Terry Jones

Keynote speaker Terry Jones founded Travelocity.com. He led the company as President and was Chief Executive Officer from its founding until May 2002. Previously, Jones served as Chief Information Officer at Sabre Inc. In his 24 years at Sabre, Jones held various executive positions including President of Computer Services, Vice President of Applications Development and Vice President of Product Development.

Prior to Sabre, Jones joined American Airlines in 1978 as Director of Product Development when American Airlines acquired Agency Data Systems, a Florida-based mini-computer accounting systems company. He became president of the division when it moved to Dallas/Fort Worth.

A graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, Jones entered the travel industry in 1971 as a travel agent with Vega Travel in Chicago. He later served five years as a vice president of Travel Advisors, a company specializing in business travel to Eastern Europe and the USSR, with offices in Chicago and Moscow.

Keynote speaker Terry Jones is managing principal of Essential Ideas, a consultancy he co-founded to help companies in their transition to the digital economy. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Kayak.com, and is on the boards of Smart Destinations, Inc., Luxury Link and Rearden Commerce. He is a special venture partner with General Catalyst Partners of Boston. Jones also is Chairman of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and serves on the national Information Technology committee of the Boy Scouts of America.

The Business of Innovation

The business of innovation explores the fundamentals of innovation…how to generate great ideas, how to ‘fail fast’, how to kill projects without killing people. how to experiment and ‘do more with less’. Terry provides real world examples drawn from his experience at Travelocity.com, the boards of seven startups and his consulting work with companies large and small. Many speakers talk about the future. Terry gives your audience step by step plans to create it.

Building Digital Relationships

How will your customer contact you today? In the store, via the phone, on your web site, read a tweet, friend you on Facebook? There is no way to know. Building Digital Relationships gives your audience the keys to unlock the mystery of how to connect with customers online. While face to face isn’t going away, businesses that don’t have an effective online relationship strategy are being left behind.Terry can educate your audience in all phases of the digital conversation from search to social media, using real world examples drawn from his long experience in the online world.