Running parallel to SET – the world’s first trade event uniting the entertainment and travel industries – Spotlight is a closed-door thought-leadership programme for entertainment’s leaders to network, problem-solve and share big ideas peer-to-peer. The spotlight is on you: what will you do with it?
SPOTLIGHT 2025
HOSTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DELTA AIR LINES
THE AGENDA
AT SPOTLIGHT
THE MAIN DAY - 13 NOVEMBER HOSTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DELTA AIR LINES AT VIRGIN HOTELS NEW ORLEANS
Spotlight gives you direct access to new, senior-level contacts and strategic insights via expert-led sessions, tailored specifically to the pros managing multinational travel programmes.
09:00 – 10:00
Welcome
10:00 – 12:30
Morning Sessions
12:30 – 14:00
Networking Lunch
14:00 – 17:00
Afternoon Sessions
17:00 – 18:00
Drinks Reception
AT SET
DAY ONE - 12 NOVEMBER
As VPs and Directors of entertainment travel, we know you’re short on time. That’s why Spotlight allows you to curate your own agenda: you can arrive a day early and check out Open House, where you can tune into epic thought leadership sessions and network with the SET crowd, followed by SET’s opening soirée.
Want to build out your little black book? Stay on for an extra day of up to ten 1:1 appointments with SET’s all-star roster of travel suppliers (depending on your business needs), followed by the official wrap party.
MORNING
The Showfloor: 1:1 appointments & networking experiences at Camp and St. Joseph Street Warehouses
AFTERNOON
SET Fest: The Block Party at Camp and St. Joseph Street Warehouses
Lucy August-Perna
Senior Director of Global Sustainability, Live Nation
As Live Nation’s Global Head of Sustainability, Lucy drives the company’s planet-first strategy across tours, venues and festivals.
From Coldplay’s carbon-neutral tour to industry-first aviation fuel initiatives, she’s setting the global benchmark for greener live entertainment.
Gilad Berenstein
Founder, Brook Bay Capital
Gilad is one of the industry’s leading voices on a range of strategic and tech fronts. A board member and corporate advisor to Virtuoso, formerly to The Travel Corporation, and many travel start-ups, he runs an annual travel tech and innovation event within Virtuoso Travel Week and has led similar events for them in Dubai.
Gilad runs his own investment fund ,Seattle-based Brook Bay Capital, focusing on travel & hospitality, AI/ML, and marketplaces, and is himself an experienced travel/tech startup founder, as the creator of UTrip – the first AI vacation planning tool.
Patrick Crowley
Director Sales & Distribution Selling Solutions, Delta Air Lines
Patrick serves as Director of Sales & Distribution Selling Solutions at Delta Air Lines, where he leads the strategic integration of emerging technologies into Delta Air Lines’ commercial platforms.
His work centers on leveraging New Distribution Capability (NDC), API-driven merchandising, and advanced B2B tools to enhance the airline’s selling and servicing capabilities across third-party channels.
Chris Fenton
Founder, FENTON International Strategy & Business Communication
For fourteen years, Chris served as President of DMG Entertainment, where he pioneered co-productions between Chinese and American studios, building bridges that helped Hollywood access the world’s second-largest market. He later led Media Capital Technologies (MCT) as President and CEO, raising a nine-figure content fund that co-finances Lionsgate’s film slate.
Now a professor at the University of Southern California and author of Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, & American Business, Chris advises companies, investors, and governments on navigating global disruption, shaping strategy, and unlocking cross-border opportunity.
Andrew Honsey
General Manager, Global Sales, Delta Air Lines
Andrew is the General Manager, Global Sales for Delta Air Lines and its joint venture partners, covering the Greater Los Angeles area and the Entertainment & Production industry. He is an industry veteran, having started his airline career in 2004.
In addition to LAX profitability, Andrew also has responsibility for Delta’s role as the
official airline of Team USA and the LA28 Olympic Games.
Simon Lythgoe
Executive Producer, Legacy Productions
Simon is an award-winning Executive Producer and President at Legacy Productions.
He’s filmed across all 50 U.S. states, shot a feature in Canada, produced reality series at sea on cruise ships, and led productions across the UK, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Best known for American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, Simon brings a logistics-meets-creativity lens to global production and talent travel.
Stacey Mack
Strategic Account Director, Conferma
With nearly 30 years of experience in the travel industry, Stacey is a seasoned leader in strategic sales, specialising in virtual payments, hotel sourcing, back office solutions, business intelligence reporting, and cutting-edge travel technology.
Most recently, she served as Chair of the GBTA Payments Committee, collaborating with industry peers to shape the future of travel payments. Now at Conferma, Stacey is thrilled to be part of a company she has long admired.
Josh Rogin
Senior Vice President of Federal Affairs, Motion Pictures Association
Josh is Senior Vice President, Federal Government Affairs with the Motion Picture Association (MPA). He advocates before Congress, the Administration, and federal agencies on behalf of MPA member companies on priorities including intellectual property, copyright, AI, technology, trade and media issues.
Prior to joining the MPA, Josh spent 20 years on Capitol Hill including over a decade as chief of staff for Rep. Ted Deutch, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and the Chairman of the Middle East Subcommittee, where he specialised in intellectual property, foreign affairs, and technology issues – and was even named in the 2023 Washingtonian Magazine list of 500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy.
Madeleine Smith
Senior Director, ESG, Warner Music Group
Madeleine is the Senior Director of ESG at Warner Music Group, where she leads global efforts to embed sustainability into music-making and touring.
