Navigate26: Live Updates from NYC

The “true north” of travel and expense (T&E) has shifted. Today, hundreds of architects of world-class T&E programs have gathered at The Glasshouse in New York City to stop reacting to industry shifts and start steering through them.

Bookmark this page. I’ll be here all day sharing real-time updates, unfiltered insights from our main stage, and a first look at the product innovations shaping a more intelligent future.

Want more updates? Follow @navan on X for up-to-the-minute highlights.

Live Updates

9:40 a.m. — State of the Industry

Speaker: Michael Sindicich, President, Navan

Michael set the tone for the day with a recap on the State of the Industry.

“For the past 7 years in a row, we’ve run a survey in tandem with Skift of thousands of business travelers and T&E managers,” he said. “And 90% of those surveyed agreed that meeting in person is always more effective than meeting virtually. The key word there is always.”

Michael also recapped this winter’s East Coast storms and how they drove an 82% spike in support chats. Our AI agent Ava:

• Handled 30K+ chats
• Resolved 55% without a human
• Kept CSAT at 80%+

“At Navan, we believe there should not be any excuse that there’s disruption happening in the world and we can support you,” he said.

9:30 a.m. — Welcome

Speaker: Ariel Cohen, Co-Founder & CEO, Navan

“This year was a pivotal year for Navan and the entire industry,” said Ariel, as he opened Navigate to a packed room. “First, we recently turned 11 — the same year that we took Navan public. It’s also the year that more customers have joined our platform than ever, in a pace that keeps accelerating.”

He continued: “Business travel is the most important part of running a business. .... We can no longer afford to use outdated systems and old models.”