The Startup & Innovation in Travel Awards are being held on October 19, 20 in Las Vegas at TDS North America, Eye For Travel’s largest USA based event for travel tech executives and startups. I am excited to be asked to participate as a judge again this year in the innovation awards. This is a great event with over 500 travel executives attending. I tell all our startups in the incubator that this is one of the must attend events in the travel tech industry if you want to gain traction for your new product or service. Past winners of the Innovation award include Hotel Tonight, Gogobot, Options Away and VeGo.

Startup submissions are due by July 31.

STAGE 1: Enter Start-Up and Innovation Awards 
$999 to enter & submit logo and company brief.  Deadline to enter the awards closes Friday July 31st 2015.

Benefits:

  • 1 day pass to TDS North America
  • Gain brand awareness, promotion and marketing
  • Be listed on TDS North America event website with hyperlinks to your product

STAGE 2: Voting 

Voting commences August 5th, closes Sept 14th 2015.   The top 3 start-ups or innovations in each category go through to the Shortlisted Pitch at TDS North America, 2015.

Benefits:

  • Unrivalled promotion for 6 weeks, in the lead up to TDS North America
  • Brand awareness, promotion and marketing aligned with the senior level online travel summit
  • Executives across the whole online travel landscape will read your idea and vote for their favourite submission

STAGE 3: Shortlisted Pitch

You will be given a time slot to be in the room for your big (hopefully penultimate!) pitch!  Judges vote and the winner of each category go through to pitch on the Keynote of Day 2 at TDS North America.  Winners of this stage announced at Day 1 Lunchtime.

Benefits:

  • Pitch to the panel of expert judges (in a private room to the main conference)
  • Be in with a chance to win a place in the final on stage (worth $26,000)
  • Opportunity to meet investors, other entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists innovators in online travel, plus 500+ senior level online travel executives

STAGE 4: Pitch to Keynote Audience on Main Conference Agenda

The top 3 entrants will pitch to the 500+ senior level travel industry audience on the morning Keynote session of Day 2 (October 20th, 2015). The audience & panel of judges will together vote live for the overall winner of the Start-Up and Innovation in Travel Awards 2015!

Benefits:

  • Pitch to an audience of 500+ senior level travel industry executives at TDS North America, Oct 19-20, Vegas
  • Be in with a chance to win the Start-Up and Innovation in Travel Awards 2015
  • Video interview on site at the event, with a full edit and clip sent to you afterwards
  • Interview with EyeforTravel Editor to be in post event press
  • Align yourself with previous winners including HotelTonight, Lufthansa Systems and OptionsAway!

Go here to Submit your entry.