Date: May 19-20, Dublin
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Delegates: 400+
Register Now: Register Now!
Pricing: Merchants, Airlines, Hotels & OTA’s: $349 USD / Vendors: $1599 USD (Until Friday 8th of May)
Click for Venue Information
Venue for Mega Event 2026:

Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport
Northwood Park, Santry Demesne, Dublin, D09 KN66, Ireland
Phone: +35318628888

Mega Event 2026

2025 was the year where AI was everywhere.   And into 2026 the focus is shifting to a-commerce and how Agentic AI will revolutionise everything airline and travel.

Is it hype or reality?   Mega Event 2026 will be your one-stop conference to find out!

If you are involved in loyalty, ancillaries or co-brand card programs how can you best leverage a-commerce while building on existing developments?  All of this and more will be on the agenda at Mega 2026.

The agenda covers everything from defining what a-commerce is (and isn’t) as well as practical use cases.  It will be a chance to hear from practitioners that are working on implementing these projects today, rather than just selling the hype.   This makes Mega a great place not only to learn from the industry but also to meet and network with them.

Following the success of last year’s twin conferences – Mega Event ran alongside the Airline & Travel Payment Summit (ATPS) – we’ve lined them up again this year.   A-commerce will, if anything, accelerate how payments and fraud are meeting loyalty, ancillaries and co-brands.  Delegates at Mega get to mix and match tracks – you can, for example, find out how fraudsters are taking over loyalty accounts and draining your members rewards – or even find out the best tech to turn your programs currency into more that just payments for more than just flights.

Ready to join the conversation?   Explore some of the hot topics to be covered, as well as sponsorship options below. If you are interested in sharing your airline story as a speaker or panellist then please drop us a line to speakers@aiconnects.us

Find out more information below or in the FAQs

What is the included ATPS and why it is Interesting to Ancillary and Loyalty
About ATPS

The Airline & Travel Patments Summit (ATPS) is the premiere conference on travel payments and fraud. Learn how loyalty programs, ancillaries and Co-Brands interact with the payments side and how vulnerabilites can be dealt with. The hot topics to be covered and the conference agenda will be published shortly.

Check Out the ATPS Page

Dublin Conferences Sponsors

Mega Event 2026 Hot Topics

  • A-commerce: What it is, What it isn’t and What It Means for Loyalty
  • Hyper-personalisation: We’ve talked about it for years, but can a-commerce really make it a reality?
  • Dynamic Rewards and Instant Gratification: How to deliver both profitably
  • The Rise of the Super Apps: Can your loyalty program be the centre of your customers’ travel experience?
  • Why Payments Matter to Loyalty Professionals: It’s more than just points into flights or hotel rewards
  • Trust & Loyalty Security: Balancing the online customer experience to stop fraud with minimal friction for real customers
  • Who is Buying Ancillaries: With a-commerce taking hold will it be emotional customers or rational AI agents?
  • Getting the Basics Right: How best retailing practice can maximise your seats & bags revenues
  • Next Generation Co-Brands: From debit to wallets,  how best to generate revenues
  • Offer and Order Management: With a-commerce coming does NDC, ONE Order and other initiatives have a future?
  • Beyond Seats and Bags: Are there other opportunities in ancillaries for airlines?
  • Redefining Retailing Ancillaries: Is a-commerce going to upend the established search, look, book and pay world?

Are we missing a topic/area that you think needs addressed for the 2026 event?  Please drop an email by clicking on the hyperlink to Michael Smith, the Conference Chairman, or to speakers@AiConnects.us

Agenda

Day 1
19th May 2026

1:00pm – 2:00pm

Registration, Networking and Coffee

2:00pm – 2:15pm

Welcome and Opening Remarks from the Conference Chair

Michael Smith, Board Advisor, Ai Connects

2:15pm – 3:00pm

The Top Three Lessons about Agentic AI/A-commerce to do when you get back to the office

– Kevin O’Shaughnessy, CEO, CityHook

 

3:00pm – 3:30pm

Is AI going to eat travel distribution and the implications for loyalty, ancillaries & payments

– Mark Lenahan, Consultant Director, Lenahan Consulting

3:30pm – 4:10pm

Coffee Break & Networking

4:10pm – 5:00pm

The Famous Airline Information Lions’ Den | Product Pitching Competition

Back by popular demand the Lions’ Den new products and services pitching contest returns to Mega and ATPS 2026.  The session is for innovative start-ups (or brand new products from established players) who pitch for 5 minutes each.  Then take 5 minutes of questions from our experienced judges. Judges will choose which they believe is the best product, while the audience will choose the most entertaining pitch.

This is a paid for pitching session and it is a popular option selling out in previous years.

If you have a product that you would like to pitch, please email MSmith@AiConnects.us or speaking@AiConnects.us for more details.

Ringmaster and Lions (Judges)

Rob Burgess, Editor, Head for Points

 

Pitchers

Mace
Airportr

 

Got a product to pitch?  Or would you like to be one of the Lions’ judging the pitches – drop us a line for more details!

5:00pm – 7:00pm

Welcome Reception
Day 2
20 May 2026

8:30am – 9:00am

Welcome Coffee

09:00am – 09:30am

Busting the Airline Business Myths in Ancillaries and Loyalty

– Jay Sorensen, President, IdeasWorksCompany

9:30am – 10:00am

Combating Loyalty Fatigue

Antastasia Levashova, Co-founder, Global Loyalty Organisation

10:00am – 10:30am

Maximising Loyalty & Ancillary Income from your program:   A new approach?

