Travel Buddy with Switchfly

This episode takes you inside the booming world of sports travel for 2026, where global events like the FIFA World Cup are driving fans to create unforgettable journeys. Rachel Satow and Ashley Martinez share their personal experiences and industry expertise on event-led travel, fandom, and the evolving opportunities for travel and loyalty brands. Discover how families, superfans, and brands are navigating rising prices, creative trip planning, and the emotional highs of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Tune in for practical insights, engaging stories, and fresh perspectives on the intersection of travel, passion, and community.

Chapters
(00:00) Major Sporting Events Drive Travel Demand
(03:00) Emotional Value of Event-Led Trips
(07:00) Expanding Travel Trends and Spillover Markets
(10:00) Building Complete Itineraries and Packages
(13:00) Emotional Dynamics of Sports Travel
(18:00) Personalization and Hospitality Packages
(24:00) Brand Loyalty and Tailored Experiences

Connect with Switchfly
Website: https://www.switchfly.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/switchfly/
X: https://twitter.com/switchfly
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SwitchflyOfficial

Creators and Guests

Host
Rachel Satow
Senior Marketing Strategist
Guest
Ashley Martinez

What is Travel Buddy with Switchfly?

See more at Switchfly.com

Welcome to Travel Buddy,
presented by Switchfly.

In this podcast, we talk about all
things travel, rewards, and loyalty.

Let's get to it.

Brandon Giella: Today we're
talking about sports travel.

This year, 2026, is the year of sports
travel because we've got the FIFA World

Cup, we've got the Winter Olympics,
already passed, sorry, great time,

and then we've got the World Baseball
Classic coming up this year, and a lot

of other events, including our dear F1.

Rachel, I didn't know you were an F1 fan.

Huge fan.

I see you're wearing a Ferrari hat.

And Ashley, we have an Argentina
jersey on, so we've got everything

represented here, including
the great state of the US of A.

And so I am excited to talk about
sports travel because I've been wanting

to go to an F1 race, and I would love
to build an itinerary around that.

Ashley, you are attending a
World Cup match in Seattle, so

I'd love to talk about that.

But Rachel, I wanna start with you.

Set us up this year.

Why is this the year of travel, and
why is that important for, travel

brands, loyalty brands, and what
we're talking about on the show here?

Rachel Satow: Yeah, I mean, the year of
travel is really being caused because

there's the alignment between the
Winter Olympics, the FIFA World Cup,

and a bunch of other major sporting
events are all coinciding this year,

and I think that's a super unique thing
that really hasn't happened before.

I mean, you have the annual, the annual
sporting events that always happen,

but this is one of the years that, you
know, there is a, a, a mass, demand for

travel specifically around these events.

and they're, you know…

We have this, unique opportunity, I
think, to see how fans show up and, you

know, we're all repping our teams right
now, different sports, different teams.

But we-- think one of the really unique
things about 2026 is just how visible,

fandom is going to be in travel.

And one of the biggest things that
I personally find fascinating is how

that detail can really shape, an entire
trip, not just for the traveler, but

for the brands that are involved in
that trip planner, that, that itinerary.

And, I have to give a shout-out to my
friend Abigail, who lives in Austin, has

been in Austin for a couple of years.

But we, she and I got talking, and
I think one of the things about this

year that isn't so unique is that
event-led travel ha- nothing new.

If you look back at the Eras Tour,
people were traveling all over the world

Brandon Giella: Yes

Rachel Satow: Taylor in concert, all over

Brandon Giella: Yes

Rachel Satow: And I think one of the
things that, going back to the, to the

idea of sports, is we're seeing that
level of fandom come out in, in across

all of these different events the same
as we did when the Eras Tour was on.

And she-- I'm gonna tell her story.

Obviously, this is, just a, just an
example of just how amazing it can

be when, when people- Connect a trip
to something that they truly love.

But she traveled to London for the
Eras Tour, and she traveled with Delta.

She used travel rewards in order
to do so, most of that plane was

traveling to London for the Eras Tour.

