TravelTech Show has revealed the winner of this year’s Trailblazer Awards – Crewfare – who fought off competition from four other finalists in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style final that took place on the final day of the event.
This year’s finalists – all under 40 months old – were AT Worthy Technology, Crewfare, Curated Planet, Navi Savi and Truely. Winner CrewFare has won:
- A free stand at TravelTech Show 2025
- A start-up ticket to Phocuswright Conference Europe 2025
- A speaking opportunity at TravelTech Show 2025 Start-up panel
- Coverage from Phocuswire
- PR and marketing support
- Guidance and mentorship from the Judges
Crewfare is described as, ‘the next generation of travel software, modernising and reinvigorating the way travel is booked by monetising attendee travel, streamlining travel management and creating unforgettable experiences’. Commenting on the win, CEO and Founder Jason van Esso said, “It is really exciting to get validation on what started out as just an idea a couple of years ago. I was excited about solving a problem that I had experienced as a tour operator for many years and later as an event producer. To see that idea get the traction and recognition that it has from top peers in the industry, who are as excited as we are, is hugely rewarding.”
Asked why events like TravelTech Show are so important to companies like Crewfare, Jason added, “It can be really hard as a new travel company to not only be noticed but to gain trust within the industry. As a start-up it takes time but to be in front of so many people at TravelTech Show is a great way to build that trust and really support those ambitions for growth.”
This year’s TravelTech Show Trailblazer Awards judges were;
- Joshua Ryan-Saha – Director, Travel Tech for Scotland
- Andreas Nau – Partner, ennea Capital Partners
- Michael McGraw – Principal – Growth Equity, Inovia Capital
- Oliver Kaesermann – Sales Director, Amadeus
- Ian Brooks – Gail Kenny Recruitment & Melt Digital
During the judging process, judges assessed each finalist based on its impact on the competitive environment, the extent to which it supports the TravelTech Show audience to modernise the customer experience, deliver improved choice, be more sustainable, stay agile and cut costs, and how well it solves the problems it is designed to address alongside evidence of success across all these criteria.
TravelTech Show 2024 took place this week at ExCeL, London and returns to the venue on 25-26 June 2025. The event brings together hundreds of senior travel and tourism technology specialists and over 80 exhibitors for high-level, in-person networking and a premium conference agenda. Free tickets are available to qualified travel technology decision-makers from the retail/corporate travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. This year, the event is co-located with Business Travel Show Europe and The Meetings Show.