– Bob Daly, former Managing Director Global Cobrand, United Airlines
– Charles Christianson, Chief Revenue Officer, cxLoyalty

10:30am – 11:10am

Coffee Break & Networking

11.10am – 11:40am

A-commerce: Defining the Shift from Human Choice to Agentic Action

David B Wang, Head of Loyalty Partnerships, HeyMax

11:40am – 12:00pm

Modern Airline Retailing:  Research Results

Ann Cederhall, Consultant, Leapshift

12:00pm – 12:30pm

AI Agentic Payments:  Why this matters for loyalty & ancillary profressionals

Speaker to be announced

12:30pm – 2:00pm

Lunch

2:00pm – 2:30pm

Trust & Loyalty Security: Balancing CX with Fraud Prevention

– Alexa Bleecker, VP, kasada (invited)

 

2:30pm – 3:00pm

New sources of Ancillary Revenue:  Beyond seats and bags what are the opportunities?

Corey Murphy, Director Insurance Proposition, koala
Ultan O’Brien, Chief Revenue Officer, Airportr

 

 

3:00pm – 3:40pm

How is Loyalty and Ancillaries going to be impacted by AgenticAI:   Will it be Emotional Humans or Rational AI Agents and what are the implications for “loyalty”?

Panellists

– Phil Gunter, Co-founder and CCO, Loyalty Status Co


Others to be announced

3:40pm – 4:20pm

Coffee Break & Networking

4:20pm – 5:00pm

Closing Panel:  Conference Roundup and Key Lessons

– Michael Smith, Board Advisor, Ai Connects

5:00pm – 6:00pm

Networking Reception

Venue

Crowne_Plaza_logo.svg

The venue for this event is the conference centre at the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport in Santry Park in Dublin.

Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport
Northwood Park, Santry Demesne, Dublin, D09 KN66, Ireland
Phone: +35318628888

Room Price, 239€ and includes full Irish breakfast

Click Here for Special Room Rate

Sponsorship Options

  • Sponsorship Options

Lead Sponsor – Largest Branding Exposure!
Contact us for details

Track Chair Person – Includes 1 registration, moderating a track, and 4 passes for “merchant” clients.
$2,999 USD

Logo on Conference Site
– Event website logo placement in list of sponsors with hyperlink and on the event app
$1,799 USD or $4,299 with 3 Attendees

Signage at Conference – for 2 vertical signs/displays in conference rooms
$1,499 USD

Video Interview – Onsite video interview of your participants sent to our database and promoted via Social Media
$2,999 USD

Coffee Break, Lunch or Breakfast Sponsorship – Coffee stations will bear place-cards with your logo & great exposure on the agenda. Includes 1 attendee
$3,999 USD

View All Sponsorship Options

Attending Companies

Companies that have registered for the Dublin event 2026:
Note: Companies will be added as they register

 

actuary.aero
Advantage Travel Partnership
Aegean Airlines
Affinnity
Air Europa
Airlines Reporting Corporation
AirPortr
Apex Aviation
APEXX Global
ARC
Aviation Business News
Avis Budget Group International
Best Western Hotels
Big Bus Tours
Booking.com
Caravelo
Celestyal Cruises
Cellpoint Digital
Checkout.com
CITYHOOK
CMSPI
Continuum Commerce
Darwinium
Datadome
Delta Air Lines
Discover
dLocal
Elavon
Envisso
EPICS by PROMO.DEV
Etraveli Group
Evervault
Expedia Group
Fexco
Flare
Flex Pay
Global Loyalty Organisation
Global Payments
Grain Finance
Hahn Air Lines
Hands In
HeyMax
Hilton
Hyatt Hotels
ID Dataweb
IdeaWorksCompany
Jet2
JusPay

Kenya Airways
KLM
KM Malta Airlines
Lastminute.com
Lenahan Consulting
LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Loveholidays
Loyalty Status co
Lufthansa Systems
Mace Group
Mastercard
Munster Airports
Nuitée
Pay.com
PayRewards
PaySpace Magazine
PCI Booking
PCI Proxy by Planet
Pipl
Plusgrade
POINTS
Retailaer
Riverty
Ryanair
Sabre
Sherpa
Signifyd
Signifyd.com
Smartnumbers
Srilankan Airlines
Testlio
Travel FraudGuard
TrueLayer
Trust My Group
UATP
United Airlines
Uzbekistan Airways
Vela
Virgin Atlantic
Visa Acceptance Solutions
Vueling Airlines
Wavebreakr
Weavr
WEX
World2Fly
Worldline
Worldpay x Global Payments

FAQ

Where will the conference take place?

The venue for this event is the conference centre at the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport in Santry Park in Dublin.

Special Price of €239 (includes taxes and breakfast)

Venue for Mega 2026:

Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport
Northwood Park, Santry Demesne, Dublin, D09 KN66, Ireland
Phone: +35318628888

Dublin

Will there be Hotel Discounts?

Yes, room price, 239€ and includes full Irish breakfast

Who is this Event For?

This event is for the strategic minds and hands-on leaders who shape future of travel.

It’s designed specifically for professionals in the travel industry, including:

  • Revenue & Marketing Professionals: Those responsible for driving growth through Ancillary and Loyalty programs, such as Ancillary Revenue Managers, Loyalty Program Directors, and Heads of Commercial.
  • Payments & Fraud Experts: Heads of Payments, Fraud Managers, and Risk Officers from airlines, hotels, and online travel agencies (OTAs) who are on the front lines of protecting revenue and customer data.

By bringing these two critical functions together, the event provides a holistic view of how to secure your business against threats while simultaneously maximizing every revenue opportunity. It’s an essential gathering for anyone focused on the security and profitability of their travel business.

Can participants also attend ATPS Event Sessions

Yes, participants can attend all sessions in the Dublin event.

More Information

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