Concluding a panel discussion Thursday at the PhoCusWright Conference in Hollywood, Fla., PhoCusWright managing director Tony D'Astolfo engaged in a little word association game with Delta Air Lines vice president of marketing and digital commerce Bob Kupbens, Farelogix president and CEO Jim Davidson and Travelport executive vice president and chief commercial officer Kurt Ekert. (PhoCusWright and The Beat are owned by Northstar Travel Media.)
"I'm going to say a word, you give me the first word that pops into your mind," instructed D'Astolfo.
Here are a few:
D'Astolfo: "Travel management company."
Kupbens: "Great partner."
Ekert: "Value adder."
Davidson: "Obsolete."
D'Astolfo: "Concur"
Davidson: "Big."
Ekert: "Threat to TMCs."
Kupbens: "Honestly, I don't have a strong perspective there. It's a part of the overall fabric of how we distribute."
D'Astolfo: "OTAs"
Davidson: "Obsolete."
Ekert: "Great customers."
Kupbens: "I'll go with obsolete."
D'Astolfo: "Sabre."
Ekert: "Ugly."
Davidson: "Tried to love us to death."
Kupbens: "A partner and a key distribution channel."
(Director of Sabre Labs Sarah Kennedy Ellis quickly took to Twitter to respond to Ekert's comment: "I'm sorry... But did "Fisher-Price My-First-GDS" just call us "ugly"?")
Thanks for playing, gents.