Travel Forward session\u00a0Conversational Commerce for Travel Brands<\/a>, Facebook\u2019s Head of Destinations & Events, Sara Gentile<\/a>, and Head of Aviation & Hospitality MENA, Ameen Malhas<\/a>, provided insights into what travel technology will have to offer beyond 2020, including the potential c-commerce will have in helping travel and hospitality brands to connect and transact with consumers.<\/p>\n

\u201cTravellers value personalisation from brands and this trend is only likely to heighten in a post-COVID-19 world, with around 54% of travellers who opt to book with online travel agents (OTAs) seeking on-location recognition from brands. Adding to this, the top three engagement travellers seek from aviation and hospitality brands are live updates, discounts and helpful tips,\u201d said Sara Gentile.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy combining chat with automated and AI-driven systems, brands can target information and offers precisely to individual travellers. This increases relevance, which is exactly what people want, with an overwhelming majority more likely to buy from brands that remember who they are and that provide relevant recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Personalisation isn\u2019t the only factor driving the popularity of messaging in today\u2019s society, convenience, immediacy and scalability also make it well suited for engaging with travellers. However, the execution must be right to succeed.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, messaging must be responsive and sophisticated to meet consumers\u2019 needs \u2013 especially during these challenging times when travellers want interactions to be fast and efficient,\u201d said Ameen Malhas.<\/p>\n

\u201cA messaging system which is executed correctly –\u00a0 with a clear strategic role, anticipates what consumers want to talk about with the help of innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and is built around a strong ecosystem – can be a powerful and convenient tool for engaging consumers and driving purchase intent.\u201d<\/p>\n

As governments begin to lift lockdown restrictions across the Middle East, businesses are cautiously re-opening workplaces with strict social distancing measures in place and asking employees to travel again.<\/p>\n

During the final Travel Forward session of day two, Technology and the New Normal<\/a>, Heidi Myers<\/a>, Head of Marketing, EMEA, Uber for Business, discussed how technology can be a force for good and support businesses in the challenge of the \u2018new normal\u2019 that we are beginning to embrace.<\/p>\n

According to a recent survey conducted by Uber, around 44% of businesses said employee safety is their primary concern, with 60% of employers saying they will only allow essential workers to commute and 33% of organisations surveyed considering implementing daily commute programmes.<\/p>\n

With getting to work in the post COVID-19 landscape a primary concern for a large number of employees and a stressful commute sited as one of the leading causes of employee dissatisfaction and turnover, Uber are implementing a number of stringent hygiene and safety procedures in an attempt to support businesses during this challenging period.<\/p>\n

Heidi Myers, said: \u201cAt Uber, the safety of both our employees and our customers is of prime importance and as a result, in line with government and public health authority guidance in the regions in which we operate, we have implemented a number of strict health & safety procedures.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore drivers can begin using the Uber app, they are fully screened and provided with access to resources and education which focus on how to wear a mask properly, how to wash their hands in line with guidance and how to disinfect their vehicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, both drivers and riders are required to wear masks or face coverings in most countries, with drivers required to verify through our Selfie-Verification technology that they are wearing a mask which fully covers their nose and mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Global Exhibitions Day 2020, taking place today (3rd<\/sup> June), WTM London will be using the event to tell the world it will be open for business as usual at the ExCel in London this November.<\/p>\n

Due to the devastation caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, GED2020\u2019s message is a simple one: Exhibition are key to rebuilding economies.<\/p>\n

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: \u201cAs we look ahead to restarting and rebuilding the global travel and tourism industry, exhibitions such as ATM and WTM London will be a crucial platform for kick-starting global economies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe debut ATM Virtual has been a huge success and has further underscored ATM\u2019s mission to support and guide the region\u2019s vast travel and tourism industry during and beyond COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also part of the debut Travel Forward on day twowas the \u2018How Cross-Sector Collaboration is Key to Igniting Economic Growth in the Tourism Industry in the MENA Region and Beyond<\/a>\u2019 session moderated by Intelak Manager, Mia Jafari<\/a>. The panel discussed how cross-sector collaboration between the government, corporates and start-ups will create the fertile ground for economic growth in the travel sector post COVID-19.<\/p>\n

Other sessions taking place today include an interview with Wizz Air CEO, JoszefVaradi<\/a>; the International Travel Investment Conference summit<\/a> and the responsible tourism session, \u2018The Implications of COVID-19 for Responsible Hospitality<\/a>\u2019, followed by the Influencers\u2019 session titled \u2018Make Your Connection: Influencers as a Key Part of the Marketing Mix \u2013 COVID-19 The Road to Recovery<\/a>\u2019. Videos of all sessions will be available on demand \u2013 to view them, please log on to atmvirtual.eventnetworking.com\/online-conference\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Concluding the event this afternoon is a webinar<\/a> titled \u2018What are you doing to energise your operational performance?<\/a>\u2019, which will discuss the power of data analytics in helping to maximise performance.<\/p>\n

ATM Virtual concludes today, Wednesday 3rd June 2020, however a series of independently moderated, roundtables are available on-demand and include \u2018The\u00a0Future of Corporate Travel\u2019<\/a> led by Breaking Travel News; The Changing Face of Luxury Family Travel<\/a> hosted by Destinations of the World News; \u2018The New Normal: What the Future Looks Like for the Hotel and Tourism Industry<\/a>\u2019 and \u2018Middle East: The New Asian Source Market<\/a>\u2019 both by Trav Talk Middle East, as well as TTN Middle East\u2019s \u2018Challenges Faced Today by the Travel Providers<\/a>\u2019 and \u2018Latest travel updates, projections and upcoming trends and focus on near-, mid- and long-term travel prospects<\/a>\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia and the Italian Tourist Board are both Gold sponsors of ATM Virtual.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At a time when face to face communication has not be possible as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the face of travel technology has evolved with consumers turning to messaging to interact with all forms of travel brands from airlines to hotels and resorts, industry experts revealed during the debut Travel Forward at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22160,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22159"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22177,"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22159\/revisions\/22177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.middleeastevents.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}