Agenda and Speakers

Our Agenda and Speakers

Managing Director, Lufthansa City Center International GmbH

Martina Groenegres

On Stage:
13 June, 8:30 am | Opening and Keynote
14 June, 8:30 am | Opening
14 June, 6 pm | Closing

Since 2020, Martina holds the position of Managing Director at Lufthansa City Center International. As a global travel leader, she brings a breadth of experience in all commercial disciplines including strategy, government relations, sales and services departments in the aviation, travel and transport industry.

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President, Visit Portugal Porto and North

Luis Pedro Martins

on stage: 13 June, 11:30 am | Destination and ESG Panel

Luís Pedro Martins, President of Visit Porto & North Tourism Board since 2019, has been a transformative force in the region's tourism industry. With a background in Design and Marketing Management, he has significantly enhanced Porto and the North of Portugal's appeal as premier destinations.

Under his direction, Porto and North of Portugal Region has focused on digitalization, innovation, and sustainability, positioning the region as a global tourism leader. Luís and his team has spearheaded numerous initiatives that blend modern technology with sustainable practices, ensuring that the tourism industry's growth supports environmental and social well-being.

Luís's strategic vision emphasizes legacy impact, fostering long-term benefits for the community while preserving the region's unique cultural heritage. His dedication to sustainable tourism and innovative promotion strategies has left an indelible mark on Porto and the North of Portugal, making them must-visit destinations for travelers worldwide.

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Keynote Speaker, Silicon Valley Entrepreneur

Christoph Burkhardt

on stage: 14 June 5.30 pm

Christoph is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, founder and expert in innovation and digital technologies.

In 2011, he started the think tank TinyBox with a focus on the impact of new technologies in San Francisco, CA. Partnering with Google and others, the now German based business is on a mission to make knowledge more accessible to business strategists and entrepreneurs.

In 2016, Christoph started the Burkhardt Group in San Francisco, a consulting firm specializing in emerging technologies and digital business models. Among his clients have been companies such as Pfizer, Allianz, Aldi and SAP. He has also mentored over 300 startups and coached several high-profile entrepreneurs.

In 2019 he became CEO of OneLife, a research heavy health tech startup on a mission to save lives and protect the planet by creating clean technologies that improve people’s health at home. After successfully launching their first product, the air purifier OneLife X globally, Christoph joined the supervisory board.

Currently, Christoph is working with several high profile executives as advisor and consultant helping them to future proof their business strategies and technology applications.

Christoph has been a thought after keynote speaker with Fortune 500 companies around the globe. He is a regular guest lecturer at leading universities such as LMU Munich, ETH Zurich, RWTH Aachen, University of St. Gallen and has recently taught business strategy for entrepreneurs at Stanford’s executive program.

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Senior Manager, Industry Distribution Programs Adoption - IATA

David Rutnam

on stage: 14 June 9 am

David Rutnam is the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Senior Manager Industry Distribution Programs Adoption. He is responsible for managing the implementation of Digital Retailing in Europe, Middle East, Africa, and the CIS countries.

David has over 40 years of experience in the aviation industry. He has been with IATA for almost 20 years, previously working on the successful implementations of 100% Electronic ticketing (ET) and Bar-Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP). Prior to IATA, David worked for several airlines including British Airways, Qantas, Air New Zealand and United, mainly in IT.

David holds a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science.

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Project Specialist, UNWTO, UN Tourism

Juan Carlos Baena Franco

on stage: 13 June 08:45 am

Juan Carlos Baena works as Project Specialist at UN Tourism, which is the United Nations agency in charge for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. He works at the Affiliate Members Department, which brings together over 500 companies, educational and research institutions, destinations and NGOs from the tourism sector and seeks to develop public-private cooperation in tourism.

