The Phocuswright Conference 2021 - five questions for Peter Kern

The Phocuswright Conference is coming up November 15 to 17, with its usual wide array of speakers, events and networking.

Ahead of some of the key sessions on Center Stage, PhocusWire is outlining some of the main areas for discussion for the program's executives and panels.

Peter Kern was promoted to CEO of Expedia Group in April 2020, having served as vice chairman since 2018.

He oversees a portfolio of brands such as Expedia, Vrbo, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Trivago and Orbitz, as well as a number of B2B services including Expedia Group Media Solutions and Expedia Group Partner Solutions.

Expedia Group is listed as a public company on the New York Stock Exchange and has a market capitalization of around $26 billion.

Five questions for Peter Kern:

1. After scaling back your performance marketing with Google during the pandemic, how do you weigh up to what extent to reintroduce your pre-pandemic marketing strategy now that recovery is in full swing?
2. Expedia Group's position on tours and activities has taken many twists and turns over the last decade. Is it now considered just an ancillary item in the wider plans of travelers, rather than a sector where the company can command an important role in its development?
3. Can you appreciate the surprise from some and also talk us through the decision to offload Egencia to American Express Global Business Travel earlier this year?
4. Would you agree that the group's recent consolidation of its loyalty strategy makes sense but perhaps does not goes far enough given the wider trend toward subscriptions that others are pushing heavily?
5. Can you identify three things that you have done to push your October 2020 pledge to become "the best travel tech platform in the world"?