1. A special digital pull-out from TRAVEL Extra 8 November 2015
SUMMIT SUPPLEMENT
Até Logo, Dublin — Web Summit Leaves for Lisbon
Perhaps it wasn’t the biggest show in town, but Web Summit
is a major cultural loss for Dublin.
Paddy Cosgrave’s closing speech at the final Web Summit in Dublin for the
foreseeable future was much more hopeful than the earlier squabbling on
the airwaves would have suggested.
“Ireland will always be in our hearts,” he said, promising that Web Summit
will remain an Irish company, headquartered in Dublin.
“We’re leaving, but we’re very hopeful that the door will remain open, and
I hope that some day we return.”
He seemed genuine, but it might be too late for the Government to pick
things up; there was a lot of potential bridge-burning after the discourse
reduced to nothing more than an embarrassing slagging match.
One thing is for certain, Cosgrave jabbed a hole in Dublin’s aspiration to
win big events. Despite the heavy criticism, Web Summit is worth
reclaiming as a Dublin event. But if it has outgrown the capital in 2015,
what will things be like in three years’ time?
By Conor McMahon 1
Paddy Cosgrave
makes his closing
remarks at the final
Web Summit in Dublin
WebSummit/Sportsfille

2. A special digital pull-out from TRAVEL Extra 8 November 2015
Jorge Pilo is co-CEO of Easy Taxi, the e-
hailing app that has seven million users in
30 countries.
Founded in 2011, the service currently has 155,000
taxi drivers on its books, 50,000 of which are based
in Brazil alone.
In fact, most of the business is focussed in Latin
America, where Easy Taxi holds the dominant
position as a safe and reliable tool to hail a cab.
“Supply is plentiful in Latin America,” Pilo says.
“There are enough taxis in Lima, in Mexico City, in
Sao Paulo. So the question is, how do you pick the
best? The solution we’re bringing people is: we give
you a taxi fast, which is safe and which you can
trust. And you can pay with a credit card. It’s all
about safety and convenience.”
Users can also monitor where their taxi is and
check that it has been dispatched.
The service benefits the drivers too. They can
take safer passengers, work less hours and get
more rides.
“No-one becomes a driver in Latin America
without going to Easy Taxi and registering,” Pilo claims. “And they come
to us for a good reason. We’ve managed to get them to work 30 per cent
less and make 30 per cent more. So, for the driver, the benefit is
marvellous. He doesn’t have to be sitting by the road waiting for somebody
to show up or driving around empty looking for a fare.
By Conor McMahon 2
Jorge Pilo,
Co-CEO of Easy Taxi
“Taxi is not a
country business;
it’s a city
business.”
- JORGE PILO, EASY TAXI
ConorMcMahon
Hailing the eternal taxi ride

3. A special digital pull-out from TRAVEL Extra 8 November 2015
“They might start the day going to their spot where they’ll pick up their first
passenger. Most of the time, they never come back [to their spot]. They just
drop the first passenger off, and turn on the app. We call this the ‘eternal
ride’.”
The app also gives them the chance to handle company accounts that have
largely gone to local taxi firms in the past.
“A big percentage of rides are paid by companies…There were a bunch of
taxis that didn’t have access to those rides. Now we have an agreement with
these companies and [they can access] our entire base of taxis. So taxis now
have access to more demand.”
The key to Easy Taxi’s success is its ability to diversify itself to local
markets.
“Taxi is not a country business; it’s a city business. So Abuja is going to be
different from Riyadh, which is going to be different from Sao Paulo, which
is going to be different from Lima. What we’ve been capable of is
localising our business… It’s a process that we’ve been able hone and
improve and learn from every city.
“One of the things we’ve done particularly well is allowing cash payments
in our ecosystem. Because of the regions we are in, cash payments are still
very, very relevant. Credit card penetration is not there yet, so you have to
allow people to request taxis and pay in cash. That’s the only way you can
massify the business.”
Easy Taxi is now available in 300 cities, but you won’t find it in Ireland any
time soon.
“In terms of Latin America, we’re really focusing on strengthening our
position. We are already in a very large region, so we’re focussing on
getting all the supple. We are now in all of the capitals and most of the
second tier cities in all of the countries — in Brazil we’ve even gone to
third tier cities — so I think the expansion will come from maximising
those cities. The penetration of e-hailing is still limited. there is still a huge
potential. The process now is getting the word out and convincing more
people to stop hailing off the street and instead going through the app.”
By Conor McMahon 3

4. A special digital pull-out from TRAVEL Extra 8 November 2015
There is little doubt that virtual reality will become an
increasingly advanced tool for exploring the world, but
what purpose will it serve when it comes to physical travel?
Jacki Ford Morie thinks VR is here to enhance travel.
With her project, the Augmented Traveler, she hopes to make history
come alive on your smartphone, tablet and, eventually, see-through
wearable device:
“When you’re travelling around, you don’t want to be putting something
on your face to experience a location,” Morie says. “I mean, after all, you
go to the location so that you actually can absorb some of the atmosphere
of that place. But what if, when you went to these historic places, you
could travel back in time and actually see characters from a distant time
appear as if they were in front of you, talking as if they were living their
lives and doing the things they did back then?”
By Conor McMahon 4
Jacki Ford Morie
speaking at the
Web Summit
Is the future of travel in the past?
WebSummit/Sportfile