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Vice President Area Management Home Markets, Global B2B Servicing, Lufthansa German Airlines

Johannes Walter

On Stage:
14 June, 9:30 am | Keynote
14 June, 11:30 | NDC and Distribution Panel

Johannes Walter, previously Senior Director Channel Partners, has been appointed Vice President Area Management Home Markets, Global B2B Servicing. Johannes Walter began his career in the airline business in 2002 at Austrian Airlines in Germany, followed by commercial leadership roles in Italy, France, Sweden and Austria. In 2016, he was appointed Head of Distribution Global Market Management, being responsible for the global launch of new, interactive distribution solutions and offer placement in the B2B channels. In this role he was driving the Lufthansa Group NDC Partner Program rollout. Since February 2021, he has also taken on the responsibility for growing the Lufthansa Group airlines’ digital air retailing partnerships.

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Co-Founder and CEO, Jerne

Tim Morgan

on stage: The Future of Influence , 13 June 09.20 am

Keynote: As peoples’ media-viewing habits continue to evolve and become more fragmented across online and offline channels, understanding and planning your top-of-funnel marketing and sales initiatives are more important than ever. Join Tim as we look at what’s NXT for staying ahead of where your customers are finding inspiration, making buying decisions, and taking purchasing action.

A travel distribution expert with 20 years of industry experience, Tim is endlessly passionate about inspiring people to explore and understand the world around them. As an industry leader across Canada, the USA, and Europe, Tim has held executive positions at various travel agencies and consortia (such as the $30B Virtuoso network), co-founded a club for the world’s most influential travel advisors (The 1000, a $3B community), and invested in or sat on advisory boards of numerous global travel brands. A Canadian residing in the United Kingdom, Tim also volunteers weekly at Charity Begins @ Home, a food and clothing distribution program in Central London.

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Head of Agency Chains, RateHawk

Polina Khrapal

on stage: 14 June Keynote -Leveraging AI for seamless travel booking experiences

In her travel industry career spanning over a decade, Polina has held positions in hospitality management in global hotel brands including Hilton and Radisson. Having joined Emerging Travel Group, Polina was engaged in operations and support and lead the Incidents Prevention team. In 2016 Polina joined the RateHawk business line as the Head of Account Management. Polina has a proven track record in delivering sales and building strong relationships while serving as a Country Manager for Bulgaria and Romania for three years. In her current role, Polina is responsible for company’s agency chains strategy.

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Head of Customer Success EMEA Regional accounts, Amadeus

Pedro Figar

on stage: 14 June, 10:10 am | NDC and Distribution Panel and 14 June 11:30 Keynote Speech Robotics and Innovation

Pedro joined Amadeus in November 2016 and has held a number of positions in Business Strategy, Organization Strategy and Commercial Strategy and Operations for the Distribution business.

Since January 2023 he heads Customer Success for Regional Travel Sellers, supporting the leading Online Travel Agencies, Tour Operators, Networks and TMCs in EMEA achieve their business strategy and objectives.

Before Amadeus Pedro worked in management consulting for 10 years.

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Global Account Management, Amadeus

Gabriele Grossetete

on stage: 14 June 11:30 Keynote Speech Robotics and Innovation

Gabriele joined Amadeus in July 1989 and worked in financial controlling until 1996. Since 1996 Gabriele works as an Account Manager, first in Amadeus Germany. In 2003, Gabriele became the Global Account Manager for LCC International. Gabriele relocated to Amadeus SAS France in Nov 2015 and continues in her role as a Global Account Manager for Amadeus strategic customers.

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CEO, Snowstorm Technologies

Riaz Pisani

on stage: Keynote speech 13 June 4 pm

Experienced Chief Strategy Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Skilled in Sales, Account Management, Leadership, Marketing, and Strategic Planning. Strong business development professional graduated from Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC.

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Sales Development & Luxury Director – EMEA & APAC, Meliá Hotels International

Carla Ferreira

on stage: Keynote 13 June, 09:05 am | Customer centricity entering the next level

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Chief Product Officer, Tripstax

David Chappell

on stage: Keynote Speech 14 June, 09:50 am | TMC tech evolution through iterative change

David is Chief Product Officer for Tripstax Technologies. He is renowned in the industry for his deep knowledge of all aspects of TMC architecture and process flow, alongside his unique way of articulating complex problems and elegant solutions.

