Conference Agenda

Three days of insights, networking, and Icelandic experiences · September 1 - 3, 2026

September 1 · Pre-Day

18:00

Drinks Reception

networking

Location: Petersen svítan, Reykjavík

September 2 · Day 1

08:00

Registration & Coffee

networking

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

09:00

Opening Piece

presentation

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

09:10

The Revolution will be Evolution

presentation

Speakers: Sveinn Akerlie, Simon Dempsey, Anna Richardson

Welcome, opening keynote, and the framing questions facing the industry.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

09:45

Understanding the Moment | Who Owns the Passenger?

panel

Speakers: Mike Kempner, Philippa Rowe, Lee Mitchell, Scott Allard (moderator)

Accountability, coordination, and trust in the age of disruption.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

10:30

Mini Case Study | CX Research

case study

Speakers: Jerry Angrave

Ten minutes, followed by questions.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

11:00

Coffee

networking

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

11:30

Building the Right Organisation | The Trust Gap

panel

Speakers: Heiða Njóla Guðbrandsdóttir, Marco Barbosa, Logan Brown, Kevin O'Shaughnessy (moderator)

What reassurance, clarity, and care look like when disruption is unavoidable - and passengers do not want to wait.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

12:00

Session Q&A

panel

Ten minutes of questions from the floor.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

12:15

Mini Case Study | Connected Teams

case study

Speakers: Francesca Marshall

British Airways. Ten minutes, followed by questions.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

12:30

Designing for the edge cases

fireside

Speakers: John Fishwick, Jerry Angrave (moderator)

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

13:00

Lunch

networking

Location: La Primavera

14:05

Mini Case Study | Line Busters

case study

Speakers: Sheryl Lee

United. Ten minutes, followed by questions.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

14:25

Designing Better Recovery | Recovery at What Cost?

panel

Speakers: Paul Dittmann, George Ampat, Ryan Daniels, Chris Allen (moderator)

Balancing operational efficiency, passenger trust, and long-term value - what are we optimising for?

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

14:55

Session Q&A

panel

Ten minutes of questions from the floor.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

15:10

Mini Case Study | Cura

case study

Speakers: Simon Dempsey

AviLabs. Ten minutes, followed by questions.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

15:30

Coffee

networking

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

16:05

Behind the Disruption | Storms, Conflict, and Walk Outs

panel

Speakers: Lindsay Nemeth, Marcia Rathgeber

A closed session on the stories and learnings behind some of the highest profile disruptions of the last decade.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

17:00

Wrap & Post Drinks

networking

Location: Hafnartorg

September 3 · Day 2

08:30

Coffee & Pastries

networking

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

09:30

Poem in Powerpoint

presentation

Speakers: Kevin O'Shaughnessy

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

10:00

Coffee & Transition to Workshops

networking

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

10:15

Workshops

workshop

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

12:40

Coffee & Collating Outputs

networking

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

12:50

First Take

panel

Speakers: Ryan Daniels, Jay Fulmer

Reacting in real time to the solutions that are presented and voted on.

Location: Harpa Concert Hall - Norðurljós, Second Floor

13:15

Lunch

networking

A light lunch in Harpa.

Location: Harpa Conference Centre

15:00

World Class Icelandic Experience

experience

Reception and Icelandic experience, running until late.

Location: Hvammsvík