Brandon Giella: Yep, I believe it

Rachel Satow: her, her friend that she
went with was handing out bracelets for,

to like everyone around, the entire staff.

And the pilot of that plane took the
opportunity to make a song related

announcement and, like, totally
connect it into this thing that they

knew everyone was traveling for.

And I think when we circle back to the
idea of sports and, like, later in this

conversation when we're talking about how
brands can really capitalize on that, it's

making sure you know who is in the seat or
in the room and what they're traveling for

is going to be so important because you
have such a unique opportunity to connect

to something that they truly care about.

that's why 2026 is, is such a unique
opportunity both for travelers and fans,

but also from the perspective of brands.

Brandon Giella: And we send our
condolences to the middle-aged

man in business class that had to
endure that flight all the way to

London just going for business.

Rachel Satow: Do not fool

Brandon Giella: But yes.

Rachel Satow: was going to that tour too.

Brandon Giella: Oh, for sure.

You know he was an inner Swiftie.

no, y- that's real.

so my wife went to the Dallas show, and
I have many regrets in life, and you

ought to live your life without regret.

I have several.

One of them is I didn't go to the Eras
Tour, and I didn't make it more of

a, a thing that I should do because
it was like, it's like Woodstock.

You, like, had to be there, And I didn't.

So later on that year, we looked
at, ticket prices around the world

because New Orleans was like $1,500.

We ain't doing that.

So we looked at, like, somewhere in
Eastern Europe, I think, and we were like,

"Man, we could go for the same price.

We could just drive to New Orleans
and get a hotel and all that.

We could fly to Europe and
go see her and do all…"

I mean, we really mapped this out.

Ended up not working, but yeah.

But yeah, you plan a whole
trip around this thing and all

the stuff that goes into that

Rachel Satow: I think there's something
to be said when the trip anchor is

something that people care about,
whether they're traveling or not.

Like, if you are making the effort to,
whether it be a concert, whether it be

to see, a unique installation for an
art exhibit, whether it be a sporting

event, It is such an interesting
thing when the trip takes shape solely

because the game, the event, the concert
is giving you the reason to travel.

you know, a unique emotional ploy too.

these are things people are living and
breathing and enjoying in their time off

at home, and now they have the opportunity
to go enjoy those things elsewhere.

and from a branding perspective,
that's, it's such a unique way to be

able to, like, tap into that, that
thing that they love regardless of

whether or not they're in XYZ city

Brandon Giella: Yeah, and it's
evidence to show that, people

always look for a reason to travel.

And what's interesting is these ticket
prices for these events, like an F1,

I, I looked at the F1 ticket prices for
Austin, it's like over $1,000 just for

like general, like to walk into the gate.

That's nothing else included.

and they're sold out, these tickets.

All these kind of tickets for all
these events are getting so expensive,

and everything around it is getting
so expensive, and they're sold out.

And so it's a huge opportunity,
I think, to figure out how to,

gain some more benefit if you're
a travel or loyalty brand around

these events, 'cause it's just a, a,
yeah, it's just a huge opportunity.

So, uh, shifting gears, Ashley,
I wanna talk to you real

quick about the World Cup.

T- talk to me about this.

I know nothing about soccer, but I know
the World Cup is coming 'cause I live

near Dallas, and everybody's building…

They're, like, rebuilding the
city awaiting the World Cup.

so talk to me about, how you're
thinking about trip planning there

Ashley Martinez: Your girl
for all things soccer.

I have played soccer my whole life.

I am a dear and loyal soccer fan.

I am repping the Argentina jersey,
as Argentina and Messi were the

winners of the '22 World Cup.

I would say…

So this is a topic, I mean, I can,
I'm so excited to talk about this.

This is a combination of my passion
for travel and my passion for sport.

So, ex- excited to of
do a deeper dive here.

But I think when we think about what,
how you're mentioning, Brandon, the

ticket prices, I think that really
aligns with the trend of investing more

in m- experiences, event-led travel.

These are…

It just shows that people are willing
to invest in experiential awards, than

material things, and we're really seeing
that from, in a travel trend as well.

We luckily enough, got tickets
for the Seattle World Cup.

