Loyalty Connect Global conference report – Day Two
It was an action packed first day at the first ever Loyalty Connect Global, with subjects ranging from the importance of partner redemption and data analytics, through to the need for loyalty reinvention and the efficacy of sometimes doing “crazy stuff”.
There was much to wow the audience, but probably the most impressive loyalty program had to be Emirates Skywards – and look out for the case study coming soon in Loyalty Magazine. Also featured will be Qantas and its Green Loyalty initiative. Qantas managed to come through Covid and two and a half years without flying, which shows the power of loyalty both to keep customers and as a revenue generator, and it has since gone from strength to strength, adding a million new customers in 2023.
Impressive women
The first day of the Loyalty Connect Global was notable for its presentations from a number of very talented women in loyalty. Amanda Cromhout gave the South African perspective, Zsuzsa Kecsmar of Antavo analysed the challenges in Europe and Paula Thomas showed her skills as an interviewer in the airline loyalty panel.
Then there was Jelena Kezika explaining with exceptional presentation skills why she remembers her first loyalty gift as a Russian child opening her first Easter Egg with a collectible toy inside. Loyalty Magazine will be talking to Jelena to mark the 20th anniversary of GHA and the article will be published here.
Sarah Udy brought the Qantas loyalty program to life, describing their Green Tier – Total Sustainability Program (again watch this space) and Maleboho Malope of Vodacom not only looked stunning, but she challenged the audience to improve on the way Vodacom manages the loyalty of its diverse, disconnected and mostly pay-as-you-go African customer base.
Were there male presenters?
Yes of course. And good ones. But speaking as a journalist who has spent most of her career in conference halls full of men in suits, listening exclusively to men in suits on stage, the diversity, inclusivity and range of very competent speakers at this conference was hugely refreshing.
Standouts
- Sarah Udy, from Qantas saying McDonalds was her favourite loyalty program. “MyMacca [the Australian name for the program] is such an inspired name and the program is tremendous. My 14 year old son even has it on his phone.”
- Iain Pringle challenging us to read Byron Sharp’s book “How Brands Grow” in which he argues that Loyalty doesn’t work. “There is nothing wrong with stamp cards,” he said. His comment piece arguing why loyalty doesn’t (always) work, and what needs to be done about will be published in Loyalty soon.
- James Curry from Emirates explaining their policy to continue to widen their range of partners. “In the future we will work on augmentation.”
- Michael Smith from Ai Events “Loyalty fraud has risen 85%. It is now being prosecuted as a crime”.
- Amanda Cromhout “My ambition is for the charity Blind Loyalty to become the global CSI of the loyalty industry”
- Zsuzsa Kecsma comparing loyalty in 2024 with loyalty in 2004, then showing how Antavo trained an AI app to answer loyalty questions. “Most customers surveyed preferred the answers of the AI bot to those of a real person.”
More tomorrow from the second day of Loyalty Connect Global and of course the winners of the International Loyalty Awards.
But if you want to access the many upcoming in depth interviews with Loyalty brands and leaders, you will have to subscribe at www.loyaltymagazine.com/subscribe.