Travel Trends Summit V3 unveils agenda focused on what comes after AI

Travel Trends released the full agenda for its third annual virtual summit, set for Oct. 28-29, 2026, with more than 40 travel leaders discussing technology, distribution, marketing and leadership in a post-AI travel stack. The event will be free to attend and expands with longer panels, more fireside chats and live startup demos.

Why it matters: - Travel Trends Summit V3 is aiming past the AI hype and into the next phase of travel industry change. - The event is designed to show how travel companies will adapt in distribution, marketing, customer relationships, investment, and leadership as AI becomes embedded in their tech stacks. - Unlimited free access lowers the barrier for travel professionals worldwide to attend.

What happened: - Travel Trends released the full agenda for Travel Trends Summit V3, sponsored by TourRadar. - The two-day virtual summit takes place Oct. 28-29, 2026. - More than 40 founders, executives, investors, marketers and innovators are scheduled to participate. - The summit is being framed around one central question: what comes beyond AI? - Travel Trends said the summit has doubled attendance year over year since launching in 2024. - Previous editions drew more than 2,000 participants from 50+ countries.

The details: - The V3 format adds longer panel sessions so speakers can go deeper on attendee priorities. - The agenda includes more fireside chats, with 1:1 conversations between investors, founders and operators. - Top-rated keynote speakers from 2025 are returning, along with additional speakers not yet announced. - Interactive demo blocks and startup pitch sessions will give emerging travel tech companies live time to show AI and automation use cases. - Day one is titled "Beyond the Hype, The New Travel Stack" and focuses on technology and distribution. - Day one sessions will examine how AI is changing travel discovery, booking, operations and commercial partnerships. - Featured speakers on day one include leaders from TourRadar, Phocuswright, Mindtrip, Railbookers, Kaptio, Fora and TravelAI. - Live innovation showcases on day one will feature emerging travel technology companies. - Day two is titled "Beyond the Tools, The Human Advantage" and shifts to marketing, brand, investment and leadership. - Day two sessions will cover branding, community building, startup funding, organizational culture and the future of travel leadership. - Featured speakers on day two include leaders from Propellic, WeRoad, Travel Massive, Pinerary, Thayer Ventures and Plug and Play. - New speaker highlights include Chris Hemmeter of Thayer Ventures on what travel investors want heading into 2027. - Amir Amidi of Plug and Play will join Hemmeter on what is fundable in travel tech and which pitches fail fast. - Brianna MacNeil, director of AI products and personalization at TravelAI, will focus on where AI in travel is working in production. - Mitch Bach, CEO of TripSchool + Tourpreneur, will headline a fireside chat on why travel brands are investing more in people than prompts. - The summit moved from an initially announced 2,500 free registrations to unlimited free attendance. - The full two-day pass is valued at $149 USD. - The sponsor roster includes TourRadar, Kaptio, Railbookers, Fora, TravelAI, TProfile, WeTravel, Bokun, Aderra Solutions, Propellic, Belvera Partners, Tripian, Nezasa, Mindtrip, Pinerary, Deloitte, TripRecos, iWander and GuestOS. - The source also included links to the Travel Trends Podcast social pages: LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Between the lines: - The summit's programming suggests travel tech leaders are looking for practical use cases, not abstract AI commentary. - The expanded fireside format and startup demos point to strong demand for operator-level advice and visible product proof. - Unlimited free access could broaden the audience well beyond the summit's previous 2,000-plus attendee base.

What's next: - Travel Trends will roll out the remaining unannounced keynote speakers before the October event. - Registrants can attend the summit at no cost. - The event will test whether the travel industry is ready to shift from AI adoption talk to execution, funding and organizational change.

The bottom line: - Travel Trends Summit V3 is positioning itself as a post-AI roadmap for travel companies, not just another AI conference.