She developed the industry’s first Scope 3 emissions methodology, launched the first carbon footprint measurement of live music in the USA and UK, and created benchmarks for the environmental impact of tours and live events.
Sophie Taitt
Founder, Taitt Media
Sophie is a Global Media Expert with over 20 years of international production experience and deep expertise in scaling businesses, expanding internationally, and building diverse teams.
Having produced in over 30 countries worldwide, she has led Production for Netflix in both EMEA and Latin America as well as for BBC Studios as Head of Production in London.
Devon Tivona
Co-CEO & Founder, Juno
Devon is Founder and Co-CEO of Juno, the leading travel and expense technology company for guests and non-employees.
Devon has over a decade of experience building T&E software, first as CEO of Pana, and most recently as Vice President of Products at Coupa. He also serves as a startup advisor, executive coach, and angel investor.
Johnny Thorsen
VP Strategic Business Development, Serko Ltd.
Johnny is an industry veteran and global travel technology evangelist in the corporate travel and mobile world.
Currently the VP of Strategic Business Development at Serko, Johnny has over 30 years of experience in corporate travel, including senior leadership roles at Concur, American Express, and most recently at Spotnana, where he served as VP of Business Development for Content Distribution. He has also served as a strategic advisor or board member for more than 10+ travel-sector companies, including Troop, Thrust Carbon, Tryp and Envest Global.
Led by Global Media Expert and Production Guru Sophie Taitt, who brings 25 years of experience at media giants like Netflix and BBC Studios, this panel discussion will give a deep dive into how the film and TV industry is planning its next moves – and what that means for travel leaders.
How do today’s most in-demand production hubs – from Hollywood to Hungary – stack up when it comes to incentives, costs, and speed? This eye-opening session explores how global production shifts are changing the way studios travel: where they film, how they move talent and crew, and which regions are fighting to stay competitive. From pipeline forecasting to visa chaos, hear what’s next for production travel – and how you can stay ahead of the curve. This session is designed for anyone managing complex, time-sensitive travel in film and TV.
Sophie will be joined by a panel of leading entertainment travel luminaries.
You’ll learn:
- How to navigate visas, ticketing, and government policy shifts
- How to future-proof your travel programmes, anticipate production pipelines, and stay ahead of the industry’s evolving travel demands
- The key emerging incentive markets to know, now and in the near future
The music and live events sector is rapidly evolving to meet the cultural, commercial, and regulatory demands of a low-carbon future. With artists insisting on greener touring models and fans demanding transparency, sustainability has become a business imperative – and one you need to get behind. In this session, influential leaders from Warner Music Group and Live Nation – the brains behind Coldplay’s recent ‘carbon neutral’ tour – will share how they are driving change across global operations, collaborating with venues, artists, and partners to set new industry standards.
You’ll learn:
- The business case for sustainability, and why artists, audiences, and regulators are demanding greener solutions
- The key opportunities for collaboration – from data sharing to innovative travel and logistics strategies
- Practical steps for aligning your travel programme with evolving ESG expectations and regulatory requirements
Hear directly from Delta Air Lines as they give a bird’s-eye view of the evolution of airline distribution, including a status update, upcoming major milestones and the new tech they’re pioneering. One of our industry’s thorniest topics, you’ll have the opportunity to make your voice heard as Delta Air Lines maps out their plans on how to best deliver on the unique ticketing and service needs of the entertainment, media and music industries. Whether you’re a travel buyer or travel management company, your engagement and collaboration is crucial – this is the space to have your say.
You’ll learn:
- The very latest NDC developments, as told by an industry-leading body
- What the future holds for the new airline distribution, and how your insights can shape the story
Mind the (guest travel) gap. Despite concerted efforts on both sides, problems persist with payment friction, manual workarounds, and lack of ownership – creating unnecessary cost, risk and operational drag, as anyone responsible for travel payments will attest. In this deep-dive session, pros from Conferma and Juno Global will address the persistent gap in how guest and non-employee travel is managed – reframing travel payments not as a transactional issue, but as a structural weakness, and offering a straightforward, scalable model that aligns policy, service, payment, and reconciliation.
You’ll learn:
- How to implement a ‘gold standard’, clear operating model for managing your guest travel more efficiently
- The hidden cost of the admin, delays and escalations caused by poorly integrated systems
- The tangible tools you can take back to your teams, including playbooks, checklists, and frameworks
Bamboozled by the ever-increasing pace of travel AI? Join your fellow Spotlight crew for an unfiltered and interactive view into the world of AI for travel, as travel tech veteran Johnny Thorsen takes you on a journey through the maze of emerging solutions powered by the new wave of AI technology.
You’ll learn:
- About the current capabilities of existing AI tools, and how you can harness them to make day-to-day business more effortless
- The new services under construction, and what the future holds for entertainment travel AI
- The AI tools set to revolutionise traditional programme areas like duty of care, sustainability and distribution strategies
AI wunderkind Gilad Berenstein has spent more than 30 years exploring how tech can enhance and optimise human potential – a burning question that feels especially relevant right now. In this intimate, guided conversation, Gilad will pose critical questions to support you to turn AI theory into practice, specifically tailored to the entertainment travel industry.
You’ll learn:
- What Gilad has tested with AI so far – what’s worked, what hasn’t, and his exciting plans for the future
- How to find the greatest opportunities to create value via AI in your own business(es)
produced by This Is Beyond
