"The Future Travel Experience events provided us with a unique platform to connect directly with key decision-makers in the airline and travel sectors. The focused audience and engaging platform allowed us to highlight how Vodafone Travel Mobility empowers businesses to deliver seamless connectivity, drive revenue growth, and enhance customer experiences."
Vodafone’s sponsorship and participation at FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing (Dublin, June), FTE Global (LA, October) and FTE Asia (Singapore, November) in 2024 were pivotal in showcasing the company’s Travel eSIM wholesale partnership proposition. By engaging with key stakeholders across the travel industry, Vodafone demonstrated how their turn-key Travel eSIM solution empowers businesses to offer seamless connectivity, enhance customer experiences, and drive ancillary revenue growth.
Strategic Objectives and Innovative Approach
Vodafone entered the FTE events with clear objectives – to increase visibility of their travel eSIM solution within the travel sector and to foster strategic partnerships with airlines, booking platforms, and eSIM aggregators.
The Vodafone Travel eSIM is a complete solution enabling travel industry players to launch their own branded eSIMs, adding value for travelers and boosting revenue.
- Designing a compelling booth with eye-catching materials and merchandise hand-outs
- Creating targeted email campaigns and distributing free eSIMs for attendee use during the event
- Actively engaging customers through social media and the event’s app to schedule meetings and facilitate networking.
Vodafone also trained customer care teams and set up a special activation web page for attendees to experience their eSIM solution firsthand. On-site, the team made extensive use of the FTE event app for networking, scheduling meetings, and connecting with attendees.
On-Site Success and Engagements
Vodafone’s booth attracted significant attention across all three FTE events, resulting in over 50 meetings with decision-makers from airlines, airport operators, eSIM aggregators, and travel technology specialists.
"The Future Travel Experience events provided us with a unique platform to connect directly with key decision-makers in the airline and travel sectors," said Stephanie Ierschot, Head of Sales and Customer Experience at Vodafone Voice and Roaming Services. "The focused audience and engaging platform allowed us to highlight how Vodafone Travel Mobility empowers businesses to deliver seamless connectivity, drive revenue growth, and enhance customer experiences."
Among the events, FTE Dublin stood out as the best fit for Vodafone’s target audience, featuring numerous impactful interactions with decision-makers from airlines, airport operations, and travel specialty organizations.
Tangible Results and Future Growth
Vodafone left the events with a robust pipeline of leads and meaningful connections to follow up on. This success has solidified their partnership with Future Travel Experience, with sponsorship already secured for FTE EMEA, Ancillary & Retailing in Dublin and FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore in 2025.
"FTE is a great event to network with the industry, launch targeted propositions, meet with industry leaders, and stay up to date with advancements," the team shared. "It’s a must-attend for anyone looking to grow in this space."
Vodafone’s participation in the FTE events has strengthened its industry presence and set the stage for continued success in 2025.
FTE Dublin 2024 exhibitor testimonials
FTE Dublin 2023 exhibitor testimonials
What do our previous exhibitors have to say?
Exhibitor & Delegate Testimonials
“The overall experience here at FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing has been great. It is our third consecutive year exhibiting at the event. It is a really nice networking opportunity – we get to speak with a lot of our airline partners, which is the primary focus for us. The number and quality of visitors to our booth has been very good. The set-up of the venue and exhibition is very nice and facilitates networking. From a vendor perspective, this event is a great platform for us to showcase our continuous evolution and is definitely one to come back to.”
“This is our second year exhibiting at this event and it has just been a wonderful experience. We are already planning to come back again next year. We have had a wonderful time – the networking is fantastic, and the food is great. In particular, it is nice to find all of the decision-makers in one room, so we are really happy that we have seen the right people. FTE has been an incredible platform for CELITECH to be able to share all of the wonderful news and things that have been happening for us. A year ago, we were so happy to meet Alaska Airlines here at FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing – we signed a partnership with them and went live here at the event yesterday. We are so thrilled to have been able to announce this partnership here at the event with Alaska Airlines – it was a special moment.”
“The overall experience here at the event has been fantastic – I have really enjoyed it. We have liked meeting up with airlines and different partners, with great discussions, and are pleased with the number and quality of visitors to our booth. We were able to pre-arrange meetings with our existing customer base, so it has been great to catch-up with them. We have also met with new, prospective customers and had useful conversations – nothing beats having those meetings in-person. In terms of the overall networking, it is great to see like-minded partners. We will definitely be returning.”
