The organisers of the annual Passenger Experience Conference have unveiled the schedule of high-level industry experts confirmed to speak at this year’s conference on June 5 2023 in Hamburg, Germany.
The conference will take place at the Congress Center Hamburg ahead of the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), which runs from June 6-8 2023. It will bring together the industry to learn about the latest industry trends, including sustainability and the next generation of passengers.
Experts from leading companies such as Boeing. Collins Aerospace, easyJet, Iberia, Lufthansa Group, Panasonic Avionics and Teague will participate in a conference which will address the most pertinent topics within today’s cabin environment while presenting a Vision for the Multi-Modal Future.
Attendees can join blue-sky discussions, discover the innovations destined to transform the future of aviation and envision what a joined-up approach to travel in the future looks like. The conference will also enable delegates to better understand the complexities of the modern-day passenger and why it is critical to keep up with both their values and expectations of airlines.
“Every year we’re delighted to provide a platform for the who’s who of the industry to come together and immerse themselves in the latest insights and ideas from those at the forefront of enhancing passenger experience. With such a high calibre of speakers offering their expertise and experience, we’re confident that delegates will be inundated with opportunities to learn, network, and do business. Without doubt, the Passenger Experience Conference will serve as the catalyst for the future of the industry,” said Polly Magraw, Event Director at the Aircraft Interiors Expo.
Plenary session
A plenary session will kick off the 2023 programme, bringing delegates together to learn how to build loyalty and emotional connections with passengers. First to take to the stage will be, Eric Bogner, Executive Creative Director at Teague, highlighting how the airlines that bridge intermodal touchpoints on the passenger journey will dominate airports and hospitality in Debunking the Seamless Journey.
Bogner will be followed by other travel industry leaders, including George Land, Executive Director Sales of Hybrid Air Vehicles. They will share their strategic visions for the future and help delegates prepare for a new travel landscape in 2030 and beyond.
The conference will then be split into two streams: Delivering for the New Generation Passenger and Succeeding in the Green Revolution. They offer delegates a chance to take a deep dive into the future landscape of aviation and those travelling within it.
Digital experience
According to research by Bain & Company, the proportion of younger and less affluent travellers (Gen Y and Z) will make up more than 50% of passengers by 2025. This new breed of passenger will be travelling in an era of connectivity and personalisation, with growing expectations of a seamless digital experience.
Helping to uncover what this future looks like, a series of thought-provoking sessions will address the needs of the new generation of passengers and how airlines can tailor and adapt their offerings to attract and retain customers.
Daniel Baron, Managing Director of Lift Aero Design, will moderate a series of sessions around defining new passenger experience benchmarks. In one with Professor Peter Vink, Faculty of Industry Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology they will discuss Good vibrations – new research to improve physical comfort. Chris Wood, Aviation Accessibility Consultant for Flying Disabled, will go on to share insights on Revolutionising air travel for passengers with reduced mobility.
The presentations will culminate in a panel discussion on setting new standards for passenger comfort, with representatives from Collins Aerospace, Tronos Aviation Consulting, Lufthansa Group, and Caynova Switzerland.
Afternoon sessions
Afternoon sessions in the new generation passenger stream will focus on Onboard digitalisation: raising the bar and creating opportunity. Succeeding with a low-cost digitalisation model will be put under the spotlight by William Kramer, Transformation & Continuous Improvement Lead – Inflight Retail at easyJet, and Job Heimerikx, CEO of AirFi. This will be followed by an interactive roundtable where experts from Panasonic Avionics, Valour Consultant and AERQ will discuss how to meet the expectations of the new generation digital customer, examining what happens at the intersection of streaming quality connectivity, and increasingly sophisticated onboard digital services.
In the final session of the day, Jo Rowan, Associate Director of Strategy and Customer Experience at PriestmanGoode, will explore Demystifying digital realities – and creating new journey narratives.
Sustainability focus
The second stream at this year’s Passenger Experience Conference will address the topic of sustainability, offering delegates a chance to consider how what we waste today can be transformed into an asset and how the reuse model can be integrated into the aviation industry.
Brenna Wynhof, Regional Director, Cabin and Passenger Experience at Boeing, will explain how the leading aircraft manufacturer is embracing sustainability in the cabin during the session named Behind the scenes: Boeing’s cabin sustainability journey. She will then join a wider panel, featuring Andrew Billingsley, CEO of Plaswire; Gary Doy, Director of Doy Designs, and Chris Brady, Chairman & Founder of Unum Aircraft Seating, who will debate evolving sustainability initiatives.
In the final half of the green stream, Matt Crane, Founding Member of the Aviation Sustainability Forum, will welcome speakers from Antos Environmental, IN Air Travel Experience, 2030 Markets and Iberia to debate the transformation of cabin waste from a cost to a valuable resource.
Cabin waste
The Energising cabin waste session will also demonstrate how aviation professionals can learn from other major industries that are shifting their cultures to embrace sustainability initiatives.
Finally, Planning for a low-impact future will see Sarah Klatt-Walsh, Sustainability Lead at FORMIA, and Nathan Kwok, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing at Safran Cabin, discuss their net zero carbon goals and the strategies they are deploying for successful delivery.
Over the full day, this year’s Passenger Experience Conference will equip delegates with actionable insights to help them tackle the next set of challenges facing the industry. It will also enable them to be part of the conversation in an interactive setting, unpicking the key topics on all things passenger experience: from building loyalty and emotional connections with passengers to physical comfort, accessibility, sustainability and everything else in between.
Networking event
After the final sessions, delegates can relax at the Passenger Experience Conference’s popular Welcome Party. Free for all conference delegates to attend, tickets are available for AIX visitors to purchase. It presents a networking event ahead of the Aircraft Interiors Expo which begins on June 6.
Registration is now open for both the Passenger Experience Conference and the Aircraft Interiors Expo, which is co-located with the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo. Early-bird conference rates are available until May 19 2023.
