Just a week ago, I was in New York attending Skift Global Forum for the second year in a row. Once again, I came home with plenty to think about. But this year felt quite different, and to explain why, I need to go back to last year.
Same forum, same city, a different room (this year’s had better views, by the way). Holafly was participating as a connectivity sponsor, and I was listening to travel industry leaders explain how they wanted to improve the traveller experience. Fair enough. As travellers, we all want things to be better and easier, so I understood the appeal of having everything we need in the same app, with fewer things to worry about along the way. At Holafly, we call that peace of mind.
What caught my attention was how often those conversations assumed the traveller was already connected. We heard about smarter services, AI agents and experiences that would make a trip run smoothly. But I kept thinking: how do you speak to that AI agent if you have no internet? And if you use roaming, how good does the experience feel when you come home to a $400 roaming bill?
For us, there was a natural place in that conversation. Staying connected affects whether travellers can actually use many of the services being discussed, yet that part of the experience was getting very little attention. We were clear that Holafly had a place in that room and something useful to contribute, so we started working on a plan to bring that question to the table.
Fast-forward a year, and Richard Trinder was on stage representing Holafly alongside some of the biggest names in travel. A PR colleague sent me Holafly’s post showing him on stage with a message: “Marina, this is huge.” And yes, it was, and it is. I think we can allow ourselves to be proud of that. Holafly was already a significant player in the industry, but seeing that reflected in our presence at Skift meant a lot.
The question that had stayed with me last year came back this time, too. Uber’s CEO spoke about using AI to improve the experience, including the ambition for Uber to know when you arrive at your destination. I could immediately see the appeal, having waited more than 30 minutes for an Uber after a long flight myself. But there it was again: how do I order that Uber without internet? I had Holafly when it happened to me, of course, but the question still matters for other travellers. This year, Richard was there to address it from the stage.
That progression meant a lot to me as a PR director. Last year, being in the room helped us recognise an overlooked part of the conversation. This year, we had a leader on stage explaining why it deserved attention. Getting there meant listening, deciding what we wanted to say and putting a plan into action, with a clear idea of why our message would matter to that audience.
Another part of my job is watching how other companies use that same space: what they choose to talk about, how they explain their ambitions and what they want us to remember. I paid attention to how they presented themselves, too, right down to what they wore, because every little detail contributes to the impression you leave.
Our partnerships team naturally looks at an event like Skift through the conversations and opportunities it can generate. For those of us working in brand and communications, there is also the question of what our presence says about Holafly. Where we appear, who represents us and what we contribute help shape how people understand the company. Choosing the right events, and preparing properly for them, is part of building our reputation.
The big brands make that value very visible. Their leaders take the time to explain the problems they are working on and how they see travel evolving, in front of peers, potential partners and the media. You leave with a clearer sense of what each company stands for and where it wants to go, and those impressions can stay with you well beyond the event itself.
My favourite moment from Skift, which I also shared in my last LinkedIn post, came when Richard asked how many people in the auditorium had used Holafly. About half the room raised their hands. I knew that many travellers used our product, of course, but seeing those hands go up in that particular room was something else.
I came home tired, happy and with a longer list of ideas than I had arrived with. Skift reminded me why I believe these events deserve a place in a brand’s communications strategy: you hear what matters to the industry, see how others are telling their stories and give people a chance to understand yours. A year ago, I was sitting in the audience knowing that Holafly had something to say about the connection that makes so much of the travel experience possible. This year, I got to watch Richard bring that perspective to the stage.
