George Krasadakis is the author of 'The Innovation Mode' and a hands-on Technology & Innovation Leader and Corporate Advisor on Innovation & Technology. He has more than two decades of experience in tech startups, big-technology companies, and consulting firms -including Microsoft and Accenture’s Global Center for Innovation. George has extensive experience in innovation leadership - he has architected various innovation frameworks, set up innovation labs, designed and built ideation systems, established digital prototyping teams, and architected large-scale innovation gamification programs. His expertise spans digital product development, software engineering, data science, and innovation leadership. He has filed more than 20 patents on Artificial Intelligence, Analytics, and IoT and has led more than 80 data-driven software projects from concept to launch, for more than 10 multinational corporations in three countries. George is the founder of 4 technology startups.

With COVID-19 forcing many of our habits and behaviors to fundamentally change, it has underwritten extensive and profound digital transformation of life. We now work remotely, consult our doctor via telemedicine, use apps to monitor our movements, and consume a dizzying array of online content. It should perhaps come as no surprise, therefore, that a recent report from DellEMC views digital transformation as crucial to the recovery of businesses after COVID.

Henk Jan Gerzee is a digital leader, transformer, and tech innovator with 25+ years of international experience in the consumer goods, information and aviation industries. He believes in creating value through values, for all stakeholders. He is passionate about applying data and technology throughout the value chain, from innovation, to operations, to selling and marketing, to hiring and retaining talent. He embraces change, as the world will never move slower than today.

To get from A to B we often use a modal mix of transportation. So far, this modal split was mainly driven by planes, trains, buses, and where possible, ferries. In the short-haul range, bicycles, or e-scooters should also be mentioned. Mobility will change fundamentally in the years to come, especially post-pandemic. Sustainability requirements, new technologies, and urban development are just a few impacts. Innovative transportation concepts like urban air mobility could play a future role in intelligent and efficient multi-modal transportation concepts. 

One of the most significant changes I am seeing is airports trying to fully understand the process from A to B. Analysing what you can do at a passenger's home, car park, lobbies, and other large areas. Understanding how we can implement tech in the right ways to cater to the passenger's full journey. During Covid, passengers were afraid to touch machines, but we realized that cleaning a machine is much easier than avoiding humans. People are afraid of passengers now, and the risk of covid which comes with this. I think tech will also be used here a lot to reassure those passengers. In general, we see two types of passengers: those that avoid staff and others who want staff assistance. In a research study we conducted surrounding baggage drop off we realised that 50% didn't ask for any assistance and 50% asked for a lot. This is another indicator that every passenger is different, and we must cater to each individual's needs; this is also dependent on culture, age, language barriers, etc.

Research a couple of years ago from Glasgow University highlighted how beneficial an “active commute” is to our health and wellbeing, with cycling the most beneficial form of all. Across the 250,000 or so people studied, those who cycled to work were 41% less likely to die than their peers who took the car or public transport to work, with a 52% lower chance of heart disease and 45% lower risk of developing cancer.

Time is the most precious commodity in today's hyper connected world, work merges into play as we live a 24hour always on lifestyle. The modern business traveller desires efficiency, productivity support, and a relaxing quiet environment. Design and service needs to be around their business needs. One of the most problematic and time-consuming elements of flying is the check-in and arrival process. Frequent flyers are aware that there is no need to arrive at the airport 4 hours before take off. So why is it that so many of us get swept up in the pre-departure panic? 

‍The pandemic has provided us with the opportunity to reflect on our decisions and question the extent to which we actually need to travel. With work across the globe moving online we are moved to reassess the real necessity behind our travel choices. Teenage eco warrior Greta Thunberg triggered a phenomenon after she travelled to the UN Climate Summit by ferry, taking her two weeks. Activist groups such as extinction rebellion and greenpeace hopped on the bandwagon acting as a driving force behind the concept of flight shaming.

A farmer went to the market and purchased a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage. On his way home, he came to the bank of a river where he rented a boat. To cross the river, the farmer could only carry himself and a single one of his purchases. The classic ‘wolf, goat, and cabbage problem’ can be solved, and all will get home. But what about the Mallorca problem? After a long complicated year of corona, cravings are at an all-time high for a sunny beach getaway. Spain is one of the most visited countries globally; in 2019, it reportedly had 89million international visitors (Statistica, 2021); 2020, however, was a different story. 

