One of the travel industry’s most highly-regarded events, The Phocuswright Conference, returns this November to the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, unveiling a fresh and ambitious theme: “Game On.” This marks a bold new direction for the event, inviting C-suite leaders, innovators, and investors to tackle the most pressing challenges transforming global travel.
The “Game On” theme signals a defining moment; a fast-moving, competitive landscape fueled by breakthrough technologies, seismic shifts in consumer behavior, and a renewed demand for strategic clarity. The 2025 event – taking place from November 18-20 – confronts these forces head-on, offering curated insights, unscripted exchanges, and data-backed perspectives to propel the industry forward.
“This is not business as usual,” said Eugene Ko, Marketing and Communications Director at Phocuswright. “‘Game On’ is a defining statement; it’s an invitation to push limits and boundaries, rethink strategies, and challenge every assumption. We’re gathering the minds who won’t settle for predictable – they’re the ones with the power to transform travel. This is where the next era of travel gets written.”
This year’s agenda features a dynamic mix of research-driven strategic sessions, startup and investor networking, and off-the-record discussions designed to provoke fresh thinking and build actionable strategies. Phocuswright has already secured some of the leading names in travel as speakers, with many more to be confirmed:
- Geoff Freeman, President & CEO, US Travel Association
- Omri Morgenshtern, CEO, Agoda
- Fred Lalonde, CEO & Co-Founder, Hopper
- Jean-Jacques Morin, Group Deputy CEO, Accor
- Jason Wynn, CEO, Chase Travel
- Richard Barton, Co-Founder & Co-Executive Chair, Zillow
- Travis Katz, GM & VP, Shopping, YouTube
- Erik Blachford, Founder, Pine5 Partners
- Clara Liang, Head of Global Strategic Operations, Stripe
- Rob Ransom, Chief Strategy Officer, Booking Holdings
More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks, including top-tier executives and senior leadership from the industry’s most influential travel, tech, hospitality, and investment firms.