Joining in June 2023, David was brought in to TripStax as Chief Strategy Officer to leverage his tech knowledge in aligning the commercial side of the business to its products, and to further evolve the TripStax product offering in the market. Having established a successful sales process and enhanced proposition, he moved to the position of Chief Product Officer as of January 1st , 2024. A free thinker, David has carved a reputation for excellence founded on his wide range of experience across the TMC value chain and is known for his progressive approach to solving long-standing industry challenges.

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Regional Director Central (DACH), Managing Director Sabre Deutschland Marketing GmbH

Tom Fecke

on stage: 14 June, 10:10 am | NDC and Distribution Panel

A seasoned professional in the travel industry, Fecke began his career as a travel agent. He holds a degree as master of business administration and had various sales & marketing management roles with Galileo (Travelport) and Avis Rent-a-Car in the leisure and corporate segment . From 2006 until 2014 he worked for RCL Cruises as a regional Managing Director. Tom also served as Managing Director of the Travel Industry Club, the leading business club in Germany and Austria back in 2015/16. In his last role Fecke engaged as Secretary General Europe of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in Brussels and represented the European Cruise Industry in terms of reputational management, regulatory and sustainability at a EU level with EU member states and various stakeholders of the industry. In March 2018 Tom started as Director Strategic Sales of Sabre Travel Network and responsible for business development and new large scale business opportunities within the EMEA region. Since July 2020 Tom Fecke was promoted to Regional Director Central Europe and Managing Director Sabre Deutschland Marketing GmbH.

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Hahn Air

Regional Vice President Agency Distribution, Hahn Air

Anna Neumeister

on stage: 14 June, 3:40 pm | NXT Step Artificial Intelligence Workshop hosted by HahnAir

Anna is a Regional VP Agency Distribution at Hahn Air, a German airline that has been specialising in indirect distribution services and ticketing solutions. Anna’s top priority is building strong and trustful business relationships and consulting travel agencies on how they can optimise their business results with the more than 350 Hahn Air partner airlines. Anna’s passion is the global airline industry, and she has over 25 years of experience working for airlines such as Swiss, Delta, Emirates and Southwest in various leisure and corporate sales positions. A Swiss-Swedish native, she worked and lived in various countries in Europe, Asia and the USA and considers herself a global citizen. The multi-cultural environment at Hahn Air is a perfect fit for Anna who has extensive experience in TMC, corporate and government sales and who is fluent in German, Swedish, English and French.

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Senior Manager New Business Development at TRAVELPORT

Thomas Schillinger

on stage: 14 June, 10:10 am | NDC and Distribution Panel

Before joining Travelport, Thomas worked at Aviareps AG (a global GSA) for over a decade, most recently as Managing Director Aviation Germany. In this position, he not only managed a team of experts but was also responsible for acquiring new customers and developing more efficient solutions and processes for existing partners. His expertise and experience seamlessly fits into his current role as Senior Business Development Manager at Travelport, where he is responsible for the commercial efforts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. With his consultative approach he identifies the optimal solutions from Travelport’s enhanced product range to best support the business objectives of travel agency, tour operator, OTA or corporate travel company partners. In Thomas´s own words: “Nowadays, individualization and comprehensive service are playing an increasingly important role for travelers – our approach aims to offer the same attributes to travel-sellers via our best-in-class technology and individualized processes.”

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Travel Trade Marketing Manager B2B, Visit Panama

Sussaned Duran Arrocha

on stage: 13 June, 11:30 am | Destination and ESG Panel

Sussaned serves as the Travel Trade Manager at Visit Panama, the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for the country. With over 16 years of extensive experience in the tourism sector, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Prior to Visit Panama, Sussaned held the position of Commercial Manager at Air Canada for 8 years. Additionally, she has worked with the Lufthansa Group, focusing on B2B Marketing for Panama, Central America, and the Caribbean. Her career also includes roles in travel agencies, where she served as a Corporate Account Manager.