Matt Crisp has over 20 years of experience across mobility businesses, focusing on simplifying complex things. He's highlighted how we can center innovation and ideas around people, the passenger, and the individual throughout his career. He's also a frequent advocate for sustainability within cities, having worked on shifting society's perception to adapting more sustainable and planet-friendly choices. We discussed how we could place passengers at the forefront of our minds while regaining their trust as people start to travel once again.

This month will be a year since we went into the first lockdown here in the Netherlands. It can be said that Covid-19 keeps transforming our world more and more every day. Travel, along with tourism, are two of the many sectors heavily impacted by the consequences of the pandemic, with government-mandated lockdowns bringing both industries to a halt. Forecasts suggest that within the travel industry the global interest rate won’t return to normal before 2025. So, how can airports adapt to the new normal to recover and stimulate growth?

Markus Pauly has over twenty years of experience within the aviation industry. After spending several years in management positions at Deutsche Lufthansa AG, developing their largest hub in Frankfurt, building on customer-centric processes, and forging extensive long-term relationships, he has become somewhat of an aviation expert. He has a deep understanding of what a truly seamless passenger flow should consist of. Pauly implemented a joint long term development plan for FRA, with goals for the airport and airline. With a quality program starting during this period, Frankfurt Hub’s customer satisfaction exceeded 80% for the first time, and the hub emerged as one of the top ten hubs in the world.

Airports have long been resourceful in times of crisis and uncertainty. But unlike terrorism or natural phenomena, the world has little experience in dealing with global pandemics. We are witnessing, for the first time, an impact on the whole world. No existing playbook will tell us how to get passengers back in their seats safely. It will be challenging. The only upside is the opportunity to meet disruption with change.The pandemic has introduced new regulations and restrictions for airport operations, commercial partners, and passengers. How do we avoid crowding and queuing while making sure people feel safe and secure? How can health and hygiene precautions be implemented without deploying additional staff and within the given legal boundaries? How can we optimize our current infrastructure as efficiently and as safely as possible?A mass of questions that need sustainable and diverse answers. Answers for a future that will be structurally more uncertain.

While 2021 is likely to mirror 2020 in terms of work patterns, it’s not clear yet whether these trends will endure into the long-term. There is already visible signs of “zoom fatigue”, with this likely to result in a growing desire to return to the office for the social aspects and to avoid the isolation that has so plagued society during the pandemic. What the paper reminds us, however, is that even if the workforce works a few days a week remotely, this will have a significant impact on the economic activity in city centers. Indeed, it’s possible that this mix-and-match approach may result in the work-related services struggle to survive in either the city center or the suburbs. Do you feel prepared for the post-covid world of commuting? With crisis comes the opportunity for innovation and transformation. If you need help preparing your business for the future of mobil.While 2021 is likely to mirror 2020 in terms of work patterns, it’s not clear yet whether these trends will endure into the long-term. There is already visible signs of “zoom fatigue”, with this likely to result in a growing desire to return to the office for the social aspects and to avoid the isolation that has so plagued society during the pandemic. What the paper reminds us, however, is that even if the workforce works a few days a week remotely, this will have a significant impact on the economic activity in city centers. Indeed, it’s possible that this mix-and-match approach may result in the work-related services struggle to survive in either the city center or the suburbs. Do you feel prepared for the post-covid world of commuting? With crisis comes the opportunity for innovation and transformation. If you need help preparing your business for the future of mobil.While 2021 is likely to mirror 2020 in terms of work patterns, it’s not clear yet whether these trends will endure into the long-term. There is already visible signs of “zoom fatigue”, with this likely to result in a growing desire to return to the office for the social aspects and to avoid the isolation that has so plagued society during the pandemic. What the paper reminds us, however, is that even if the workforce works a few days a week remotely, this will have a significant impact on the economic activity in city centers. Indeed, it’s possible that this mix-and-match approach may result in the work-related services struggle to survive in either the city center or the suburbs. Do you feel prepared for the post-covid world of commuting? With crisis comes the opportunity for innovation and transformation. If you need help preparing your business for the future of mobil.