LOS ANGELES -- The 2016 Phocuswright Conference opened Monday,
featuring two dozen travel technology startups delivering 6-minute pitches as
part of the conference's Innovation Battleground.
Metasearch companies were among the most prevalent of the
startups presented. Other companies included a group-travel platform, an aggregator
of bus and train fares, and a company that enables international airline
passengers to sell their allotted luggage space to people who needed to ship
items abroad.
Similar to the TV show "Shark Tank," the companies
presented to judges, called "Dragons," who peppered the presenters
with questions about their companies' viability.
The Battleground is the first of the conference's Innovation
Platform's three stages (Summit and Launch are the others).
The conference, which runs through Thursday, is expected to
attract about 1,800 people, and will feature appearances by Expedia CEO Dara
Khosrowshahi, TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer and Travelocity founder Terrell
Jones.