So my fiance and I, it was very
competitive to get tickets.

There's a lot, a whole lottery system.

and luckily enough, my dad and my
uncle won on the lottery as well.

Brandon Giella: Nice

Ashley Martinez: all four of us will
be traveling to Seattle, in a matter

of weeks to go to the World Cup.

But what's interesting, some
of the travel trends that we're

seeing is this idea-- two things,
this idea of a spillover market.

So as going back to prices, the
ticket prices, also the prices for

accommodation, in suit, and we're, we're
seeing higher prices for accommodation,

for flights, all those things.

So this kind of new idea of spillover
markets are what's around the

area that maybe I could fly into,
for example, flying into Seattle.

Is there somewhere close by I
could fly into and stay there for a

part of my trip or my vacation and
then go to Seattle for the game?

So that's actually
exactly what we're doing.

We're going to…

We're extending our trip, so it's not
just the dates of the, of the event,

but we're going to Snoqualmie, which is
outside of Seattle, and we're staying

there for a majority of our trip and
then coming into Seattle for the game.

and it's not just us, it's also my
cousins are coming, extended family who

are not going to the game, but we're
really making it a whole family trip.

So I think that's really, on a
personal level, it aligns with what

we're seeing from travel trends,
that it's expanding the area and it's

also expanding the duration of stay
and also who's traveling as well.

It's not just attendees of the event.

Brandon Giella: That
is such a great point.

I wanna talk more about that toward
the end of the show, where we can

focus on who's buying this ticket,
who's going to these events, because I

think whether it's a, you know, premium
traveler or somebody with kids, like

that trip is gonna look different.

But I think that point about expanding
that, if you will, like the geographic

option, the accommodation option, the
transportation options around that event

is really, really key to think about.

And of course, it takes a lot of data
to do that and a lot of thoughtfulness.

But, but yeah, that's,
that's a great point.

I'm curious, so when you are thinking
about, you know, going to this trip

in Seattle for this event, what
are some of the other things that

it's not just obviously the, the
ticket to the match, but it, it

is a lot of those other options.

Like, what are all the things
that you have to consider to

really build out an itinerary?

And where I'm going with this is
when you're a, you know, a travel

leader, a loyalty leader, there
are so much ancillary revenue and

so many different kind of bundles
and packages you can put together

to think through this entire trip.

So ta- so walk me through what
all the different components

of that trip might look like.

Ashley Martinez: No, so obviously
starting with the event itself and event

led, I think a great example of a brand
that capitalized on the opportunity

is American Airlines Vacations.

So Switchfly actually powered the
ability through AAV or American

Airlines Vacations, you could spend your
loyalty miles to redeem FIFA tickets.

They knew

Brandon Giella: I didn't know this.

Ashley Martinez: are,

Brandon Giella: Cool.

Okay

Ashley Martinez: They
sold out within hours.

Brandon Giella: Hmm

Ashley Martinez: successful, campaign.

And, but I think that just speaks to
the brand new there is a ticket or there

is a highly desired item people are--
need to find or, or looking to find a

way to make it accessible, and American
Airlines did a great job with that.

Marriott Bonvoy also did a
similar campaign where they did

this concept of one point drop,
so it accessible for anybody.

If you just had one Marriott
Bonvoy po- point, you could

apply for a World Cup ticket.

And that's a great way to engagement.

As, you know, Marriott as a hotel
accommodations brand, they said,

"If we can get the traveler in with
the event ticket, then, you know,

then we can get that share of wallet
and hopefully gain their stay."

mm, those are ways to make it
accessible and things to think about.

I, I think lowering that barrier of
entry, 'cause it might be overwhelming.

How are we gonna get tickets?

How are we gonna pay for the
accommodation, transportation,

the, the flight, getting there?

what are we gonna do while we're there?

So obvi- all these different elements.

one, one way I was trying to get creative
with, obviously that these flight prices

and are exorbitant just given a- of
course, also the, the, well, economics

and, and global state of the world.

But I was using mileage points to fly from
Seattle to Denver on one airline, and then

I was gonna fly from Denver to New Orleans
on another airline using different mileage

points just to try to maximize and, and
get creative to make this accessible.