“The experience in the Startup Zone has been great. It is the first time we are showcasing our sustainability solutions to the aviation industry and the response here has been absolutely phenomenal. The number and quality of visitors to our booth has been amazing and the engagement is great. We have been showcasing our solutions to a broad range of airports and airlines and the feedback is fantastic. We will definitely come back next year.”
“I really love the energy that we have experienced here at the FTE event. The two days in the exhibition have been very exciting and we received so many really good enquiries and networking opportunities. We will absolutely be back next year – this is an event we cannot miss.”
“We have had a great experience at FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing this year. I have enjoyed meeting the airlines because that is our target market. We have had a good number of meetings and leads to follow-up, with a lot of visitors to our booth and many networking opportunities. We are looking forward to attending FTE’s events again next year.”
“My experience here at FTE EMEA 2024 has been amazing. We have had some great conversations with some very interesting people, and also had the opportunity to participate in the Startup Pitch Session. It has been a really valuable, really useful event. The conference sessions have also been very interesting. The networking, the refreshments, everything about the event is very high quality, so we are very happy to be here. We have made a lot of very good contacts here and spoken to people we have never met in-person before. We will be back and are looking forward to participating in future FTE events.”
“The experience here at the event has been fantastic. The footfall at our stand has been more than worthwhile and the contacts we have made here really are our target audience, with a very good range of airline and airport stakeholders. Additionally, the opportunity to connect with companies that are in our overall ecosystem has been excellent.”
“What I really appreciate about Future Travel Experience is the great organisation of the networking events. FTE really focuses on having the right environment, the right people, the right tone and the right length of time. I really recommend FTE events to anybody. Our overall experience has been fantastic – it is a really well organised event, with great delegates that are really right for our audience. We will be back for sure – it has been a great event.”
“The event has been amazing, and we are really happy to be part of the Startup Zone in the exhibition. We have had a lot of quality opportunities come to our booth and at multiple times, so we are really pleased with the number and quality of visitors. The networking opportunities and social events here mean you get to spend more time networking and building meaningful relationships than you would do at a typical event. I really like how intimate it has been and will definitely be back.”
“The overall experience here at the event has been fantastic. It is a great opportunity to not only showcase what we are doing product-wise and how we are bringing innovation to the industry, but also to learn about what other players are doing. The event is an ideal opportunity to interact with airlines and other players in the industry, so we are very pleased we exhibited. The networking opportunities have been fantastic – both on the airline side of the equation and also the vendors. Attendees overall have been very engaged, visiting the booth and asking questions. The networking app has also worked fantastically well to make contacts. It has been a fantastic experience this year and we are very excited to participate again next year.”
“Exhibiting in the Startup Zone at FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing has been an amazing opportunity for us. We are highly targeted at airlines and airports, so we definitely feel these two days in the exhibition have exceeded our expectations. The visitors to our booth have been very high-quality – we have had a lot of good conversations. People are very approachable here and it is easy to get in touch with the right people. We will definitely be back at this event again.”
“We have had a wonderful experience. This is our first time exhibiting at FTE Dublin. The quality of people that we have met has been superb. It is one of the first events we have been to where there is a real social aspect to it. What FTE puts on outside of the actual conferences and exhibition is really engaging.”
“We very much enjoy coming to Dublin for FTE EMEA and FTE Ancillary & Retailing. We have had a good event, speaking to exactly the right people. It is everything we hoped for. The social events are of paramount importance. In the exhibition we have serious talks about business and our vision, then the social events really give a different aspect to the event – you are able to converse with people on a different level in a more relaxed atmosphere.”
“I have been very happy being here. We have had a good audience with lots of nice meetings and relevant people. The social aspect of the event has been very nice – the opportunities have been there to meet people, and everyone has been in good spirits. The conference content has been well tailored. Will we attend again? The immediate answer is yes.”
“It is the second time that we have exhibited at FTE Dublin and it has been fantastic. I think the conference subjects have been really interesting and topical. The networking has been fantastic, with good conversations and good individuals to meet from across different areas of the travel sector.”
“It is my first time attending FTE Dublin and I have really enjoyed the whole experience. It has been very nice to get to know other companies with which we can collaborate in the future and explain how our industry makes a difference in the aviation sector. We would like to be back next year.”
“FTE Dublin 2023 has been great. We have been able to speak with a lot of existing customers plus prospective ones. I think most importantly, what is very good about FTE is it creates a forum where we can discuss with airlines and other technology vendors the future of real customer experiences. It is very nice to meet people in an unconstrained social environment, connect and forge relationships that will hopefully lead to partnerships in the near future.”
