Nine innovators recently competed for a spot on the Expo Floor at GBTA Convention 2017 during the multi-faceted Innovation Series. The interactive program enabled innovators to present their pitch to a panel of judges and participants who, at the end of the webinar, selected a winner to move on and exhibit on the all-new Innovation…
Please join us in congratulating the following members, who have been nominated to run for positions on the GBTA Board of Directors. Candidate platform statements will be sent to all GBTA Members in the coming weeks. The Board consists of thirteen (13) Members comprised of the President, Vice President, Immediate Past President/Chairman of the Board,…
As commerce and travel restrictions are further eased, business travel from the U.S. to Cuba is increasing. According to the Havana Consulting Group, which monitors business trends in Cuba, the number of Americans who traveled to Cuba increased 77 percent in 2015 from the prior year. In 2016, one million people visited Cuba, up nearly…
Airmule, Mezi and GlobeChat recently went head-to-head in the first round of the Innovation Series, a series of webinars in which each innovator presents their pitch for a chance to exhibit on the all-new Innovation Row at GBTA Convention 2017. The Innovation Series and Innovation Row are sponsored by Travel Leaders Group, as they share…
In light of recent incidents, we are seeing some positive developments with changes in policy related to denied boarding compensation and operational use of security personnel. However, something that was clearly missing from today’s House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on customer service was the voice of the business traveler. We do hope to see…
Imagine your next business trip: you’re in a foreign city with little or no understanding of the native language. You simply want to grab a bite to eat so you head to a restaurant, only to realize that you can’t understand the menu. You take your phone out, point your camera at the menu, and…
At GBTA’s Legislative Summit last year, we unveiled our new Rules of the Road to optimize business travel. GBTA mobilized its members to create this declaration of travel reform to guide industry, business leaders and policy makers in creating a travel ecosystem that fosters growth, jobs, safety and efficiency around the globe. The Rules of the…
John Wagner, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations for Customs and Border Protection provided an overview of the new biometric exit model at the 15th Annual GBTA Legislative Summit, an event that brings more than 100 travel professionals to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers to share opinions on key issues. Wagner told…
Steve Yonkers, Director of Identity and Credentialing, Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Policy, Screening Coordination Office spoke about REAL ID issues at the 15th Annual GBTA Legislative Summit, an event that brings more than 100 travel professionals to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers to share opinions on key issues. Yonkers provided background on…
Simone Davis, Executive DHS Liaison Officer, Transportation Security Administration spoke about TSA PreCheck at the 15th Annual GBTA Legislative Summit, an event that brings more than 100 travel professionals to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers to share opinions on key issues. Davis discussed the intelligence driven risk-based security system with attendees. She stated that…
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a strong supporter of the business travel industry spoke to a crowded room late Tuesday at the 15th Annual GBTA Legislative Summit, an event that brings more than 100 travel professionals to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers to share opinions on key issues. Senator Klobuchar discussed how important tourism is…
Thanks to the internet as an intermediary, the sharing economy has connected millions of individuals looking for alternatives to traditional services. The home-sharing marketplace, in particular, has evolved at such a rapid pace that some travel managers have yet to assess the benefits and risks of allowing such properties in their travel policy. Industry leaders…
*The following is a guest blog post from GBTA Ladders Leadership members Allison Davis, Manager, Marketing Communications, Ultramar Travel Management and Lauren Wolters, Director of Marketing, Cornerstone Information Systems.* One needs only read recent headlines to know that the business travel industry is one of constant change, disruptive innovation, increased productivity and an engine of…
*The following message was originally sent as an email to GBTA Members.* GBTA has more than 750 volunteers across 39 groups worldwide that actively contribute to the success of the association and the business travel industry. Our volunteers have continuously lent their time, talent and voice around the world in working to improve our industry….