In 2023, Sussaned transitioned to Visit Panama with a mission to bolster the country's presence in key leisure markets aiming to showcase Panama's diverse offerings and attractions to travelers worldwide.

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Head of DMC department, DMC Clube Viajar Lufthansa City Center in Portugal

Mariana Morais

on stage: 13 June, 11:30 am | Destination and ESG Panel

As an event organizer specializing in Portugal for 10 years now, Mariana takes immense pride in crafting unforgettable experiences that highlight the rich cultural heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and world-class facilities our country has to offer. Her enthusiasm for excellence and deep affection for Portugal motivates her to innovate and exceed expectations in this dynamic field of business tourism. As per her professional trajectory, transitioning from the Porto Convention Bureau to other local DMC/Travel Agency, and subsequently establishing her own DMC, her journey has consistently and always intersected with the MICE sector.

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President of Safe Harbors Business Travel, Lufthansa City Center Business Travel USA

Jay Ellenby

on stage: 14 June, 10:10 am | NDC and Distribution Panel

As president of Safe Harbors Business Travel, in Bel Air, MD, Jay has used his extensive knowledge of the travel industry to build the company into a leader in corporate travel management.

As a keen observer and often quoted industry leader, Jay has promoted a hybrid approach of high touch customer service with a high level of technology. His vision and overall understanding of the needs of travelers has brought multiple levels of technologies and solutions coupled with a highly trained staff. Jay is also a collaborative communicator focused on building sustainable relationships with clients and strategic partners.

In addition to multiple industry board positions including former ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors) Chair, Jay participates on the boards of many non-profit, economic development, and sports organizations.

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CEO of Mondial Lufthansa City Center in Austria

Mag. Gregor Kadanka

on stage: 13 June, 11:30 am | ESG Panel

An experienced executive, Mag. Gregor Kadanka has a distinguished career in the tourism and travel industry, specializing in travel management, corporate events, and legal compliance. With extensive expertise in both political sciences and law, combined with an MBA in Tourism & Leisure Management, he leads several business entities within the Mondial Group, contributing to its expansive growth and operational excellence.

As CEO of Mondial Lufthansa City Center and Mondial GmbH & Co. KG, he oversees all strategic and operational aspects of the Mondial Group, a family-owned enterprise established in 1966. Under his leadership, the company has significantly expanded its footprint across Europe, maintaining high standards of service excellence. Since 1997, he has been managing multiple subsidiaries, guiding strategic direction and ensuring alignment with the group's overarching goals. Leads initiatives in travel management, event coordination, and destination management. Gregor is also the president of the Austrian Travel Agency Cooperation (Österreichischer Reisebüro Beratungs Verein (ÖRBV)), since 2000 he has been Chairman of the trade association of travel agencies in Austria, and since 8 years also Member of the LCCI Advisory Board. Mag. Gregor Kadanka brings a comprehensive blend of legal, managerial, and industry-specific knowledge to his role, driving innovation and ethical practices within the tourism sector.

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Director of MICE, Synthesis Group Lufthansa City Center in Greece

Lena Kabakou

on stage: 14 June, 10:10 am | NDC and Distribution Panel

With over 33 years of experience in the travel industry, Lena has been a true data driven people person. She is possessing the needed set of skills to build the space between the leader at the top, the execution of the strategy, and the ever-changing ongoing operations of our business.

Leads and manages the MICE team. A calm oasis amid a whirlwind, her Zen-mindedness helps guide the team and sharpen the needle of detail.
She has an eye for detail and sensor experience to deliver consultancy in every service offering.
Negotiates with suppliers to assure the best terms for Synthesis Travel group clients.
Implements and maintains technologies and tools to serve the best quality outcome to clients.
Responsible for all financials of the MICE team, as budget approvals, reconciliation, reporting, and forecasting.
Responsible to expand and ensure knowledge and updated procedures, to all staff members. Monitoring team performance.

