The Programme
Join us for an afternoon of inspiring discussions, insightful conversations, and networking with leading industry experts.
Date : July 14th, 2026
Venue : Shangri-La Colombo
Time : 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM followed by Networking Cocktails
Agenda
Stay tuned! The detailed agenda will be announced shortly.
You can look forward to a dynamic mix of insightful sessions, engaging panel discussions, interactive breakout sessions featuring industry experts from eMarketingEye, Sabre, Lighthouse, Revinate, Yango Ads, and other leading digital marketing platforms. All alongside excellent opportunities for networking with peers and professionals from across the hospitality industry.
Agenda
13:30 - 14:00
Register, Meet and Mingle
Collect your lanyard and badge at registration, step into the exhibitor booths—connect with exhibitors and fellow delegates.
14:00 - 14:10
Introduction
14:10 - 14:30
Winning Travelers in the Age of AI
Explore how AI is changing the way travelers search, choose, and engage with hospitality brands, along with latest trends & insights.
Charithya Kandage
Vice President – Account Management
eMarketingEye
14:30 - 14:50
Redefining Hotel Bookings in the AI Era
Travel discovery is moving from fragmented searches to seamless, AI-powered journeys. In this session, Anshul will examine how agentic AI transforms the process of finding and booking travel, shifting from passive searching to smart, proactive assistance. He will highlight the rising importance of structured data for enabling personalized experiences and helping brands stay competitive as AI increasingly shapes traveler choices.
Anshul Kumar
Director of Sales (India & Southeast Asia)
Aven Hospitality
14:50 - 15:10
GEO for Hospitality: How to Make Your Brand Discoverable in an AI-First World
Learn how hospitality brands can strengthen their presence across AI platforms/ LLMs. Understand What AI says about your brand and how AI visibility can be measured and monitored.
Dasun Premasinghe
Vice President - Digital Marketing
eMarketingEye
Chandima Welagedara
Vice President - Digital Marketing
eMarketingEye
15:10 - 15:30
Turning Guest Data Into Revenue with AI: Benchmarking Colombo's Guest Sentiment Against APAC's Key Destinations
Powered by TrustYou's guest sentiment intelligence, this session benchmarks Colombo's hotel performance against Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok through the lens of real guest feedback. Drawing on large-scale review and sentiment data, we uncover the drivers behind guest satisfaction, reputation shifts, and competitive positioning across these key APAC destinations.
Beyond benchmarking, the session translates insights into practical commercial strategies — showing how marketing, operations, and revenue teams in Colombo can own their guest data and turn it into sharper guest experiences, stronger pricing power, and greater total profitability.
Jonathan Abel
Key Account Management Director, APAC
TrustYou
15:30 - 16:00
Coffee Break
Expresso Yourself
16:00 - 16:25
Your AI-Powered Paid Media Playbook
Practical case studies on how AI-led paid media frameworks sharpen signals, elevate creative relevance, and deliver proven direct booking performance.
Sohan Wijegunawardana
Director - Digital Marketing / Head of Paid Media
eMarketingEye
Salmah Rasheed
Associate Director / Head of Social Media
eMarketingEye
16:25 - 16:45
Running the AI Race: Speed, Strategy, and What Actually Moves the Needle
sprinting after every new technology. It is about knowing when to move fast, when to build foundations, and how to turn innovation into measurable business outcomes.
In this session, we'll explore how Lighthouse has built an AI-native commercial platform from the ground up, embedding AI into the core of its products to help businesses make faster, smarter, and more profitable decisions.
We'll examine the complementary roles of Generative AI and Predictive AI. While Generative AI is transforming productivity, automating workflows, and creating richer customer experiences, Predictive AI enables organizations to anticipate demand, forecast outcomes, identify opportunities, and make proactive commercial decisions before competitors do.
Through practical examples and real-world applications, we'll discuss what separates AI experimentation from AI execution, why speed alone is not enough, and how businesses can build an AI strategy that delivers lasting competitive advantage
Javed Bongso
Market Manager - India, Sri Lanka and Maldives
LightHouse
16:45 - 17:05
Fireside chat
Reimagining Destination Marketing: How AI Is Rewriting the Path to Discovery
As AI transforms how travelers discover, evaluate, and make decisions across the travel journey, from destination selection to accommodation and experiences, tourism leaders have new opportunities to shape inspiration and engagement. In this fireside chat, tourism leaders will explore how AI is redefining destination marketing and the future of traveler engagement.
Buddhika Hewawasam
Chairman
Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority & Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau
Abdulla Ghiyas
Chairperson
Visit Maldives Corporation (National Tourism Board)
Rajitha Dahanayake
Chief Executive Officer
eMarketingEye
Moderator
Glen A. Grosic
Managing Director - Asia
HSMAI
17:05 - 17:20
WindUp
17:20 - 19:30
Networking Cocktails
11:30 - 11:55
Illuminating the path to commercial success for hoteliers
An insightful insight on how hoteliers can maximise their revenue using data and the importance of AI in the hospitality space
Mohammad Abdul Ahad
Business Development - Indian Subcontinent
Lighthouse
11:55 - 12:20
Cutting-edge strategies for Hospitality Industry
Dive into detailed case studies of innovative strategies, and creative executions that achieved remarkable results. Uncover key tactics, and gain actionable insights to elevate your marketing efforts.
Kusalika Basnayake
Senior Vice President - Digital Marketing
eMarketingEye
Chandima Welagedara
Vice President - Digital Marketing
eMarketingEye
Panel discussion
Digital Strategies and Technologies Shaping Tomorrow's Marketing Landscape
This panel will discuss how digital technologies are driving revenue, enhancing guest experiences, fostering innovation, and shaping the future of hospitality. Engage with industry leaders and seize the opportunity to have your questions addressed and gain valuable insights.
Rajitha Dahanayake
CEO
eMarketingEye
Nick Jeffery
Vice-President Sales – International
Sabre
Mohammad Abdul Ahad
Business Development Manager, India Subcontinent
Lighthouse
Murphy Mathew
Senior Regional Solutions Engineer
IDeaS
Moderator
Dasun Premasinghe
Vice President - Digital Marketing
eMarketingEye
We Are All in This Together
The Dedicated Team Behind EME’s Success