I, I think there's a lot of things
to think about, but my takeaway or my

encouragement or-- but, in the spirit of
fandom, if there's a will, there's a way.

And I, I think brands that are
capitalizing on how can we make

this accessible, as we know there's
a need in the market, those are

the ones that are gonna succeed.

Brandon Giella: There is so much to
these kinds of trips, the, the emotional

weight, the loyalty, the identity.

So for example, Rachel, we will practice,
visualization techniques and imagine

that you are going to see Charles
Leclerc race in Monaco this weekend.

Talk to me about the emotional
weight of what's going on with some

of these trips and how brands might
be able to capture some of that.

Rachel Satow: Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, for those that are not in
the F1 fan club, this is the home

race for Charles Leclerc, and Charles
Leclerc happens to be my driver.

and I think, you know, if, if I were
to put myself in those shoes, if,

you know, Ashley, if I could have
off this weekend, like, let's talk.

but, but in reality, you know, there is
such, there's such a weight because people

get invested in people's stories, right?

I love Charles Leclerc's story.

I think that, you know, being
able to watch him potentially win

a race in his hometown would be
a once in a lifetime experience.

Hopefully not a once in a
lifetime experience for him, but

Brandon Giella: that's it, yeah

Rachel Satow: for me, it would be
like one of those moments where

like, okay, now I have to…

Like, I have this opportunity
to go see this race.

I have this opportunity to,
potentially upgrade my tickets.

I have this opportunity to now I
need to figure out the flights,

the transportation, the restaurants
I'm going to see, the, hotel

that I'm going to be at, how am I
getting to and from the airport?

There are so many different asks, aspects
of that trip that once that excitement

of like, I secured the tickets is
done, the rest of it comes, comes down.

So you get this, like, weird dichotomy
of emotions happening for the

traveler, because they're so excited
that they secured the event tickets.

They are so s- so excited
to see whatever it may be.

For me, it would be seeing Ch-
Charles Leclerc race in Monaco.

for Ashley, it's, maybe an
Argentina win, who knows?

but there's so many like the endorphins
are going once that, once that ticket

has been secured, that then it's a
very steep, oh, we have to figure

out the rest of the itinerary now.

And I, being a AAA person that
I am, I, I would immediately

start doing all of those things.

So for, like if I secured the tickets,
the first thing I would be doing is

starting to research how am I getting
there, where am I staying, what is around?

And it's very quick, that shift
from I'm excited about this, and

now I need to sort everything out.

It, like, becomes a little bit
almost like an anxiety, of I

need to figure everything out.

And I think brands have an opportunity
to ease that friction point by making

sure that they are aligning with the
traveler's goals and the traveler's,

excitement over surrounding that trip

Brandon Giella: That's right.

That's right.

It helps that he is a beautiful man, and
we all wanna see him succeed in life.

but there, there is, to your point,
there is a real, premium to getting

to these events and all of the
activities around it because you,

you do have, "Okay, I got the ticket.

I gotta get there."

And so I, I would encourage, I would
argue for if you're a loyalty leader,

travel leader, to think about like,
"Okay, this is gonna be more expensive.

This is gonna be costlier
to put this together.

But if I can make it easy and make
that person's dream come true by seeing

Taylor Swift or Charles Leclerc, then
we can, we can make a real win-win."

You know, the traveler's gonna be
super happy, and the brand is gonna

be super happy 'cause they just,
you know, we're able to capture

that moment and that experience for
them while making a, a good margin.

So I think there's a lot to
it, for sure, and I, I…

It's exciting to see how we can, you know,
kind of package these things together.

Rachel Satow: Yeah, I think I
would say don't underestimate the

emotional motivation that travelers
have during this timeframe.

It's really one of the things that makes
sports travel and event-led travel so

powerful because when you think about
it, like fans are not, they're not buying

access, just buying access to a game.

They're buying this idea of
being surrounded by people who

love the same things they love.

They're buying that belonging,
that, memory, that feeling of

being in a community, you know?

