GBTA and VDR Kick Off Annual Business Travel Conference In Munich

Munich, Germany – (November 19, 2019) The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) — the voice of the global business travel industry – and German business travel buyer association VDR, today launched its GBTA Conference 2019 in partnership with VDR.

The conference, taking place 19-21 November at the Messe Convention Center, Munich brings together more than 1,000+ delegates, 95+ industry speakers and 50+ exhibitors from around the globe. This year’s theme, Evolve, is designed to address the changing role of the travel buyer as emerging technologies transform the modern managed travel experience.

The conference was opened by Christophe Carnier and Bhart Sarin incoming Presidents for VDR and GBTA respectively.

Delegates attending the conference and new to the industry were invited to participate in a The Fundamentals of Business Travel Management™, a GBTA course dedicated for beginners in the industry, and designed to coincide with conference to maximise their ROI whilst out of the office.

The conference opened with a key note from former Head of the British Security Service. Baroness Manningham-Buller reflected on the experience gained reshaping the security service to meet the demands of the new world and the importance of effective leadership in times of change, sharing insight into what happened in the wake of 9/11 and the growing threat from Al-Qaeda.

Educational sessions during the afternoon were topical and interactive covering a range of subjects including traveller engagement and a travellers journey from a buyers perspective, digital innovations, sustainable travel programmes, and an update on the latest GBTA BTI outlook, looking at the business travel forecast for 2019 – 2023.

“We are delighted to be here in Munich for what promises to be our most successful event to date. Our programme tracks the different ways in which the world around us and the industry has evolved and more importantly how travel managers must respond to this evolution to continue to be relevant; effective and deliver value to their organisations,” said Catherine Logan, Regional VP – EMEA, GBTA.

“The role of travel managers has changed dramatically in recent years. Today we see digital process managers occupying a sensitive interface between revenue management, sustainability, compliance and geopolitical security risks. An essential part of their day-to-day work is to align the company’s needs with the individual needs of travelers. We are addressing these needs and requirements of a modern travel and mobility management with this year’s joint conference“, said Hans-Ingo Biehl, Executive Director of VDR.

For more information about the GBTA Europe Conference 2019 go to https://www.gbta.org/europeconference

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.

 

About VDR

The German Business Travel Association VDR is the business travel association in Germany. It represents the interests of German business enterprises with regard to the framework and competitive conditions for business travel and mobility. The VDR is committed to efficient, economical, safe and worldwide travel opportunities for companies. With its more than 560 member companies, it stands for a total turnover in the business travel sector of more than twelve billion euros annually.

CONTACT: Nikki Stimson +44 (0)7764 618199 nstimson@gbta.org