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CEO and Founder Upthink

Matt Gibson

on stage: Educational Session AI on 14 June | 3:40-4:40 pm

Matt Gibson is the CEO of UpThink, a digital agency specializing in content, SEO, influencer marketing, and AI integration for the travel industry.

UpThink has helped to organize events and campaigns that have brought hundreds of bloggers to destinations like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, and Malaysia and provided SEO services to industry leaders like Guide To Iceland and Airbnb.

Matt regularly speaks about influencers and content at events including ITB Berlin, ITB Asia, Arabian Travel Mart, HSMAI, and PATA Mart, and has been featured in publications such as Business Insider, AFAR, and the Singapore Straits Times.

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Conference Moderator

John Melchior

on stage: 13 and 14 June |

Conference Moderation & All Panels

John is an experienced Travel industry executive with broad practical knowledge of most aspects of the industry. After a distinguished career went into the consultancy arena 12 years ago and have advised over 20 companies from all spectres of the industry, and become a sought-after commentator and moderator at conferences worldwide. We are happy to have him as such for our event as well, as he has been on plenty of virtual and in-person LCC stages before. With John, a professional, entertaining and well-experienced moderation of all panels and conference parts is guaranteed.

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Educational Sessions

Discover our educational sessions on all three days

Business Travel Meeting | 12 June 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

Audience: LCC Business Travel agencies only
The full day Business Travel meeting will cover the following topics

The latest developments in business travel
How distribution develops in business travel
Artificial intelligence and the human factor
Joint opportunities - Success so far and what next
Moderation: Savio Monsorate, Senior Business Development Manager, LCC Headquarters

Speakers: Gabriele Grossetete, Amadeus, Stefan Pagel, LCC Headquarters. Joao Murias and Tim Howe Schroeder, AERTiCKET

DMC Seller Workshop: Driving Sales | 12 June, 3 -4 pm

Learn the art of presenting yourself confidently at the Annual Summit and discover the most effective way to engage travel agents, ensuring you understand their needs and demands thoroughly. Additionally, learn valuable techniques for preparing and conducting product presentations.

Moderation: Antje Lehman, DMC Product Manager, LCC Headquarters

Nxt Step Responsible Travel: Using our DMC's Competitive Edge | 13 June, 10:15 am

Moderation: Antje Lehmann

Guest speakers: LCC Magri Tourism, Bolivia, LCC Reynolds Travel, South Africa

As travelers increasingly prioritize sustainability in their trip planning, our LCC DMC partners emerge as invaluable experts in their respective destinations. They
have an extensive understanding of their sustainable suppliers and know best how to incorporate these in specific travel offers. Find out how you can make the most of their expertise in sustainable travel to meet your customers' interests.

Nxt Step Digital Marketing: The Future of Influence | 13 June, 10:15 am

Moderation. Tim Morgan, CEO JERNE

Take a deep dive into the future of travel inspiration to ensure you’re meeting your customers where they begin dreaming about their next experience: on social media. Learn the latest statistics on how online inspiration impacts your customers’ travel buying decisions and take best practices away with you for how you can stay ahead of your competition.

Nxt Step Data Mining: Unlocking the full potential of your data to drive profitability | 14 June 3:40 pm

Moderation: Savio Monsorate

Speakers: David Chappell, Tripstax

Discover how the data you have in your systems can revolutionize your travel agency's insights and decision-making processes. Join us to explore thoughts and ways to extract valuable insights from customer data and market trends. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your competitive edge and drive profitability.

Nxt Step NDC: The future of air retailing and what this means for you | 14 June 3:40 pm

Moderation: TBA

Enlighten yourself on the next generation of business travelers. Delve into their evolving needs and see how you can position yourself in the landscape of modern corporate travel. Join us as we explore innovative solutions and strategies together to tackle the NXT gen traveler.

Nxt Step Artificial Intelligence: The opportunities around AI to make your business future-proof | 14 June 3:40 pm

Moderation: Matt Gibson, CEO Upthink