Nicola Smith

Nicola Smith

Senior AI Program Strategist Southwest Airlines

Tuesday, March 24 2026

12:45 PM Pick Your Destination Roundtables

Sit down with your peers from across the travel industry in an informal setting. Together, you’ll dig into pressing challenges, share strategies, and exchange perspectives tied directly to the table’s theme—walking away with insights you can put into practice.


Table #1: How to Go Beyond Pilots and Operationalize AI at Scale

Nicola Smith, Senior AI Program Strategist - Southwest

Table #2: New Strategies For Optimizing Personalization and Customer Segmentation

Table #3: Cracking the Attribution Code for the New Discovery Landscape

Nancy Johns, Head of Marketing, JC Resorts

Table #4: Guiding Change Management to Upskill Teams and Embed New Workflows

Among the topics

Winning Loyalty When Price Drives Traveler Choice

Protecting Profitability in a Price-Sensitive Market: Balancing Value, Visibility, and Direct Conversion

Capturing Travelers as Social Discovery Becomes the New Booking Funnel

Beyond the Inbox: Rethinking Top-of-Funnel Engagement

5:20 PM Interactive Workshop: Mindset Over Machines: Adapting Your Thinking for the AI Revolution

Leading in the age of AI requires more than new tools - it demands a new way of thinking. In this interactive workshop, uncover how to identify real opportunities to apply AI across your business, from streamlining operations to improving personalization and guest engagement.

Explore frameworks for evaluating where AI adds the most value, how to evolve team mindsets, and how to cultivate the curiosity, agility, and foresight needed to adapt through rapid change. As AI becomes embedded in every function, the leaders who rewire how they approach problems will be leading the next era of the industry.

Gain insight into:

  • Pinpointing high-impact areas where AI can drive measurable business outcomes
  • Reimagining workflows and decision-making through an AI-enabled lens
  • Guiding teams through change by fostering confidence and experimentation

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Nicola.

Download The Latest Agenda