And I think that alone is so
powerful for brands to capitalize on

Brandon Giella: Right.

And maybe there's an, an additional,
you know, upgrade or something you can

offer to people like Rachel when Charles
Leclerc loses to Kimi Antonelli this

weekend, and then you can make their trip
home feel that much better, you know?

Rachel Satow: putting

Brandon Giella: Just

Rachel Satow: into the ether.

Brandon Giella: it does depend
though on the traveler and

their particular situation.

Like why are they going?

How are they going?

And of course, you don't have data on
all of these things, but there's some

things that, can make a package or a
bundle or something like that really sing.

So for example, if you have a
really premium traveler, you

know, what are the VIP access
upgrades we can provide for them?

Or if you have somebody with young
children, as I do, what are the ways

you can make my life easier so that
my three-year-old and one-year-old

can join and have a great time?

so there's a lot that goes into that.

So I would wonder, Ashley,
if you could speak to that.

h- how would you advise folks to
think about building a, a package or

a bundle depending on the traveler
and their particular circumstance?

Ashley Martinez: Definitely.

We've seen a rise of a concept
called hospitality packages.

This specifically, I'll give
an example within the EPL.

European or in, in England, the
English Premier League, there's a lot

of Americans or travelers from around
the world that wanna go to these

events, but it's very overwhelming.

How do I secure tickets?

How, where do I stay on a game day?

All of those things.

So there's been a lot of a rise in
what's called a hospitality package,

and it's your ticket, accommodation,
transportation as well, and kind

of almost a concierge the day of to
how to navigate all those things.

And those, those rise of those
packages have been really popular,

especially with American travelers,
as it can be really overwhelming,

just as Rachel said, "Okay, we secured
the s- the ticket, but now what?"

the English Premier League is
actually really interesting.

To get-- to secure a ticket to that
game, you have to be part of the club.

So if I wanna go to a Liverpool
game, I need to be a certified

registered Liverpool fan to
even have access to get tickets.

So it's really complicated to get
tickets to some of these events.

F1, there's a ton of packages
as well, just as you mentioned,

Brandon, th-those VIP experiences.

It's a more luxury,
once in a lifetime item.

So how can we create a, curate a whole
experience over the whole weekend?

Maybe you're getting VIP access
before to maybe meet your favorite

driver or, you know, back in s-
scenes of everything that goes into

the event, you know, a doupl- couple
days before, how they're setting up.

So I think there's a lot of opportunity
to capitalize on end-to-end experience and

really alleviate some of those travelers'
concerns as of these events are…

It's not necessarily people are going
to events in their own backyard.

a lot of People are traveling
specifically to these events in,

in new locations and new places.

So alleviating that sense, or
navigating that process to how can

we make this as seamless as possible.

And, I love that idea of how you said,
on the way back, if, if there's a loss,

you know, how do we think about that?

But on the way there, how do
we encapsulate or encourage

in that excitement and c- and
capitalize off that opportunity?

So I think packages are an end-to-end,
from a travel agency perspective, an

OTA, a travel agent curating a package
that really leans into, to around

the whole event is, is a great idea.

Brandon Giella: Yeah, I love that.

I just want an easy button.

Like, we had, f- tickets to the Paris
Olympics last year, and I love Paris,

as I've said many times on the show.

so it's like, yeah, absolutely, any excuse
to go to Paris, it's always a good idea.

I'm gonna go there.

I'm gonna see the Olympics.

We had tickets to, it's like the
Polish volleyball match, I think.

It was like $65 a ticket, and we were
like, "That sounds great," 'cause

everything else, again, was sold out.

Everything.

so we got an Airbnb and, but then it
was all the things, all the food, the

transportation, getting around the city.

We were expecting it to be super
crowded, and it was gonna be hot 'cause

it was like in June or something, and
we had a, at that time, two-year-old

and, kind of, we were thinking…

Yeah, this was last year, right?

Two years ago?

Maybe it was two years ago.

Anyway, we had like a two-year-old,
and that one's been really hard.

So we ended up not going because there
was no easy button, and so I gave up.

