EyeforTravel's Startup & Innovation in Travel Awards taking place at the EyeforTravel North America Summit (October 19-20). They have just released the shortlist of start-ups pitching at the awards!

Applications have been reviewed and the lucky select group will pitch their businesses in front of a panel of experienced investors and judges on conference day 1, who will be judging their financial potential and growth opportunities. The two best pitches will then be chosen to present in front of the 375+ summit attendees, with the winner chosen through a live audience poll with the summit attendees.

"Start-ups represents a fundamental shift in innovation in travel. At EyeforTravel we believe that the brands investing and innovating in mobile and new offerings deserve to be recognized", says Tim Gunstone, MD, EyeforTravel Ltd.

As Charles Ralston from TripStreak said on the previous EyeforTravel Awards "The Start-up Village is a really great value for money, especially for start-ups that can't typically afford to spend thousands on conference. Bravo to EyeforTravel for pioneering this!"

Travel is being changed by mobile, artificial intelligence, the sharing economy, social media and that constant drive to deliver the best customer experience. Technology is transforming the way travel is sold – providing exciting opportunities to enhance the customer experience, grow loyalty and ancillary revenues.

EyeforTravel's Start-Up Awards seek to recognize the young brands who are making significant progress for travel – trailblazing the way for others to follow. Here's your chance to shout about it!

Check out who the 2017 shortlist for the awards are here:

  1. ai
  2. ExplrVR
  3. Camp Native
  4. FrontApp
  5. Bizly
  6. Live Locl
  7. Dazzle
  8. Cooperatize
  9. Yappes
  10. Stay Billety
  11. Well Traveled
  12. AreaOwl
  13. Buster
  14. Arrivedo

The judges for the 2017 awards include:

  • Ganesh Mani, PHD MBDA Adjunct Faculty, Carnegie Mellon Entrepreneur & Investment Manager (ex-SSgA) Adviser, com
  • Brian Harniman Managing Director, Brand New Matter, Inc
  • Matt Zito Managing Partner, Travel Startups Incubator LLC
  • Tim Gunstone Managing Director, Eyefortravel
  • Tim Hentschel, CEO, com
  • Bruce Rosenberg, CCO, com
  • Jeena James Global Head for Travel & Local, Apps, Business Development, Google Play7A
  • Amir Amidi Managing Partner - Travel and Hopsitality Centre of Innovation, Plug and Play Tech Center
  • Seth Rosenfield, Managing Director, Petsky Prunier
  • Kurien Jacob, Principal - Highgate Ventures, Highgate Hotels
  • Utpal Kaul, Head of New Product Incubation, Carlson Wagonlit Travel
  • Christina Heggie, Travel Tech Professional, Venture Capitalist & Consultant, Jet Blue Technology Ventures
  • Nathan Bobbin, Senior Director Product innovation, Travelport
  • George R. Arabian, Steelhead Ventures, LLC
  • Thomas Sparico, Strategic Advisor, Brand New Matter
  • John Cooper, Managing Director Co-Head of the Technology Group, Houlihan Lokey

If you would like to attend the event and are a start-up we have exclusive discounts for you, you could also just attend the boot camp, meet the judges and watch the pitches – Check out the awards site here: http://events.eyefortravel.com/travel-distribution-summit-north-america/awards.php

For all awards enquires contact: -

Renu Kannu

Project and Content Director | Eyefortravel

W: +44 20 7375 7197

[email protected]

About Reuters Events

Reuters Events is a community where the world’s top online travel brands – from hotels to airlines, online travel agents, cruise, car hire firms and more – come to meet to drive forward growth and innovation in the industry.

We know that working in the turbulent online travel industry is as exciting as it is challenging. In this constantly evolving market place, we appreciate that keeping up with the pace of change can be tough, not to mention time consuming. You need the right information, contacts and strategic insight to succeed.

Established in 1997, by Tim Gunstone, we offer a diverse product portfolio including industry analysis, insights, research, webinars, reports and conferences to suit the needs of our clients.

Our clients read as a who’s who of online travel. From major hotel brands to new startups, we help our 80,000 strong customer base make better decisions, build better brands, close the most lucrative deals and ultimately sell more of their product. After all, increasing travel brand profit margins in the cutthroat travel industry is the name of the game!

No other online travel intelligence provider has been charting the growth of online travel as long as we have. We were here at the inception of online travel and we know the industry inside out. What’s more, we’re a small, friendly team. Forget impersonal hierarchies, we like to get to know our customers and work towards their exact needs.

Meredith Pistulka