“Balance” is the theme of this year’s Global Business Travel Association 2016 convention, expected to draw nearly 7,000 attendees to Denver, July 16-20. The theme is a nod to today’s business travel environment in which corporate programs must balance priorities amid changing demographics, technologies and travel platforms. Today’s travel buyers must manage costs while also increasing traveler satisfaction. They have to find ways to comply with duty of care requirements, even as the definition of “risky” destinations broadens to traditionally “safe” business travel markets.
At GBTA, you’ll have a chance to ask BCD Travel and Advito experts what you can do to achieve greater balance in your company’s travel program. Discover their insights. Learn from their industry knowledge. Here’s a list of where you’ll find the experts, including links to help you prep for the show.
Developing the Strategy in Strategic Meetings Management
July 18, 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Shimon Avish, meetings and events expert and global account director, BCD Meetings & Events
Learn the essential elements of a strategic meetings management program, including program scope, service configuration, in-sourcing vs. outsourcing planning and sourcing services. The session, developed by the GBTA Meetings Committee, will cover which global markets to implement—and in which order. It’s a step beyond the basics to forming a well-developed strategy for meetings management.
#travelingsafelywithoutcompromisingsecurity – Social Media and Technology Best Practices
July 18, 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Kathy Bedell, travel risk management expert and senior vice president, BCD Travel
Explore the risks travelers and companies face when employees go on the road. How can you help employees use social media responsibly, protect corporate intellectual property and safeguard data assets while traveling for business? Attend this session to better understand the risks and how a company can manage and mitigate them.
Managing Travel Risk—Take Control of Your Travelers’ Safety and Security
July 18, 9-10 a.m.
Kathy Bedell, travel risk management expert and senior vice president, BCD Travel
Get the scoop on updates to the TRM3™ self-assessment tool for managing travel risks. The GBTA Foundation led a task force of industry experts that updated the tool, which now assesses each key performance area of a travel risk management program in greater detail. The new TRM3 can help guide efficient, effective improvement across multiple process disciplines within an organization. During this session, industry leaders who worked on the update will walk attendees through the new features and benefits of the tool.
July 18, 9-10 a.m.
Olivier Benoit, air expert and practice area leader, Advito
The airline RFP process is complex, time-consuming and lacks standardization—a frustrating experience for travel buyers and suppliers. GBTA’s EMEA and North America aviation committees have worked together to streamline the process by designing a global RFP template that will guide all stakeholders: buyers, airlines and consultants. In this session, the panel will share the rationale and benefits of adopting this new, standardized set of documents, including an air RFP proposal template, air data pack template and air RFP guidelines template.
How the Sharing Economy Is Redefining the Business Traveler Experience
July 18, 9-10 a.m.
Karen Dekanter, business development director, BCD Meetings & Events
Business travelers demand consumer sharing economy solutions, such as ride sharing, to work for business trips, too. How can your corporate program ensure travelers’ safety while satisfying their expectations for these mobile-driven options? In this session, you’ll get ahead of the trends redefining the business traveler experience. You’ll also learn how to capitalize on sharing economy opportunities to boost program performance and keep travelers happy and productive.
Buyers Only: 50 Shades of Distribution…You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
July 18, 9-10 a.m.
Kim Kearns, supplier relations expert and senior director, BCD Travel
How can you keep up with travel industry distribution channels and the impact they can have on your travel program? In this “buyers only” working session, you’ll gain a tangible resource for dynamic collaboration with
your suppliers. Walk away with a tool that that enables you not only to identify your current distribution platform, but also see opportunities in today’s ever-evolving distribution channels.
July 18, 9-10 a.m.
Teri Miller, senior vice president of global client management, BCD Travel
Representatives from corporate travel programs, travel management companies and hotels will discuss the benefits and challenges of “glocalization.” Learn how to customize a global hotel program to address the local nuances of your business. Experts will explore how adaptation, integration, and the use of data and travel technology can shape a successful global-and-local approach.
July 19, 10-11 a.m.
Miriam Moscovici, director of emerging technologies, BCD Travel
Business travel experts and a technology futurist will square off in a session designed by you. The audience picks the topics; the experts lead a thought-provoking discussion. Likely points of discussion: behavioral economics, artificial intelligence and other hot tech trends having an impact on business travel management. The experts will offer their prognostications for what’s ahead for the rest of this year and beyond.
The Tiger and the Dragon: Expanding Global Travel Programs in India and China
July 19, 10-11 a.m.
John Dale, Asia-Pacific market expert and senior vice president, BCD Travel
Combined, India and China represent 25% of the total global business travel spend and are among the fastest-growing economies in the world. But expanding your global travel program to these countries requires an awareness of cultural differences; an understanding of the complexities of doing business there; and knowledge of industry product and content availability. Attend this session to gain expert insights into how to implement in India and China with success.
Mind the Gap – The Present and Future of Travel Tracking
July 19, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Jim Walker, travel data expert and vice president, BCD Travel
Successfully tracking and locating your travelers depends on timely and accurate travel reservation and traveler data. Your traveler-tracking tool is only as good as your data, which comes from multiple sources—including nontraditional feeds from shared economy providers. Panel experts will discuss the implications of incomplete and incorrect travel data. They’ll explain how to identify data gaps that can reduce the effectiveness of your travel tracking. Discover how travel data best practices can boost program performance.
Buyers Only: Creating Your Own Traveler Engagement Roadmap
July 20, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Lesley O’Bryan, traveler engagement expert and practice area lead, Advito
Join a hands-on working session to discover how the right traveler engagement strategy can help your company drive down travel costs, increase policy compliance, improve the traveler experience, and meet underlying business objectives. Hear from industry peers about how their own traveler engagement roadmaps worked. You’ll leave with a printed-and-bound guidebook detailing your goals, communication channels and traveler engagement roadmap. Please note this is a Buyers Only session.