Former Executive Director and CTO of Lonely Planet, Gus Balbontin will deliver a keynote address at the upcoming btTB 2017 to be held on 2-3 May 2017 in Sydney. Gus will take the stage near the close of day one for his keynote presentation: Business Disruption: The Stories of Business Transformation in the Ever Reinventing…
According to BBC, Emirates will reduce flights to five U.S. cities starting next month due to weaker demand for U.S. travel. An Emirates spokesperson said, “The recent actions taken by the US government relating to the issuance of entry visas, heightened security vetting and restrictions on electronic devices in aircraft cabins have had a direct…
In just a few short weeks, the inaugural btTB Conference in partnership with GBTA will kick off at the Royal Randwick in Sydney. In late 2016, GBTA announced its partnership with btTB to officially launch at the upcoming conference on 2nd and 3rd May 2017 as our organizations join forces to deliver a host of…
Last week, GBTA announced former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director and General David Petraeus (U.S. Army, Ret.) as a featured speaker at GBTA Convention 2017, July 15 – 19 in Boston. General Petraeus will deliver a short speech, followed by a one-on-one interview at Convention Arena on Monday, July 17. His appearance is made possible…
GBTA prides itself on being the leader in delivering high-quality education designed to power the careers of business travel professionals at every level. Given that over half of our convention attendees and so many of our members engage with meetings as part of their job responsibilities, we wanted to design a new program focused on…
According to The Hill, an FCC chairman has called for blocking the proposal that would allow in-flight cell phone calls by passengers. TechCrunch provided an in-depth look at why airlines overbook their flights, in light of the United incident. Home-sharing properties are allowed in one out of every six travel policies (17 percent), but more…
We are only 96 days out from GBTA Convention 2017, where nearly 7,000 business travel professionals from around the world will be gathering in Boston for state-of-the-art education, exclusive networking opportunities and news on the latest innovations in the industry. Don’t miss out on the business travel event of the year!
On Wednesday, Brexit’s Article 50 was triggered, beginning the two-year countdown to the official separation of the UK and the EU. Following last week’s electronics ban, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) broke its silence on the matter. According to Buying Business Travel, IATA has called on governments to find alternatives to restrictions of electronics,…
The RFP has been a staple of the business travel industry for many years, but a lack of standardization can cause frustration and headaches for parties on both ends. Suppliers are often faced with unrealistic timelines and wishlists, while buyers are daunted by the time-consuming and complex process involving inconsistency between RFPs for different suppliers. In order to…
The sharing of transportation and accommodation services facilitated through companies such as Lyft, Uber and Airbnb, has massively transformed leisure travel. Peer-to-peer services use technology to match travelers with service providers, offering greater flexibility, ease of use and often increased value for money. Now that the shared economy services have reached a wide level of…
According to Business Traveller, new biometric gates are being trialed at Heathrow International Airport to speed up the screening process. The same source reports faster security screening machines are being used at United’s Newark terminal in efforts to cut delays. A new GBTA Foundation study, in partnership with AIG Travel, revealed opportunity exists for travel…
*The following message was originally sent as an email to GBTA Members.* The clocks have sprung ahead and while the days are getting longer, the countdown to GBTA Convention 2017 is getting shorter. I am pleased to share that our Monday luncheon speaker at Convention Arena will be former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director and…
*The GBTA EU Hotel Committee contributed the following blog post.* Do you know the most often-used methods for hotel program savings calculation in Europe? The GBTA Foundation conducted a survey in Europe to investigate how European travel buyers are calculating hotel savings. Based on the survey results, the GBTA EU Hotel Committee created a resource…
On March 6, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order called “Executive Order Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry to the United States.” The White House issued the order largely in response to court challenges made against another Executive Order signed on January 27. As we noted in an earlier blog post, the effective…
According to CNN Money, the Trump administration announced new security restrictions on Tuesday, in what is being called an electronics ban. Passengers flying from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa are barred from bringing electronics larger than a smartphone into cabins for U.S.-bound flights. The UK shortly followed suit, announcing similar restrictions….
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