Gene Quinn, Co-founder of Tnooz (a news website focused on news and analysis about travel technology – looking at marketing, systems, devices, distribution, social media, startups – (bio)), joins Pavan Bahl, John Matson and Peter Crysdale at the MouthMedia Network studio at Voyager HQ.

The birth of Tnooz, 800 startup pitches, and mobile is the future

Quinn reviews Tnooz as an eight-year old brand created in depth of a recession, to cover digital travel economy, resulting in a B-to-B media company. How the industry thinks of itself when covering itself. The digital travel economy, innovation through startups (which mean disruption), running more than 800 startup pitches, looking at systems. How he’s excited about mobile, and started a business three years before Facebook started. Mobile vs. mobile first, vs. mobile-centric, how a lot of companies have created incubators, and looking at global distribution companies like Amadeus.

OTA’s, a new merchandising model, and addition to mobile

A background in newspapers then cable TV, seeing media business blindsided by digital, adding chat online for digital presence of newspapers. How Quinn left publishing and went feet-first into digital, cut his teeth by making himself available to board of Phocuswright and Philip Wolf, along with alignments with Fred Lalonde and Kevin May. OTAs were one of the biggest changes ever in the travel business, from hotels to travel agent networks, changing the industry fundamentally and fast. The first wave in travel of new merchandising model for the industry, how meta search engines have been libraries of libraries, and mobile is the big next wave. Infatuation and addiction to mobile devices consumes the consumer, and consumers are technologically ahead of providers of travel services.

Tours and activities, the currency of privacy, and a fishing bucket list

How the tours and activities space is one that hasn’t been cracked yet, and a platform for tours easy to book, buy and experience could be huge, and part of a fundamental value shift, and the need for better queue management, and if removing travel hiccups can be white labeled by piece of technology. Privacy can be a form of currency. Off the Beaten Path personal questions cover rushing home for a birth, the imagination of flight vs. a first experience, and how the excitement remains to this day in taking off and landing, and a fishing bucket list.

Mobile is Eating the World and Mobile Ate the World

Lavi Industries [Episode 175]

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