Utah Chapter Monthly Meeting, AI: From Theory to Travel – GTP Credit Approved

Generative AI: From Theory to Travel
You can’t go a day without hearing something new about Generative AI and ChatGPT. We will explore this cutting-edge technology and discuss how it can be applied within the travel industry to enhance customer engagement, optimize operations, and unlock opportunities for personalization. This will be a journey of practical insights and innovative strategies that will revolutionize the traveler experience!

This session will include:
• An Overview on Generative AI
• The implications of Generative AI on Business Travel
• Fox World Travel’s Generative AI Experience
• Risks with Generative AI
• The Potential of AI-enabled Business Travel

Sam Hilgendorf has served as the chief information officer (CIO) at Fox World Travel since 2018. He is responsible for the vision and execution of Fox’s technology portfolio, which includes IT, business intelligence, product development, and project management.
Under Sam’s visionary stewardship, Fox has integrated groundbreaking solutions, including a cutting-edge customer contact center, an enterprise data management platform, and an innovative cloud collaboration suite. These pioneering strides have garnered widespread acclaim within the travel industry, consistently acknowledged through prestigious accolades.
Under Sam’s direction, Fox has been awarded multiple Magellan awards from Travel Weekly and has also been recognized as a Distinguished Partner for SAP Concur for custom integration work with the Concur Travel platform. He’s also contributed on multiple occurrences to industry thought leadership on topics such as blockchain, AI, and many other tech topics.
Recently honored with the title of Wisconsin’s CIO of the Year, Sam exemplifies a passion for leveraging technology to catalyze positive change. He firmly believes in harnessing technology’s potential to unleash the latent talents of his team members, propelling them toward unparalleled achievements. Sam’s dedication extends to enriching customer experiences, fostering peak performance, and nurturing excellence.
Sam has been happily married for 20 years and is a proud parent of a wonderful pre-teen daughter. When it comes to hobbies, he describes his family as “a real-life version of the TV show The Big Bang Theory.” They love playing Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop board games, reading comic books, dressing up for Renaissance fairs, and indulging in just about every other nerdy hobby imaginable. These quirky interests bring them joy, excitement, and a whole lot of stories to tell!