Almost every society that has developed over thousands of years has attempted to preserve its history and pass on wisdom and experience to future generations. Learning one’s heritage is a reckoning, asking one to consider the legacies that will underpin future decisions.
Throughout 2022 we celebrated 150 years in travel, taking a look at travel in the past and travel in the future, a future CWT is excited to shape and enable, and that is undeniably about innovation and forging new paths.
Back to the future
It’s often said, ‘If you want to know the future, look to the past.’ We started our 150 years celebration retracing our steps.
We traced our own heritage back to 1872, when Belgian engineer and industrialist, George Nagelmackers, sold the American concept of sleeping cars to European rail operators.
Sustainability
Sustainability in travel isn’t an oxymoron – it is achievable and is underway right now. Carbon budgets, technology innovation and disruptors such electric and autonomous vehicles, hybrid and virtual meetings, all leading to more purposeful travel.
The Metaverse
The evolution of technology is happening all around us at breakneck speed. It is what we relied on when travel wasn’t possible and what we used to ‘meet’ albeit interactively.
But what next? How will the virtual world affect how we travel and meet? From immersive booking experiences to actually feeling like you’re in the room with people, the Metaverse opens up a world of possibility.
Hyper-individualization
Hyper-individualization is all about delivering the best possible experience for you through technology. Personalized experiences, better performance, and more all supported by data and innovative technology.
Biometrics
Will gates and security checks soon be a thing of the past? The introduction of biometrics as part of the travel experience could mean exactly that.
Voice activation
In business travel, we’re already seeing voice activation employed by some hotels, allowing guests to easily control heating, lighting and other environmental preferences in their rooms. At CWT we believe these are significant steps toward more widescale adoption of voice activation across our industry.
More 150 years of CWT from the Blog...
Podcast
Michelle McKinney Frymire on how to future-proof for 2023 and beyond.
CWT is physically present in over 140 countries and staffed by 12,000 employees ranging in age from 18 to 90.
As the company celebrated a whopping 150 years in travel, previous CWT CEO Michelle McKinney Frymire talked about how travel can drive opportunities, how attitudes toward work and life are changing, and solving for the biggest issues of our time- from climate anxiety to inclusivity.
Successful stories are told over time
CWT turned 150 and at CWT Meetings & Events, we are proud of our history and what we’ve built together. We want to recognize and celebrate our people. We make stories every day and we are taking an original approach to celebrate CWT’s landmark. In our own M&E and creative way, the website reflects who we are in our photos, objects and memories. Take a look at our M&Emories, M&Ementos and M&Elfies.
