ICEbreaker, February 2018

Hello and welcome to our monthly newsletter, ICEbreaker from ICE, the travel technology consultants.
 
This month’s highlights include tech innovations from the Winter Olympics, selling DNA on blockchain, and an interview with Apple’s chief design officer.

We’ve been busy showcasing our AIVRLabs products at the Travel Technology Europe (TTE) show. It was great to see so many of you there and we hope you also got to meet our show bot. If you couldn’t make it and would like to know more about what we’re working on in this space, Lois can set up a meeting. You can also read Travolution’s report on Richie’s presentation below.
 
Meanwhile, weather permitting we’re looking forward to flying out to Ft Lauderdale this Saturday to meet up with clients and partners at Seatrade Global.  If you are attending next week and would like to meet up please drop a note to Lois. 

Until then,

Ian Richardson (Richie) and Conor Byrne
(ICE's founders)

Quote Of The Month

 “Personalization is all about getting you to buy things you didn't know you wanted”

Mohan Patt, Vice-President of Buyer Experiences, Ebay

Find out more HERE.

Number Of The Month

$129 Billion

The amount that IATA estimates global airline carriers spent on fuel in 2017. Is bio-jet fuel a solution?

Find out more HERE.

Articles Of The Month

27.2 Million Passengers To Sail In 2018

Ahead of Seatrade Global next week, CLIA has released the 2018 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook, which shows cruise travel is steadily on the rise with a projected 27.2 million passengers expected to set sail in 2018.

Winter Olympics Tech Innovations

No surprise that South Korea, home to tech giants LG, Samsung and Hyundai, impressed the world with cutting-edge innovations. Here are some of the highlights.

Three Digital Trends For 2018

We had examples of all three on our TTE stand and they’re all acronyms - AR, AI and VR. Augmented Reality, like the Augmented Reality Quest at the best Western Kelowna, Artificial Intelligence like Connie, Hilton Hotel’s first robot concierge and Virtual Reality like the Atlantis Dubai VR tour.

How To Increase Your Influence At Work

Don’t worry that your attempts to gain influence are manipulative, writes the Harvard Business Review. This is about being strategic.

How To Spice Your Business w/ AI

Travolution reported on Richie’s AI presentation at TTE, which included four vital questions to ask your AI vendor at the due diligence phase. And remember, a bad bot is bad for your brand.

Five Airport Trends For 2018

From less parking and more green space to security and biometrics, electronic baggage tags and AI – these are the trends transforming airports from transitional areas to attractions.

Energy-Efficient Chip For Internet of Things (IoT)

MIT researchers have invented an energy-efficient encryption chip for the Internet of Things. The new chip reduces power consumption by 99.75% and increases speed by 500-fold.

Sell Your DNA On The Blockchain

Godfather of the human genome project, George Church’s start-up Nebula will enable people to buy Bitcoin tokens, sequence their own DNA data and then sell it on. This puts DNA data in the hands of consumers, versus companies like AncestryDNA, which owns your genomic data after a spit tube test.

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Jon Ivy On The Art of Focus

Fascinating New Yorker video interview with Jon Ivy, Apple’s chief design officer about the art of focus, working with Steve Jobs and wanting to make something really well.