5. A special digital pull-out from TRAVEL Extra 8 November 2015
That’s where the PastPort app comes in. It’s your — you guessed it —
passport to the past.
The characters in the app will appear fully rendered and animated and will
perform a three-minute story with some narration to help you understand
the history of a specific site.
“So, say it’s Leonardo [da Vinci] and his assistant Salai, and they’ve come
to Venice in 1499 to sell the prince a war machine. Now, there’s a lot of
historical facts that are correct there, but we take some liberties and we say
he’s sitting there in the courtyard with this machine and he sets it off. He
goes ‘Let’s test it now, Salai.’ So, they set off the crossbow — which
doesn’t shoot arrows, unbelievably, it shoots firey cannonballs — and the
firey cannonball goes over you head and out to the bay where the Turks are
moored. You’re living the story a little bit.”
Eventually — Morie says five or six years down the line — the characters
will be intelligible agents. In other words, you’ll be able to ask Leonardo to
take a selfie with you.
These things take time, and the technology is not up to scratch just yet.
“We have a lot of challenges with this particular application because
augmented travel is not at that level of sophistication yet,” Morie says.
“There are a number of technologies that still have to be created for this.”
But what stage are we at now? How real is this virtual world?
“We’re working on the first story for Leonardo and Venice,” Morie says.
“We’ve had him modelled in 3D and his assistant. We’ve had them dressed
and we’ve had them rigged, so we’ve got an animator working on the
animation… We’re working on the user interface design for the application
on your mobile device, and then we’ll put it all together…
“We want to show the viability of the product, we want to take it to Venice
and do a focus group there, but we really need some venture money to go
into full production. I’m planning eight story vignettes for the launch.”
By Conor McMahon 5

6. A special digital pull-out from TRAVEL Extra 8 November 2015
The Augmented Traveler is intended to be a travel companion, not a
replacement for real-life travel.
“It gives you that little bit of information that makes you feel like an
insider. And people want to know, they want these cultural experience… I
think it’s going to change our expectations for travel. It’s going to make it
much more personal and much more real and make it more memorable.”
For the travel industry, the same technology could be used to allow a client
to “try” a location or hotel before they buy. It could also create new
possibilities for disabled travellers who otherwise wouldn’t be able to take
part in certain activities.
“I think we haven’t even started to scratch [the surface],” Morie says. “I
mean, it’s me and a team of three people. So that’s it right now. But the
dream is pretty cool. I really hope it comes true.”
By Conor McMahon 6
WebSummit/Sportfile
Jacki Ford Morie
in conversation
with Mary Aiken

7. A special digital pull-out from TRAVEL Extra 8 November 2015
More than 2,000 start-ups exhibited at this year’s Web
Summit, all vying to become tech’s next big thing. Over 100
registered as travel start-ups.
Here are the top seven that caught our attention.
1. RunGo
The ultimate travel tool for joggers, RunGo offers turn-by-turn voice
navigation, so you can easily explore a city without having to consult a
map. You don’t have to disrupt the flow of your run, and the app will give
you additional tips on the best pubs, cafes and attractions. Plus creating and
sharing running routes is really easy. The RunGo team is interested in
partnering with hotels. Visit rungoapp.com.
2. BimBim Bikes
An online booking platform for bike rentals, BimBim Bikes is already live
in 39 countries. It’s a straightforward system that allows you search for
biking options, make your payment online, book particular tours and
request specific bikes. BimBim is interested in becoming an ancillary add-
on to the existing travel trade. Visit bimbimbikes.com.
By Conor McMahon 7
Our top 7 travel tech start-ups

8. A special digital pull-out from TRAVEL Extra 8 November 2015
3. 360Visualizer
A sophisticated tool for hoteliers, 360Visualizer allows its users to control
visual content and communicate products to clients. If you want to entice a
guest to buy a room upgrade, why not give them a 360 degree tour of what
you can offer them? The technology is already live in certain Radisson Blu,
Barceló Hotels & Resorts, and Holiday Inn properties.
Visit 360visualizer.com
4. Sitata
The travel trade is constantly having to battle with scaremongering in the
media, so Sitata is a welcomed project. It offers travellers localised safety
information and other nuggets, like advice on vaccinations for particular
areas, routes to hospitals and advice for what to do in an emergency.
Visit sitata.com.
5. Gaybrhood
An Irish start-up, Gaybrhood is looking to establish itself in the growing
LGBT tourist market. Very simply, it offers gay-friendly guides to cities,
with tips created by its users, presented in a visually pleasing way.
Visit gaybrhood.com
6. Muzenly
For the more adventurous traveller, Muzenly allows music festival-goers to
source lifts, extra tickets and shared accommodation. Visit muzenly.com.
7. Fripito
How many travellers have bought a ridiculously expensive camera, but
have no idea how to use it? Fripito offers professional advice for amateur
photographers. It tells you the best sites to take pictures in any listed
location. It tells you the best time of day to shoot and what settings to use
on your camera so you can create amazing photographs. Visit fripito.com.
Also worth checking out
Travel Translation, easiway, Wapple, Valido, ParkingSlot, Sure, and
Gypsy Circle.
Any feedback is welcome. Email conor@travelextra.ie or tweet @conormcmahon.
By Conor McMahon 8