When it comes to smart communities, mobility is usually in terms of people, vehicles, freight or information and how it flows through and around the community, but what about money?
After all money makes the world go round!
Understanding how vehicles and people move provides valuable insights for town planners, traffic managers, engineers and community leaders.
But knowing how credit and debit transactions move around –who is spending, how did they obtain information to make purchasing decisions, why are they spending, and on what – becomes priceless in defining economic strategy for a city, town or region.
Mastercard Vice President and Group Head, Market Insights, Sarah Quinlan, is one of the head-line international speakers at this year’s LGAQ Future Cities Summit and will be presenting on how cash and credit transactions are being used to develop local tourism strategies.
With a focus on Mastercard data and analytics, the presentation provides insights in the development of local or regional strategies and the importance of a digital presence.
For example, 85% of leisure travellers decide on activities only after arriving at their destination, information that underscores the need to continuously communicate through digital channels.
Digital travel data is an untapped opportunity because consumers are turning to dozens of sites, search engines and social media during their travel journey. The data that is generated is valuable – if you know how to use it.
Ms Quinlan runs a team that analyzes and predicts spending patterns based on the billions of anonymous purchases Mastercard processes every year to create solutions that help clients make better business decisions.
She is widely recognized as an expert in her field and appears regularly in the media including CNBC, the Associated Press, Fox Business Network, Bloomberg TV, the Times of London, The Daily Telegraph, and Women's Wear Daily (WWD). She is also a frequent speaker at prominent industry conferences such as the Financo CEO Forum, Milken Institute summit, WWD CEO Summit and 100 Women in Hedge Funds.
Ms Quinlan’s presentation should be one of the highlights at the conference.