That's one of the other regrets
I have in my life is that I

didn't go to the Paris Olympics.

but it was because there
was no easy button.

If, if it was like, "Hey,
here's your package.

Here's everything taken care
of, your flights, accommodations

for you and your children.

Here's restaurant, you know,
vouchers or whatever, transportation

voucher, whatever it is."

Everything was secured, I would've pushed
that button, and I would've done that.

That's what stopped me

Rachel Satow: Yeah, I would say, you know,
loyalty programs and brands, you know, pr-

brands in the travel industry can support,
the traveler by really giving them

those flexible ways to use the points.

So not just using them for hotels, cars,
flights, but also being and cognizant

that sometimes, you know, fans are
going to look outside of host cities.

Ashley, you're one of them.

You're staying outside of the
host city for most of your trip.

and it's really because they're still
value driven, and I think that's

something that, can't be ignored even
though fans are typically very emotional

about specific event, you know…

If, if the event is the catalyst
for why they're traveling, yes, they

are emotional regarding that, and
they are excited regarding that.

But passionate does not mean
that they're price insensitive.

And they sh- like, you have an opportunity
to not only give them flexibility

in how to use points, but also to
curate it, curate recommendations

because at the end of the day, they
will look to you as the expert.

Like, the rest of us are going to
sit here with 47 tabs open, ChatGPT

telling us where we can and cannot stay,
and, like, all of these other things.

So it's, if you do create that quote
unquote easy button, you automatically

make the experience so much better while
also leaning into some of that emotional

loyalty that, that will be- come along
with just being connected to event

that they're really passionate about.

and I, I think it's important that,
you know, a fan, a traveler, they may

really want to be there, but they're
still going to compare hotel rates.

They're still going to watch the
flight prices, and they want to

make sure that they're using points.

My example with Abigail, she used points
to get to London to see Taylor Swift,

and it's because bec- even though she
was so excited to go and she had the

ticket, she was still, you know, being
very conscientious, and I think being,

like, the, the financial conscientious
traveler still comes into play even though

there's this catalyst for the travel

Brandon Giella: I wanna
dive deeper on that.

No, go ahead, Ashley

Ashley Martinez: I wouldn't say,
I think the travelers are gonna

find a way, and the brands just
need to make be the way and make

Brandon Giella: Yeah

Ashley Martinez: and capitalize on,
you know, if everybody is at the same

price point, maybe make it a little
more economical and, you know, then the

travelers can take advantage of that.

So I, I think there's of course
different strategies, but I, I think

at the end of the day, travelers,
especially when they're event

driven, are going to find a way.

and I think the brands that win was
just the ones that will make it more

accessible and easier to do that

Brandon Giella: Yeah, I totally agree.

We've, we've been talking about the,
the focus, the, the loyalty, the passion

for the event or the team, but I kinda
wanna flip it around, dive deeper on

this, this topic for a second, which
is the, the passion or loyalty for

the brand helping them get there.

So, as an example, when I watch the
F1 races on Apple TV, praise the Lord

that is available now, and I can watch
it there, and it's-- And it always

says when it cuts to commercial break,
during some of the pre- pre-show stuff,

it has Presented by American Express.

And I'm like, "Oh, well, I'm a
American Express card member holder,

their platinum card, big fan."

so I feel like I have made a good
choice in my credit card selection.

And then you see on the race, on the
advertisements on some of the drivers

as well as on the, the race, and one
of those, like, tunnel things that they

go through, it says American Express.

And I'm like, "Oh, cool.

Great."

I, again, chose a great card.

If American Express was
like, "Hey, you're in Texas.

There's an Austin race coming up.

We know that you're an F1 fan because we
can see your purchase history, and we have

put together this whole experience for
you," and I get a notification or email

about that, and they can take care of all
of that and do the finance part of it.

They can, like, put it on a payment
plan or whatever, and just I click a

button, and I got all the things set up.

I just have to show up.

I would feel like
American Express gets me.

You know what I'm saying?

So I would just love that, and I, I know,
again, tons of data involved in that.

It's d- probably difficult to pull off.

Lots of things, m- lots
of moving parts there.

