Skift Take: Representing a wide cross-section of leaders and creative thinkers across the global travel industry, Skift is thrilled to announce this inaugural Advisory Council, helping to advise our live events topics and themes.
As the global travel industry navigates rapid technological change, geopolitical shifts, and evolving traveler demand, Skift today announced the launch of its inaugural Skift Live Advisory Council: a new initiative designed to strengthen Skift’s global events programming through deeper, more structured engagement with industry leaders across hospitality, aviation, destinations, travel technology, and investment.
Skift Live is Skift’s global events business, convening senior leaders across travel sectors through flagship forums and summits around the world. Since launching Skift Global Forum in 2014, Skift’s live events have welcomed more than 25,000 attendees globally.
“This Council reflects the depth and diversity of voices shaping the future of global travel,” commented Rafat Ali, Founder and CEO of Skift. “Skift has long been a platform for industry dialogue, and this Council helps us deepen those conversations by creating a collaborative exchange that directly informs and elevates our global live events.”
The Advisory Council establishes a more formal, ongoing framework for incorporating real-world perspectives into Skift programming, while final editorial control, programming decisions, and speaker selection remain fully with Skift.
Council members will share insight on emerging trends, regional dynamics, and evolving business priorities, helping ensure Skift’s events remain relevant, forward-looking, and grounded in industry realities.
“We’re thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of industry leaders to help shape Skift’s programming in 2026,” said Brian Quinn, Vice President of Editorial Events at Skift. “Their perspectives will help ensure our events remain closely connected to the challenges and opportunities facing the travel industry.”
Insights from the Advisory Council will inform programming across Skift Live’s 2026 calendar, including Skift India Intelligence Summit (March 26), Skift Asia Forum (April 28-29), Skift Data + AI Summit (June 3), and Skift Global Forum (September 22-24), with additional events to be announced.
With the Council’s guidance, Skift Live will continue to convene senior leaders around timely, business-critical conversations shaping the future of travel.
Learn more and register for upcoming events at Live.Skift.com.