Inside the Conversations Shaping Travel Leadership at the WLT NYC Leadership Exchange

Women Leading Travel brought its community together in New York City for the NYC Leadership Exchange, an afternoon of candid conversation, new industry insights and meaningful connection among senior women leaders from across travel and hospitality.

Held at the Javits Center during one of the travel industry’s busiest weeks in New York, the event created space for executives to step away from their day-to-day responsibilities and have honest conversations about the opportunities and challenges shaping both their careers and the industry.

The program blended leadership development with industry intelligence and peer-to-peer learning. Megan Miller, Founder and CEO of Unleashed Leadership, opened the afternoon with a keynote focused on leadership and personal growth, while Skift Senior Research Analyst Lindsey Roeschke brought data to the conversation with an interactive look at the differences driving travel behavior among Gen X and Boomers.

The afternoon also put attendees at the center of the conversation. Small-group roundtables gave leaders an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the challenges they’re navigating right now, from increasing their influence and leading teams through change to making career decisions and defining what comes next.

That candor carried onto the main stage for “The Honest Read,” featuring Brigit Zimmerman, CEO of Priceline; Dawn Gallagher, President – Hospitality at Crescent Hotels & Resorts; and Michelle Fridman Hirsch, Secretary of Tourism for the State of Jalisco, moderated by Amber Jackson, CEO of Hype & Harvest. Panelists, and the audience, weighed in live on provocative statements about leadership, career advancement, sponsorship, risk and the future of travel before unpacking the experiences behind their answers.

Melanie Curtis, World-Record Pro Skydiver and Peak Performance Coach, closed the program with a challenge to rethink perceived limits, embrace growth and recognize the opportunities that can emerge when leaders are willing to move beyond what feels comfortable.

Across the afternoon, one theme came through clearly: leadership doesn’t happen in isolation. It is strengthened by honest conversations, diverse perspectives and access to peers who are willing to share not only what’s working, but also what they’re still figuring out.

The NYC Leadership Exchange was designed to create exactly that kind of space, and we’re grateful to every speaker, partner and attendee who brought their perspective to the room and made the conversations possible.

If you were unable to join us in New York City, we hope to see at at one of our upcoming Leadership Exchanges.