But the idea that a brand can help you
achieve this dream that you have by

knowing a little bit of data about you
and then putting a bundle together.

I'm curious what you guys might think
about that, and if you, you've seen

any examples of that of a brand kind
of putting these, these things in place

like that, that, that could be useful.

Ashley Martinez: I've seen it, so this
is something that's near and dear to

my heart since I am recently engaged.

But you think about life events,
and we'll talk, you know, sporting,

it, it is a, a pivotal life event.

But when someone's navigating that
change, for us, we're actually

looking to open more credit cards to
capitalize on intro bonuses and points.

And so I, I do as well have
the Platinum American Express.

Amex could see on my purchase history, oh,
she's starting to buy bridal things, maybe

recognizing, you know, that I'm about
to go through a, a big life event and

capitalizing on that instead of me going
to open the Chase Sapphire Reserve, right?

And so, and, you know, rewarding me for
being loyal, instead of going elsewhere.

So

Brandon Giella: Yes

Ashley Martinez: and brands are
starting to be re- of course, there's

the topic of, you know, how personal
data usage, how much is, oh, are

Brandon Giella: Of course.

Ashley Martinez: and,

Brandon Giella: Yep

Ashley Martinez: that.

But I do think if they were to
recognize on their side, "Hey,

you're going through this big life
event," or you're buying a new home.

I know Rachel, uh, buying, purchase
behavior that mimics that and being

able to reward and recognize that, I
think that's the next level, next step.

Brandon Giella: Yeah, it is, it
is a question riding the line

of like what's creepy and what's
helpful, so I totally get that.

But it's like I know they can
see my purchase history anyway.

It's on their card, you know?

So if they just help me out a
little bit on the back end, I, I

might be okay with that, you know?

Rachel Satow: I think one of the,
the challenges there that brands will

face is, how do they do it in scale?

Brandon Giella: Yeah, of course

Rachel Satow: you're, you a very
unique scenario in that you are

a fan of all of these things, but
you are also, a f- you're a family.

You have y- little children that
you need to, to take into account.

so I think, There becomes this,
this choice, this operational

choice of how do we balance…

Like, is the segment large enough for us
to invest in curating something like that?

Because if the segment isn't large
enough for us to go after that, then

unfortunately that level of pers-
like, personalization might just not

be on the table because there has to
be a, a, a, some sort of ROI for them.

but in an ideal world, that
would absolutely be a thing that

they could, you know, take a
look at some purchase history.

They could see, you know, combine it
with potential, platform searches or

you've been redeeming in the past,
and then also recognize how, there are

certain things that you've purchased
for your family outside of this thing

you're passionate about, outside of
F1, outside of, the World Cup, etc.,

and be able to curate.

it be, like, the full package, I
don't know that that's something

that, that could be fully attainable,
just like I said, because you need

to be able to balance segment size
with the return on investment.

But, I think, there's definitely
an opportunity where they…

If they can get you like 50% of the
way there, that's a game changer

Brandon Giella: I don't know
why you gotta poop on my party.

I mean, I'm really, I'm running
a perfect, idealized situation.

They should know me.

I feel like I support American
Express single-handedly with

the amount of formula I buy.

So I feel like they can hook
me up sometimes, you know?

Rachel Satow: We're just gonna

Brandon Giella: No, I'm with you.

Rachel Satow: to Am- American

Brandon Giella: I know.

Ashley Martinez: I know.

Yeah

Brandon Giella: CEO, Mrs.

CEO, help me, help me out

Ashley Martinez: the easy way brands
could do that is, I mean, we're all

wearing gear, merchandise, or a jersey.

Is there UC behavior you
purchase a ticket to event?

Or is there an offer that you
can curate that to something

that complements your trip?

So I mean, that can be on, on a scale, if
you wanna take it one step further, I'm

going on a family vacation to the beach.

Is there something that complements
maybe what I'm doing there?

But that, that concept can be applied
to sports for sure, as well as

merchandise and fandom is real- is
closely tied to, merchandise as well,

and jerseys and all those things.

