I’ve long been a fan of Barry Diller, so when he walked onto the Phocuswright Centre Stage in San Diego, 20 years after his last appearance, I was all agog with anticipation – as were the delegates in the room.

Let’s just say it was the most packed session of the three-day event.

And so it should be.

At 83 years old, the executive who entertained the world with Hollywood hits, the entrepreneur who foresaw the first inkling of commerce through the screen at the age of 49, the leader who kept faith with travel through the darkest days of September 11, the philanthropist who gave New York two of its most enduring attractions, High Line and Little Island, deserves attention – not only for his business acumen but his personal courage in telling all in his book, “Who Knew”.

I had listened to the audiobook, which I highly recommend, so I knew his life story – and yes you can watch the video of his interview – but there’s nothing like being in the room and watching Diller field questions with ease and humour, speak with aplomb and confidence and essentially, tell the truth as he sees it.

I had seen him in action before, of course, speaking at previous Expedia Group’s EXPLORE events in Las Vegas and a few things he had said over the years still stick with me.

Read the full story here