Check-In with Suzanne

Coming Back and Setting the Stage for Global Business Travel 

Being back together as an industry at the GBTA Convention 2022 last week in San Diego marked a lot of memorable moments and firsts, not only for GBTA but for so many of you as well. Our Convention always represents the confluence of the global business travel industry, but this year it also served as the catalyst for looking to what’s next for our members, industry and association.

As we continue to move forward, an important focus for GBTA will be using our platform to focus on tough-to-solve but important issues like sustainability and DEI, while continuing to provide the key fundamentals for business travel, meetings management and travel managers. Times change, our industry changes and so do the travelers we serve – an inclusive approach to purpose, people and planet will be critical for us all.

Last week also marked the debut of our new GBTA brand that sets the course for GBTA and its members to grow in all the right ways in the coming years … as the platform for community, learning and advocacy. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to check out our newly revamped website and unveiling of our new brand at Convention to learn more about what we see as GBTA’s new foundation for our future.  
 
Coming next, we’re gearing up to connect with you around the world, including the WINiT Gala in New York City in October, the GBTA Europe Conference in partnership with VDR and first-ever GBTA Sustainability Summit in Brussels in November, and partnering with PATA for the APAC Travel Summit in Bangkok in December. Our GBTA Convention 2022 may be “in the books,” but it certainly isn’t the end to the story. 

Suzanne 

News to Know:

Betting on Corporate Travel Is Risky Business

Surprise! Business travel is back with the potential to be better than ever, at least according to some hotel executives. But with other companies watching their expenses, the boom may not last. Hotel companies report business travel within two segments: business transient, for an individual business traveler; and group, for many travelers requiring rooms and a meeting space. In 2019, those two segments together represented 75% and 57% of the total business mix for Hilton Worldwide Holdings and Marriott International, respectively. That shows just how key the corporate travel picture is to lodging. 

How we’re all travelling ‘better’ – and what it means for TMCs

Travelling for business is generally hard work; it always has been. For several years we’ve been talking about the impact of travel on employees and how tough travel schedules – and stringent travel policies – translate into staff attrition. And then came the pandemic, ushering in the dawn of hybrid working and prompting swathes of once regular business travellers to assess work/life balance. In turn, Covid-19 forced organisations to look much more closely at traveller wellbeing and review their duty of care policies.

GBTA News and Reminders:

Fundamentals of Business Travel Management

Designed as a comprehensive guide to the key areas of managed travel, GBTA’s Fundamentals curriculum includes a full range of topics including safety, policy, trends, performance, and more. Participants in this course gain a better understanding of business travel management and make themselves indispensable to the business travel needs of their organization. The program covers 7 modules and includes 4 two-hour live sessions with an instructor. Participants will need to complete a recorded session and prep work prior to each virtual session.