The long-awaited Florentine meeting with digital innovation in tourism is approaching and we are starting to reveal the first pieces of news.
BTO 2023 will take place, as you know, on November 22 and 23 in Florence, and this year’s topic is: Sapiens • Humans meet AI. The Advisory Board of over 80 Italian experts met on September 22nd to establish the definitive program which will be very rich, international and will investigate the topic of the moment, Artificial Intelligence, with an original slant. In the new scenarios outlined by the powerful Artificial Intelligence software, generative AI, and by Chat GPT in particular, we note a profound revolution with strong economic, social and ethical implications. But, unlike the current debate, mainly polarized on the conflict between artificial and human intelligence, we have instead imagined BTO as a journey that overcomes the contrast between the two elements. We will focus above all on the human factor, Sapiens, always central especially in tourism, and we will try to give answers to the questions that all operators in the long tourism chain are asking themselves:
- What is the timing of this revolution?
- What are the most significant short-term impacts?
- What room is there for intelligence and human interactions?
- How will the very concept of “relationship” evolve?
Even the new graphic version, which has been online for a few days, follows the central theme of BTO 2023 and represents, in an innovative and bold way, the process of getting man and artificial intelligence onto the same wavelength.
BTO 2023 will host other events related to specific topics but with a common denominator: innovation. On November 22 and 23, in the splendid location of the Leopolda Station, the following will be held:
- Italy Ambassador Awards (IAW), the first Italian award for the best influencers, content creators and bloggers from all over the world who promote Italy;
- Hospitality Project Investment in Tuscany, an event focused on the world of investments in the tourism sector, on hotel development, on the opportunities that the territory offers and on the related presentation of projects;
- The formalization of the agreement with Phocuswright, the main authority in travel research, which involves the presentation of research specifically launched for BTO, on AI applications in the world of tourism and their impact in the coming years. It will be presented by Giancarlo Carniani, former founder of BTO and, since 2012, Italian analyst at Phocuswright.
In a few days, specific speakers and topics will be published, divided into the programs of the 4 topics: Destination, Digital Strategy, Food & Wine and Hospitality.
There is great expectation, just a short time left! However, it is already possible to purchase tickets online with personalized formulas and big discounts for young people under 26 (Young People ticket) and for operators in Tuscany. Attention: Early Booking expires on October 31st!
Keeping to the topic of young people, the ten winners of the call for Young Speakers have been revealed, the BTO initiative aimed at looking at the future of tourism through the eyes of those who will be its protagonists. After the success of 2022, even more proposals have arrived in recent weeks, from academic research to start-ups, through market analyses and experiences that have become good practices. Here you can read the names of the young people under 35 who have been selected and who, therefore, will go on the BTO stage in the opening and closing panels of the event.
On the communication side, the two Calls for the Social Media Team and the Tuscany Team of BTO 2023 are online. Like every year, BTO opens up to a very personal social narrative to accompany the institutional one. To contribute live to the story and analysis of the contents of BTO 2023, we are targeting people to involve based on motivation and narrative creativity on social platforms. Among the various skills that will be assessed, those on tools of Artificial Intelligence have been included for the first time. BTO, in turn, offers a very different experience with respect to simple visitors: the winners will in fact have the opportunity to enter the backstage of the event with privileged direct networking opportunities with national and international speakers. The deadline is October 17th, 2023.
Last but not least, BTO on Tour, a series of meetings in some Italian territories with a strong tourist vocation that are taking place in this period and will lead us to the great event in Florence. BTO on Tour is a traveling training initiative by BTO – Be Travel Onlife, in collaboration with the Italian System of Chambers of Commerce. After the audience success of the first stage in Alta Valtellina, the next events are: Siena on October 17th and Pietrasanta on November 7th. These are free events: at this link you will find all the information on dates and registration methods.