“The experience here at FTE Dublin has been great. We arrived on the first night and had the FTE Ice Breaker – there was great music and lots of people talking to each other, which was very friendly. The conference sessions were very good as well. We have had a lot of people visiting the exhibition booth – everyone is very interested in new technology and I think we will get a lot out of it.”
“This is our first FTE event, so it has been such an exciting experience for us. The decision-makers are here at the event – it is nice to have meetings with people who can actually do things. It was very easy to arrange meetings beforehand – the app was super great. People are actually really active in the app, which I found refreshing. There has been a great energy here. It has been very much worth it.”
“It has been a great experience for us. It is our first time attending and exhibiting as CAVU here at FTE Dublin. We have had a great time and the networking has been great with some very valuable meetings and hopefully some good conversations to continue from them. We are really pleased with our stand location. We have had some great walk-ups and scheduled meetings – the team have had a very busy few days, so we are very happy.”
“It is the first time BagsID has had an exhibition stand at FTE Dublin. We have attended previously as visitors. We have had a technology demonstrator here in the exhibition, so for the first time in our history we could really show people what we have been talking about for the last two or three years. Showing the solution says more than a thousand words. We will come back next year – it is a good place to meet people and share ideas.”
“This is my first time attending a Future Travel Experience event. The difference between this event and other events is the quality of people. The meetings we have had over the last few days have all been with decision-makers with buying power – for us, that is what makes the difference. I had a chance to attend some of the conference sessions and have found all of the topics to be very relevant, particularly focusing on ancillary revenue. With the demand for travel coming back so rapidly, this is a big topic for all travel stakeholders, not just airlines, to find new and innovative ways to monetise their customers and provide a good service. It has been one of the better events we have attended from a networking perspective, and we attend quite a lot of conferences. The quality of attendee here is fantastic – they are all decision-makers, they all showed interest in our product, and I definitely foresee a good return on investment. I will definitely be attending future FTE shows, whether here in Dublin or even on the moon – I’d probably go there too.”
“The overall experience at FTE Dublin has been very positive. We have only just started looking at the travel industry and this is a really great gateway for us to meet some of the major players and hear from some key individuals right across the space. In terms of the attendees we’ve met, the quality has been incredibly high. We came here with a set audience we wanted to really meet, and we have exceeded our expectations. The networking is great – there is some good time set aside between conference sessions to facilitate that networking, as well as the social events. We would absolutely come back to FTE events again – we’re already in conversations to do FTE Global and we’re looking at FTE APEX Asia Expo too, so we’ll definitely be back again.”
“The overall experience here at FTE Dublin has been really great. We have actually met a lot of new contacts that we weren’t expecting. We met a really good variety of potential customers, so it’s been really good for us. Our expectations have been exceeded. We’ve made really good contacts with some big airlines and have arranged future meetings with them, so the prospects are looking good. We’ve learned a lot as well in the conference sessions. The Baggage Innovation Working Group meeting was also really good – Dublin Airport gave us good information about how they procured and installed the baggage system, and how successful they’ve been with Hold Baggage Screening. So, that was a really good insight into how Dublin Airport tackled all of the issues and a very useful experience for us. From a networking perspective, we’ve made a lot of new friends here. The good thing is it’s not just been people we’ve known before – we’ve made new connections and I believe those connections are going to turn into prospects for us in the future. I will definitely be returning to FTE Dublin and probably attending FTE Global too.”
“We are very humbled and proud to have won the FTE EMEA Startup Innovation Award here, which is a great milestone for us. We have met a number of interesting people here and had many good conversations. Our priority has been to meet the many airlines here, which is our channel to market. We have had some good conversations and now our job is to transform those conversations into real business. We’re very pleased to have been here at the event and pleased with the quality of visitors we saw. Another nice element has been to network with our start-up peers. It’s also very good from the perspective of airline and airport contacts – it’s nice to have a broad ecosystem here. We as SimpleVisa would be most pleased to come back to the Future Travel Experience events.”
“My experience here at FTE Dublin has been really great. We’ve found the event very beneficial, engaging with airports and airlines, especially as a start-up. We’re really very proud to be here and this is my sixth time attending the conference. There’s been a good amount and quality of visitors to our booth. We’ve had a lot of airports and airlines coming to our booth asking about the technology so, overall, we’ve had great responses. My favourite conference session was the start-up pitch competition – getting on stage as a start-up and talking about what we do, as well as listening to a lot of other start-ups and what they do, has been very interesting. The networking has been huge. Every time I come here there’s a new company showcasing, so just understanding a lot more about the travel industry is very beneficial to me and my team. Based on my experience this year, this is definitely an event I’ll come back to next year and hopefully in the years to come.”
