Industry Speakers through Convention History

Through the past few decades of hosting our annual Convention, a range of speakers spanning various industry sectors have graced our stage. This summer marks the 50^th anniversary of GBTA Convention, and in order to celebrate, we have been sharing a series of Throwback Thursday (#TBT) posts looking back on our history.

Starting with the aviation and airline industry, the NBTA International Convention & Exposition in 2008 featured an airline CEO panel with former Air Canada President and CEO Montie Brewer, former British Airways CEO Willie Walsh, and former Delta Air Lines CEO Richard H. Anderson. Incidentally, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian joined us nearly ten years later at GBTA Convention 2017, along with Turkish Airlines Chairman Ilker Ayci who discussed his philosophy on handling difficult situations in the public eye.

In 2009, Southwest Airlines President & CEO Gary Kelly joined a panel with Larry Kellner, former Chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines, which ceased operations in 2012. The two discussed airline fees, capacity cuts, and the state of the aviation industry.

On the ground transportation front, Lyft Chief Business Officer David Baga and Dav El Chauffeured Transportation Network President and CEO Scott Solombrino tackled crucial questions about the future of the industry, including a possible future with driverless cars, during GBTA Convention 2016 in Denver. A year prior, former Zipcar President Kaye Ceille and Enterprise Holdings Chief Strategy Officer Greg Stubblefield took part in a panel on differentiating brands in the sharing economy.

As for hospitality, Airbnb Head of Business Travel David Holyoke, AccorHotels’ Markus Keller and NH Hotels CCO Fernando Vives participated in a 2017 panel on the evolution of the lodging industry and key strategies in driving success. In 2013, Best Western International President and CEO David Kong spoke on a panel about the power of value creation through branding and technology to challenge traditional business travel approaches.

Other notable industry speakers include former Expedia President and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Cvent Founder & CEO Reggie Aggarwal, Concur CEO Steve Singh, Expedia Chairman and Senior Executive Barry Diller, TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger, Carlson Wagonlit Travel CEO Doug Anderson, Google Director of Travel Partnerships Dave Pavelko, Travel Leaders Group Founder Michael Batt, and Amadeus North America CMO Scott Alvis.

Visit the GBTA Blog every Thursday for more throwback posts, and share your favorite Convention memories with us on Twitter by tagging @GlobalBTA.