GBTA Launches Chapter in Italy

London (3 July 2018) The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry – today announced that it is launching a chapter in Italy.

Established in response to demand from the local market, the chapter will provide education, resources and networking opportunities to business travel professionals. According to GBTA BTI™ Outlook – Annual Global Report & Forecast, Italy spent $33.3 billion on business travel in 2017, making it the 9th largest business travel market globally and 4th in Europe. This spend is anticipated to grow steadily to a level of $44.8 billion by 2021.

“As GBTA’s global reach increases, Italy is our next step for expansion,” said Christle Johnson, GBTA President. “As we celebrate 50 years as an organisation in 2018, GBTA’s momentum continues as we work to bring travel buyers and suppliers together and connect markets across the world.”

The mission of the chapter is to elevate the role of the travel manager and maximize the travel manager’s benefit to their organization through the provision of education, networking and resources.

“We are thrilled to be launching this chapter in Europe,” said Catherine McGavock, Regional Vice President of GBTA for EMEA. “Italy is a significant business travel market and consultation with leading buyers and suppliers in the region has revealed a huge appetite for the benefits an association like GBTA can bring.”

“As a long-term member of GBTA I know the value of a GBTA chapter in Italy,” Flavio Ghiringhelli, member of the GBTA Europe Advisory Board and Country Manager for Emirates. “I am excited about the potential for education and networking that this brings along with the potential to elevate the role of the travel manager and best practices within the sector. We have established an excellent Advisory Board, which is guiding the strategy and content of the chapter in Italy.”

The Advisory Board includes:

Cesare Belosi, FCA Services S.P.A

Flavio Ghiringhelli, Emirates

Delia Lorenzi, Calzedonia Group

Monica Mautino, FCO Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Fabio Piersantini, Leonardo Global Solutions S.p.A.

Davide Rosi, BCD Travel Italia

Raffaela Rossi, TandEM – Travel and Events Management

Guiseppe Viesti, Salvatore Ferragamo

The chapter will host its first event, the GBTA Italia Conference in Milan on 9 October 2018. For more information, please visit gbta.org.

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 9,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA delivers world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives lasting business growth, visit gbta.org.