But I, I think there's little things
that brands can do that are not

necessarily event or travel specific
related, but that complements the trip

Brandon Giella: That's right, totally.

So I, I think, I think where we're
going, if I, if I could have a takeaway

with this, it is that, the American
Express people, if you're listening,

I would like Toto Wolff to be my life
coach and surrogate father, and I really

want a signed Mercedes T-shirt by him
and Kimi Antonelli, and I want you to

fly me out to the next trip, to the
next race, 'cause I'm r- I'm ready.

I'm ready to go.

Rachel Satow: know, I don't think
you're asking for too much, truly.

Brandon Giella: No, absolutely not.

No.

I, I, I know exactly what I want, and
it's not that big a deal, you know?

I feel like they could make it happen.

No, I, I'm, I'm with you though.

I, I think, I think this year
is the year of sports travel.

It's something that I have seen
just anecdotally, watching friends

do different things, watching
ticket prices for different things.

I'm like, "Oh, that's kinda interesting.

I'm, I'm interested in that."

like going to the Masters
or something like that.

I could go see family
if I went and did that.

Or I thought about, going to the, Kentucky
Derby, 'cause we have family in Frankfurt,

you know, which would be really awesome
to go to Kentucky and see all that.

but yeah, but it's, it's just this, like,
really growing fandom, and I think it's

a huge opportunity for a lot of brands
to figure out how to put that easy button

together, which I know Switchfly, you
guys can help with in different ways.

And so really grateful you guys are,
are working on these things with big

brands and, yeah, it's, it's exciting to
see come together the rest of the year.

Any closing thoughts from Rachel, Ashley?

Anything else that we should talk about?

Rachel Satow: To recap this whole thing
is the, the game, the event may be the

reason that people are going, but the full
trip is what they're going to remember.

it's not going to just be, "Oh, I
spent two to four hours watching

this game, and I was there when
XYZ, you know, won the match."

It's I, you know The, the surrounding
aspects of that event are also going

to really, play into the memory there.

And so for, for travel and loyalty brands,
there's the, a huge opportunity to make

sure that fans can turn that live event,
can turn that, that match into something

that's a little easier, something
that's more personal, and something

that's just overall rewarding for them

Ashley Martinez: I need it
to be known I am a USA fan.

I'm, I'm a Messi fan, and so that is
why I'm wearing an Argentina jersey.

Brandon Giella: Same, apparently.

Ashley Martinez: put that out.

Brandon Giella: Same.

Ashley Martinez: I'm going to the
US, Australia game in Seattle,

so I just need to, to, to clarify

Brandon Giella: Okay.

Ashley Martinez: But I think at the end
of the day, these are once in a lifetime,

extremely memorable experiences.

and just as Rachel said, capitalizing
off the whole trip, maybe your team

doesn't win, but at the end of the
day, you know, what do you remember?

And that's, you know, we had a great
trip wherever we went, and we made

meaningful moments with family,
with friends, with new friends

that we met in our c- community.

So I th- I think that's really
the power of travel combined with

the power and passion of sports.

I mean, it's an, an incredible,
topic, and it definitely levels

up the experience and the trip.

So I'm extremely passionate about it.

Can't wait to tell you guys about
Seattle and about the World Cup.

It'll be my first World Cup game.

So as a, let's say, a player and
a fan, obviously in this industry,

and extremely a fan of, of both of
these topics, um, could not be more

excited, for this year of travel.

Brandon Giella: Can you imagine
for the 250th birthday of America,

the United States wins and you
were there with your family and got

to see, like, take part in that?

That would be so special.

Like, what would you pay to go do that?

Like, you know, that'd be so cool.

I would just … Anyway.

Ashley Martinez: You're gonna
make me emotional, Brennan.

I

Brandon Giella: A, a
girl can dream, you know?

yeah, I just, I think it'd be great.

Well, thanks so much,
for this conversation.

I'm very excited about your
travels this year to Monaco,

Rachel, and to Seattle, Ashley.

Very excited about, uh, to hear how it
goes, so we'll talk about it next time

Rachel Satow: Thanks, Brandon

Ashley Martinez: Thanks, Brianna