The organisers of Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) have announced an expanded speaker programme for the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC), ahead of the event on 5th June.
The annual conference takes place the day before AIX opens its doors, and the organisers (RX) say it has one of the strongest speaker line-ups in its history, featuring representatives from Air Canada, Avensis Aviation, Airbus, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Expliseat, Green Cabin Alliance, Tapis Corporation, Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), and more.
With the promise of ground-breaking transport innovations arriving as soon as the latter half of this decade, the plenary session of PEC 2023 will explore the multi-modal future and how the aviation industry can successfully meet the needs of the future passenger. Attendees can gain insights from Eric Bogner, executive creative director at Teague, Kerry Reeves, head of airline programmes at Air New Zealand, and more.
Following a short break, where attendees can network with experts and visionaries from airlines, airframers, OEMs, suppliers and designers, PEC will split into two streams: ‘Delivering for the new generation passenger’, and ‘Succeeding in the green revolution’.
Joining the former stream will be a diverse group of experts, including Raymond Kollau, senior trend analyst at TrendWatching; Rick Salanitri, president of Delta Flight Products; and Peter Azzouni, head of interiors & design – guest experience at Riyadh Air. Together they will share their perspectives on defining new passenger experience benchmarks, together with perspectives on consumer trends, new travel ecosystems and inclusive travel.
Also, within this stream, an interactive roundtable will explore how technology and in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) can help airlines meet the expectations of the new generation digital customer. Among the confirmed speakers will be Ben Murphy, VP of airline accounts – Americas at Intelsat; Chris Demange, senior director – media & partnerships at Viasat; and Norman Haughton, director, in-flight digital entertainment, wi-fi, media, sales and analytics at Air Canada.
With the aviation industry’s impact on climate change being a hot topic, the second dedicated stream – ‘Succeeding in the green revolution’ – will focus on reinventing the passenger experience with ‘reuse, repurpose, and recycle’ in mind.
Cristian Sutter, CEO of Avensis Aviation, will moderate a morning session on ‘Cabin sustainability – understanding the way ahead’, before Anaïs Marzo da Costa, head of aircraft interiors marketing at Airbus, shares the aircraft manufacturer’s sustainable aerospace visions for 2035 and beyond.
Later in the day, Marzo da Costa will go on to join an interactive panel discussion, titled ‘Evolving sustainability initiatives’,with Brenna Wynhof, regional director, cabin marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Amaury Barberot, CEO of Expliseat, and others.
The sustainability stream will continue providing valuable insights into the evening, with a session on ‘Designing cabins that are better for people and the planet’, moderated by Elina Kopola, the trend & CMF specialist at TrendWorks, who is also the Founder of Green Cabin Alliance.
The session will explore new thinking around how sustainable materials and finishes, within the context of meeting the demands of the cabin interior sector, can provide a robust approach to recyclability and circularity. In other sessions, Matthew Nicholls, sales director at Tapis Corporation; Christian Seifert, product manager at Lufthansa Technik; and Kristen Allison, global director, business development at LanzaTech, will each discuss the use of sustainable cabin fabrics.
Polly Magraw, event director, Aircraft Interiors Expo, said of the PEC lineup: “Each year, we strive to deliver on our promise to provide an esteemed, world-class list of speakers and panellists from the leading aviation and interiors providers – and this year we will not disappoint. With the expanded programme now officially revealed, we are pleased to share such an illustrious line-up of experts to discuss their perspectives on the most prominent issues facing the industry and bring one of the most insightful, impactful programme schedules to date.”
This year’s Passenger Experience Conference will take place at the Congress Center Hamburg (CCH) on 5 June, the day before Aircraft Interiors Expo, which runs from 6-8 June 2023.
Registration is now open for both events, and the co-located World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo. To register, visit https://www.passengerexperienceconference.com/
