If there is one element that we can no longer discern from any industry, it is technology. Its implementation has generated a true revolution that has also reached the travel and tourism sector. A transformation that is analysed every year at Tourism Innovation Summit (TIS), the technological event for the tourism industry, which returns in 2024 to Seville, Spain, from 23 to 25 October to learn about the latest traveltech trends from the world’s leading experts in the field.

The marketing industry is rapidly adapting to the new consumer profile, who spends a large part of their time online. According to the study ‘Trends Review 2024’, prepared by The Cocktail, 35% of our daily rest routine is spent using the Internet. This digital experience has made users increasingly more informed when making decisions, more up to date with trends on social networks, and more aware of different causes although, on the other hand, they are saturated with content and screens, so they seek physical disconnection as an escape route.

On 23rd May at The Podcast Show, Startups Magazine was lucky enough to sit in on a panel all about the future of podcast production with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at its core. The panel challenged popular misconceptions, highlighting ethical considerations, and demonstrating how AI tools are revolutionising podcasting from production to promotion.

On 22nd May at The Podcast Show, Startups Magazine attended a panel including, Vogue Williams, host of My Therapist Ghosted Me, Grace Beverley, host of Working Hard, Hardly Working, Audrey Indome and Tolani Shoneye co-hosts of The Receipts Podcast, as they explored how important powerhouse woman are in the audio industry. Shining a light on the significance of sisterhood, the necessity for safe spaces, and how bigger corporates and advertiser can help female hosts to reach female listeners.

Mikenopa, a global full-service provider of guest internet and other IP networking solutions for majority of international hotel chains, has announced its expansion into Saudi Arabia in collaboration with AstroLabs, the Gulf’s leading business expansion platform.

Merit, a member of the AstroLabs expansion network, has announced a significant milestone of raising a $12 million pre-Series B in an oversubscribed round, surpassing its initial target of $5 million, a testament to its strong position in the technology industry globally and in Saudi Arabia. The achievement comes shortly after the relocation of its headquarters to Riyadh after participating in the RELOCATE program last year.

Startups Magazine had the pleasure of conducting a Q&A with Jason Carter, Founder and CEO of The Podcast Show, an international festival for the business of podcasting, happening on the 22nd – 23rd May 2024. As well as being the founder of The Podcast Show, Jason Carter is the former BBC Music Head of Live Events, International, Founder of BBC Introducing for 20+ years and now founder of GetOnMusicMedia, a fresh thinking and exciting music, media, and broadcast agency.

For the first time, Spain will be the host of The Sustainability World Cup, an international gamification competition that aims to spread awareness about sustainability and to publicise strategies to promote business with the lowest possible environmental impact. In this sense, the city of Málaga, Andalusia, will be home to the awards ceremony of the championship, in which teams from 17 countries have participated, which have learned about the effective application of responsible tools and policies in corporate strategies.

The first edition of the Startup OLÉ fair in the city of Marbella will take place from 26th to 28th June 2024 at the Andalucía Lab headquarters, with the support of relevant public administrations such as the Department of University, Research and Innovation of Junta de Andalucía and Ayuntamiento de Marbella.

Today (15th May 2024), PepsiCo, SABIC, AstroLabs and partners announced details of the eight startup companies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region that have been selected to participate in the Mega Green Accelerator. The selected participants have all submitted an innovative solution focused on either advancing the circular economy, transitioning to clean energy, or mitigating climate change through technologies to improve water use and agricultural processes. Timed to coincide with this year’s GPCA Plastics Conference, themed “Innovating for Sustainable Growth”, the selected startups also presented to industry leaders who are accelerating the development of a circular economy in the region.

South Summit Madrid 2024, co-organised by IE University, continues to bring together world leaders and experts from the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem for its 13th edition, which will be held from June 5 to 7 at La Nave in Madrid under the slogan ‘Human by Design’. The main meeting for startups, investors and corporations has announced its content programme in which nearly 500 speakers – 60% of them of international origin – 121 investment funds and 24 unicorns will unravel the keys for innovation and technology to be developed to improve the quality of life of human beings.

Banking and insurance companies are undergoing an unprecedented digital transformation process that is revolutionising customer experience, risk management practices and operational efficiency. In fact, just two years ago, banking in Spain was positioned as the most digitally mature in the world. Technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence or the Internet of Things are being implemented on the rise to democratise operations and advance in a new industry paradigm. In this regard, market reports reveal that 47% of banks worldwide are already planning to integrate AI in order to respond to the growing demands of their users in optimising processes.

AstroLabs, the Gulf’s leading business expansion platform, is pleased to announce the launch of a comprehensive guidebook that shines a light on the thriving Saudi tourism industry and the Kingdom’s ascendancy as a global tourist destination.

We’re excited to announce our partnership with Climb24, the UK’s festival of innovation, industry and investment, which will return to Leeds on June 5th – 6th, 2024.

DXwand, a global player in AI-powered conversational technology, has announced its launch to Saudi Arabia with AstroLabs, the leading business expansion platform in the Gulf.

Tourism Innovation Summit (TIS) 2024, which returns to Seville, Spain, from 23 to 25 October for its fifth edition, will once again hold the prestigious Tourism Innovation Awards, awards that seek to recognise those entities, projects and initiatives that are committed to innovation, technology and digitisation to drive the tourism sector towards a more efficient, competitive and sustainable future, always putting the traveler at the center.

The retail sector is facing new modernisation challenges thanks to the application of exponential technologies. Artificial intelligence, Virtual Reality, IoT and data analytics solutions, among others, are revolutionising the entire value chain of the industry, from product manufacturing to logistics and customer experience, where we can already envision shopping scenarios in which the virtual and physical environment merge.

South Summit Startup Competition Madrid, 2024, co-organised by IE University, is growing globally. The hundred startups that have entered the final phase of the competition have been chosen through a rigorous selection process from more than 4,700 applications from all over the world, a figure that reflects the global profile of the competition. In fact, 81% of the applications come from outside Spain.

We want to make the Hustle Awards as transparent as possible, so you believe in the process and so you can truly see those shortlisted are there on merit. Currently, our 15 judges are individually studying all the submissions received in their allocated categories online. The highest scoring submissions will make it through to the judging day on 16th May.

AstroLabs, the Gulf’s leading business expansion platform, is pleased to announce the launch of Najm, the first AI-powered Saudi expansion consultant chatbot. The AI technology is designed to offer customised assistance by providing timely, accurate insights, allowing users to tap into vast knowledge repositories related to various aspects of business setup processes in Saudi Arabia, ranging from licensing and softlanding to regulatory frameworks.