Remember, I fell into this crazy world of Travel. It was never my life long aspiration or dream. I had never flown until I was adult and working in my first real job. Growing up as the youngest of seven in small town North Dakota, we didn't think about travelling the globe. Now, it's easy and within the span of three week, myself, my son and my nephew will have been or will be in in 7 different countries. Times have certainly changed.
Something else is changing and I would like to make sure everyone is watching this space. Distribution, NDC and Next Generation Store Front are the new hot topics in our industry. I have said this before, but I feel like we are back in the late 1800's to early 1900's with the Wright brothers. Sure, this isn't about putting a plane together and shooting someone across the sky, but this will change how products are on the shelf, heck, it's gonna change the shelf itself!
When the NDC conversations started years ago, I was absolutely against the initiative. Through learning and education, I have found myself on the side of innovation, technology and service. Was it overnight? NO! Was it easy to understand? Not really. Was it worth the time I spent in trying to understand all the sides? For sure!
There are a number of opportunities coming up to learn about all of these and I would invite you to take part in any of them. Additionally, I am always happy to talk to anyone about why I changed my mind and why I am an advocate of this much needed step in our industry. You are welcome to comment on this post if you want to set up a time to chat.
It's not all sunshine and roses, but when I think about people in our business staying relevant and focusing on our traveler experience, these are the solutions that will keep us going.
Something else is changing and I would like to make sure everyone is watching this space. Distribution, NDC and Next Generation Store Front are the new hot topics in our industry. I have said this before, but I feel like we are back in the late 1800's to early 1900's with the Wright brothers. Sure, this isn't about putting a plane together and shooting someone across the sky, but this will change how products are on the shelf, heck, it's gonna change the shelf itself!
When the NDC conversations started years ago, I was absolutely against the initiative. Through learning and education, I have found myself on the side of innovation, technology and service. Was it overnight? NO! Was it easy to understand? Not really. Was it worth the time I spent in trying to understand all the sides? For sure!
There are a number of opportunities coming up to learn about all of these and I would invite you to take part in any of them. Additionally, I am always happy to talk to anyone about why I changed my mind and why I am an advocate of this much needed step in our industry. You are welcome to comment on this post if you want to set up a time to chat.
It's not all sunshine and roses, but when I think about people in our business staying relevant and focusing on our traveler experience, these are the solutions that will keep us going.
Leading from the front as always Rita, thank you
ReplyDeleteRita - thank you for your continued engagement through the IATA Travel Manager Advisory Group and the other initiatives you spend so much of your time on to understand the subject and its implications.
ReplyDelete