GBTA | Michigan Annual Meeting & Tradeshow

Join us at the GBTA | Michigan Annual Meeting and Trade Show for an unparalleled experience of educational excellence and dynamic networking opportunities! This year’s event is packed with rich and immersive education sessions designed to elevate your industry knowledge. Connect with key players in the travel industry during our mini trade show to get to know vendors and their offerings on a more one on one level. Enhance your expertise, forge valuable connections and stay ahead and in the know of industry trends. We look forward to seeing you there!

Speakers:
Cory Garner:CEO, Garner
Cory Garner, the is a leading travel technology innovator who spent much of his 25-year career at American Airlines. His strategic contributions spanned distribution, travel agency incentives, and corporate customer programs. Cory pioneered American’s NDC strategy and played a pivotal role in shaping the International Air Transport Association’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard. His work facilitated global adoption of new technologies, empowering airlines to reduce costs and drive new revenue while providing consumers with the ability to compare airline products more easily. As CEO of Garner, Cory continues to drive digital transformation for his corporate travel manager, travel seller, travel technology company, and airline clients. Cory was recently announced as the subscriber voted Keynote Speaker for the 2024 “The Beat Live” event on December 3, 2024!

Will Tate: Partner, GoldSpring Consulting
Will Tate is owner and partner at GoldSpring Consulting. He began his career at Ernst & Young. Will moved to Dresser Industries where he led global operational and financial audits across 30 countries. He then served as global travel manager for Dresser, consolidating a global travel spend of $100+million. In 2000, Will joined Management Alternatives, Inc., where he served as senior vice president and also developed a software solution to quantify the effectiveness of travel management programs in a multi-dimensional format.

A thought leader and sought-out expert in the travel industry, Will frequently moderates and speaks at industry events. He has taught many industry courses and co-authored the GBTA course “Fundamentals of Business Travel Management.” Will is a Certified Public Accountant and received his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Texas Tech University.

Hank Benedetti: Chief Commercial Officer, Blockskye
Hank Benedetti is the Chief Commercial Officer of Blockskye, a company focused on transforming the technology that powers the business travel industry through the use of blockchain and artificial intelligence. Previous to Blockskye, he concluded a successful career as American Airlines Global Head of Corporate Sales. In this role, he led American’s sales efforts worldwide for all major customer and distributor segments including Global/Fortune 100, Small/Medium Business and Global Retail travel agencies.

Hank’s contributions to the travel industry were recognized by being awarded the Global Business Travel Association’s Supplier Member of the Year, a distinction awarded to only two other airline executives. He has served on numerous industry advisory boards and been a featured speaker at industry conferences in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Agenda: 

8:30am: Registration, Breakfast Networking, & Trade Show  

9:30am: Welcome Announcements

9:40am: Enterprise Mobility Presentation

9:50am: Airline Distribution Update

 Presented by: Cory Garner
Join industry strategist Cory Garner for a comprehensive update on airline distribution. Garner will provide a recap of the latest strategic shifts by major airlines and offer a forward-looking analysis of the industry trajectory through the lens of corporate travel. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of recent developments and an informed perspective on future trends.

10:50 am:  GBTA | Michigan Business Meeting

11:20am: Frosch Presentation

11:30am: Emerging Trends: Data

Presented by: Will Tate
The 10 most important business travel trends for upcoming years! Using data can be a powerful tool for both Buyers & Suppliers, let’s discuss! 

12:30pm: Lunch, Networking, and Expo Tables

Lunch Co-Sponsor:
Make good use of this time and visit our exhibitors. Connect with old friends and be sure you find a new member or guest to expand your network!

2:00pm: United Presentation

2:10pm: How Blockchain & AI Benefit Corporate Travel

Presented by Hank Benedetti:
The business travel ecosystem has been underpinned by technology that relies on a GDS serving as the hub of connectivity and information for suppliers, customers and buyers.  But what if we were to start over with today’s newest technology including blockchain and artificial intelligence??  Hank Benedetti will guide us through a thought-provoking exercise on how today’s technology can enhance connectivity, data, reporting and payments between suppliers and buyers.

3:15pm: Conclusion & Prize Drawings

Networking Reception:

A complimentary reception will be held on the evening prior (Wed, Sept 25) at the Embassy Suites and we hope lots of our locals can attend along with those coming in a day early and overnighting. Anyone can attend just this event, but still must register a ticket for the event. 

Note: If you’re local and cannot make the meeting on Thursday, please come out and enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. 

Beverage Bevy:

Lets the beverage fun begin! Bring out your creative side, and contribute your favorite, or a fun beverage of your choice to the bevy!  The Government Committee is proud of the success of this fundraising opportunity, and funds earned at this event are the primary source of support for the annual contribution to GBTA’s work in Washington, DC. Your active participation in this exciting event is encouraged and gratefully appreciated.

Drawing tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20.00. For every item contributed to the auction, you will receive ONE FREE ENTRY. The Gov’t Committee can accept cash or credit card.