Digital is our stage.
Travel is our playground.
In the early 2000s, we saw an unfulfilled need for travel advertisers to have a publisher that spoke their language. No, not Green Screens — but the lexicon only those in travel understand. The bevy of ad networks at the time were focused on other verticals and didn’t quite get the nuances of travel. We felt our category deserved better representation in digital.
We’re born from travel companies like Airtran, Delta, US Airways, Kayak, Orbitz, SIXT, CheapTickets, Travelocity, Travelzoo, Hotwire, LastMinuteTravel, and more.
We set the first rate card for SideStep, which would later be acquired and integrated into Kayak. We partnered with Trip Advisor during its startup phase to help widen its reach. TravelSpike created Travel Ad Network® in 2002, paving the way for others to dive deeply into a niche category rather than walk broadly into unfocused territory.
We’re former Revenue Managers, Travel Executives, Travel Marketers, and Media Veterans. Finding the latest technologies/publishers and introducing them to the category is not only our passion but it’s also placed us firmly in travel media lore.
Ryan Bilfuco
Founder/CEO
What can we say about Ryan — we’re all here because of him. His vision started this shindig, and his enthusiasm for the category keeps it focused. The hard part is pulling all the travel data out of his head. Good thing we have sharp pencils. He was a Revenue Manager with USAir responsible for $500M/yr before heading to AirTran, where he built airtran.com into the #1 airline site with no marketing budget. Before taking the plunge into entrepreneurship, Ryan was an exec at LastMinuteTravel.com. He has been featured on MediaPost, ABC Radio, NY Times, and USA Today and regularly speaks at industry events like PhoCusWright, US Travel Assoc. and DMAI.
Favorite Trip:
Spain
Bucket List Trip:
New Zealand
Tidbit:
Don’t ask Ryan about his beloved Chicago Bears or Demon Deacons hoops unless you have plenty of time on your hands.
Howard Koval
EVP Business Development
Every company should have a Howard. He’s not just an endless bridge connecting us with the right partners. Howard’s crystal ball is second to none, and we don’t say that lightly. He’s not just playing chess three moves ahead, it’s like he’s already finished the game. Howard spent his career at the crossroads of media and technology, focused on revolutionizing the travel industry through innovative strategies, digital applications, and technologies. Before TravelSpike, Howard was one of the founders of Screaming Media and the CEO of iPace, a venture-backed online personalization and recommendation platform optimized for leisure travel purposes. Howard was involved with building the first website for the New York Times and has been affiliated with the American Film Institute’s Digital Content Lab in Hollywood, CA.
Favorite Trip:
It’s a strange tie between Paris and Tel Aviv
Bucket List Trip:
Seeing the World Cup in Brazil
Tidbit:
Howard has a love/hate thing with Copenhagen, Denmark. It’s the only place in the world where he feels short. He’s been there 3x.
Ian Ross
VP Sales
We heart Ian! We can’t say enough about him and the energy and experience he brings to leading our sales team. When you think of the person in your life who “knows everyone,” that’s Ian. And they all like him, which is rare for a native New Yorker. Ian has been a VP at Orbitz and held senior roles at Disney, Sabre, Preview Travel, and GetThere.com. Ian loves being on the road, which we try not to take as an insult. Ian doesn’t boast his accolades much, so we’ll do it for him. He was President of 212 in NYC, a founding board member of Boston’s BIMA, the First Committee Chair for the IAB Professional, and an AWNY Notable Notables.
Favorite Trip:
Backpacking through Europe…7 countries, 3 days
Bucket List:
Stand on the Great Wall of China
Tidbit:
Ian goes where the locals go. On business trips, he’ll chat up cabbies, clerks, and more to get the local scoop for any destination.
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She held the role of Global Vice President of Nielsen and is currently Vice President of Decision Sciences Universal Mcann under the IPG holding agency. Her work has received global press recognition and her Advertising Products continue to win Advertising of the year awards, including the Native Advertising Institute for multiple years.
Rebecca Poynton-Murray has traveled the globe spanning her career at the intersections of product, marketing, and data and has lived and worked in London, Toronto and Atlanta. She has advised at 10 Downing Street to discuss the progression and importance of STEM topics in early age education and is a well-seasoned speaker within the Digital space. She holds a Journalism degree specializing in documentary Journalism from Lincoln University, United Kingdom.
Being from a small seaport town in the UK and calling Charleston her home, Rebecca is deeply passionate about the preservation and protection of the Ocean, the arts and literature.
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Previously, he was Regional VP at Orbitz Worldwide, where he headed up all digital ad sales efforts in the East, Canada and the Caribbean. Ian was also Senior Sales Director at The Walt Disney Company (Disney Online), and held several senior sales positions with the digital properties of travel industry leader Sabre. There, he opened the East coast sales office for Preview Travel, the predecessor of Travelocity, and built the media sales unit for GetThere.com.
Ian is a founding board member of both Boston Interactive Media Association and 212, where he also served as President. Ian has spoken at many travel/tourism conferences, and is on a number of travel industry committees.
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Her expertise also extends to online travel agencies and technology advertising and measurement solutions for tourism marketers.
Before joining TravelSpike, Vivian served as Director of Travel & Tourism for Aki Technologies, the media division of Inmar Intelligence. She has held leadership roles at Adara, Sojern, Travelocity, and Newsweek and Tribune Media.
Vivian has dedicated her career to developing brand and tactical integrated solutions for hotels, airlines, attractions, cruise lines, and travel destinations.
A travel enthusiast, Vivian enjoys outdoor and ocean activities and has never encountered a coastline she didn’t love. She is an active member of Women Leading Travel & Hospitality, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and Nature Conservancy. Residing in South Florida, Vivian is a passionate dog lover who balances her professional life with regular sunrise visits to the beach.
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With a proven track record across travel, sports, and tech, he has a knack for turning innovative and data-driven ideas into highly engaging marketing campaigns. When not steering brands towards success, he enjoys fish keeping, soccer, making music, traveling and watching movies.
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She skillfully guides clients toward impactful solutions, ensuring their goals are achieved with success and satisfaction. Kristin’s strategic insight and steadfast commitment to excellence position her as a driving force behind achieving exceptional results. Some of her favorite visited destinations include Australia, Italy and Costa Rica.
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In an endless pursuit of excellence in her digital and sales acumen, when she is not A-typing at work she loves to explore new places, bakeries & spend time on her farm tucked away somewhere nice and quiet.
building great relationships!
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I bring with me 30 years of experience in advertising sales and management, in both traditional and digital media and technology. Throughout my career, I have successfully increased revenue by double digits, exceeded sales goals, managed sales teams, and developed new business strategies. My expertise lies in local, regional and national key account management.