“Our experience at FTE Dublin has been really good. There have been a lot of interesting conversations and a lot of interesting companies that we haven’t had interactions with before. I would say that the quality of conversations that we’ve had has been really high. The conference sessions that we have attended have also addressed very interesting topics. From a networking perspective, you can really feel that people have missed meeting face-to-face. It’s been a friendly environment and added a lot of value to our business. I like the start-up section – it’s a nice way to get in touch with companies that you rarely bump into in other forums, so for us it was a good and positive event and we will attend again.”
“It has been a great experience here at FTE Dublin. It’s great to be back with so many people in-person. It’s a really nice, laid-back vibe. I always find the FTE events really accessible – it’s just the right kind of busy. It’s easy to say hello and grab a coffee with somebody, so it’s been a very enjoyable couple of days. We’ve had a really good flow of people coming to visit our booth, with several meetings booked in advance and quite a lot of good footfall. So, we’ve had probably an equal measure of impromptu meetings and pre-planned ones, and some really good conversations. I was able to jump in and out of some of the conference sessions over the last couple of days in between our own meetings – it has been a really nice blend of customer experience content and the technology side as well, providing a good sense of where airlines find themselves now post-COVID and where they’re focusing their energies. So, it’s been really nice to get a bang up-to-speed health-check on what that looks like from a really good variety of speakers. It’s a really good event from a networking perspective. I think the blend of accessibility around the exhibition hall is good and the social and evening events are really strong as well. You can’t beat just grabbing a drink with someone in the evening who you met briefly during the day. So, the networking side of things at the event is really strong. I would definitely consider coming back to FTE Dublin. I’m a long-term fan of the FTE events – I find them very consistent and the content really well-considered and curated. Whether it’s FTE EMEA or FTE Global, it will always be on our radar as an event to meet the people we’re trying to build relationships with, so yes 100%.”
“The experience we’ve had here at FTE Dublin over the last couple of days has been phenomenal. It’s been very busy with a lot of meetings and a lot of catching up – it’s nice to see people we haven’t seen in the industry for a long time. There’s a great quality of people here attending, with new conversations for us, so it’s nice to catch up again. I’ve had the opportunity to attend a few of the panel sessions and a few of the keynotes – I think they’ve been incredible in their content and very detailed. There’s been a lot of great sharing going on. I think the conferences have been addressing the right issues – they’re very forward-thinking, with a lot of visionary content. Let’s hope a lot of this comes to fruition and we can put together great customer experiences for passengers all over the world. The opportunities to connect and network with people here at FTE Dublin have been incredible – there are so many opportunities, not just walking around the exhibition hall, but also in the evenings at the social events. Those opportunities to forge new relationships and reacquaint with old contacts have been incredible. This is certainly an event that we will come back to and we’ll also look at the other FTE events around the world.”
“We’ve had a really good event here at FTE Dublin. It’s great to be back in-person – we’ve really enjoyed the show. We have had a very decent number of visitors to our booth and the quality has been even better than before. The event has been great from a networking perspective. I really love the new app that has been introduced – that is a big plus. The meeting area for networking is also working its charm. It’s our seventh time in a row attending FTE EMEA and we’ll definitely be here again next year.”
So, for us the exhibition was really great. It has been basically a day and a half of non-stop client interaction with people at the right level about our solutions. We had a lot of good leads from it and it’s been a very positive experience for us.
“Epic. We’ve got 13 solid leads from big airlines. The networking tool is awesome. We do a lot of trade shows and I have to say the 1-2-1 networking tool has made a big difference.”
We’re very happy. It’s been one of the best shows for us so far as it’s been very focused. We had a lot of meetings set up before the show and I think we’ve had more than 20 airline meetings, and we’ve received very good feedback.
“It’s been a great show for us with lots of good meetings; the number of airlines here has been good for us. The app has been very efficient.”
“We have a booth here and it has been a very good event for us the past two days. We have met a lot of airlines which we are targeting because of our product. Through FTE shows, we managed to secure partnerships with Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines and we really launched the business in that sense. The conferences here were really good.”
“It’s very good to have everybody together, to see the corporates and startups together. It's been valuable to attend.”
“The show has been very good for us. It is a very personal event – the networking is fantastic, and people are very open to talk. It has been very busy for us, and we have had good time during the breaks to speak to visitors.”
