Edyth Adedeji is Director of Sales, Los Angeles and Southwest Region at Delta Air Lines where she is responsible for developing and achieving Delta’s key strategic sales objectives across a mix of corporate and agency accounts headquartered primarily in California and Texas. Edyth joined Delta in 2010 as part of Delta’s Finance MBA rotational program…
It might have felt like déjà vu this past week as the world started to assess the fast-emerging news about the omicron variant. Earlier in the year, we faced the discovery of the delta variant and whose effects we are still tracking. New COVID-19 developments will likely continue for the foreseeable future and will demand our ongoing agility and resiliency. GBTA is staying agile, too. Out of an abundance of care and safety, working with our VDR partners In Europe, we made the decision to reschedule what would have been this week’s GBTA Europe Conference. (From the feedback we received, we know many of…
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I was all packed, I had a fresh haircut and was arranging my documentation for my trip to the GBTA Conference, Berlin in partnership with VDR when bigmouth COVID struck again and the Conference was postponed. I am disappointed, but I know that the conference will be excellent come this spring. And, who doesn’t want to be in…
In her role as a Business Rental Sales Director for Enterprise Holdings, Molly manages a sales team who focuses on helping organizations innovate and explore mobility solutions for their organizations, lower their total cost of ownership and drive employee engagement. Molly started her career with Enterprise Holdings as a Management Trainee in Orlando, Florida. After…
We are reminded this week that nothing is easy or predictable with regards to getting to the other side of this pandemic. Lessons on the return of business travel which were part of the lineup for the GBTA European Conference 2021 in Berlin in partnership with VDR, originally scheduled for next week, will now have to wait…
As regions and governments around the world assess the potential impact of the fast-emerging omicron variant, and therefore what actions to take, GBTA continues to encourage a clear, consistent and thoughtful approach, especially in terms of keeping country borders open to travelers. GBTA supports that any actions taken should focus on vaccination or recovery status…
Leslie draws upon over 20 years of expertise in all facets of the Hospitality Industry and Higher Education. She has been asked to serve in various leadership capacities from leading travel programs to Academic Dean for an International school. Currently, Leslie is Director of Travel Category for JLL, as well as an ad hoc Professional…
Fresh from the GBTA Convention in Orlando last week, I am still processing many of the amazing moments. Coming back together truly reinforces the power and value of meeting in person. Feedback that kept coming up in discussions with Convention attendees last week centered around quality. Quality of the content featuring important topics for our industry right now. Quality in the education programs offered across all levels. And quality in the meetings held on the Expo floor and in the hallways. Many education sessions…
Business travel is on the road to recovery, as evidenced by the forecasts, insights and turnout at the Global Business Travel Association’s 2021 Convention held last week in Orlando, FL. After navigating months of pandemic-related planning, the event—the world’s largest business travel expo annually—attracted over 3,500 registered professionals from more than 20 countries, and featured 170+ travel industry and expert speakers, 50 education sessions and 200+ exhibitors. The state of the industry, the future…
Business travel recovery in 2021 proceeded at a slower, more cautionary pace than expected from a year ago. However, global business travel spending is expected to surge in 2022 with full recovery expected in 2024–ending the year on pace with the 2019 pre-pandemic spend of $1.4 trillion, and a year sooner than previously forecast. This…
Business travel recovery in 2021 proceeded at a slower, more cautionary pace than expected, particularly across Western Europe where business travel underperformed compared to other markets across the world. This is according to European-specific data from the latest business travel index–the BTI™ Outlook, from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel…
I wasn’t sure what I’d be feeling on the eve of this 2021 GBTA Convention. The GBTA Team is here in Orlando, connecting, collaborating and putting on the finishing touches as we get ready to welcome thousands of business travel industry colleagues, partners and friends after nearly a 2 ½ year pause for the pandemic….
In the first of this series of podcasts, GBTA Meetings Committee members introduce and discuss the four goals set out at COP26 and how they relate to the meetings and events industry. This high level review will set the scene for further discussions in the coming weeks where GBTA Meetings Committee members will explore each…
Being an event, conference or meeting professional is an especially challenging role these days. At GBTA, we understand firsthand what the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) sector has been navigating. Our plate has been full restarting our own in-person conferences now in Q4 on a regional basis – including in Canada, the US and Europe – as well as planning for 2022 to restart the topical meetings that were put on hold for over two years. There is a lot of pent-up…
Anticipation is hitting me on so many levels. The U.S. House of Representatives may or may not vote on both the bi-partisan hard infrastructure AND the Build Back Better (BBB) plan on Thursday evening…I am writing this at 3:30 PM Thursday November 4 – its now 8:30 am Friday and they say a vote is happening…
Anticipation is hitting me on so many levels. The U.S. House of Representatives may or may not vote on both the bi-partisan hard infrastructure AND the Build Back Better (BBB) plan on Thursday evening…I am writing this at 3:30 PM Thursday November 4 – its now 8:30 am Friday and they say a vote is happening…
Last week I joined GBTA’s VP of Government Relations, Shane Downey, for an event in Washington, D.C. featuring U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen, Chair of the Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade and Export Promotion. We were able to grab a few minutes with Senator Rosen to talk more about the proposed omnibus bill — the Travel and Tourism Act, aka the “TourBus” aimed at helping the industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. This came on the…
Marilyn Markham is the Head of the Salesforce Centre of Excellence at American Express Global Business Travel (GBT). In her role, she builds the operational platform necessary to enable modern digital experiences to manage travel for colleagues, business travelers and travel managers. Marilyn moved from London, UK, in 2018 to work in GBT’s New York…
What do you value? What do you worry about? We’re listening. Recently over 500 members made their voices heard in a survey about in-person attendance at the GBTA Convention next month. Many shared their enthusiasm: “I need to connect with my prospects and partners in person and drive business along.” “Getting back to travel and seeing what the breakout sessions will offer as we work to find our…
Well well here we are, all looking forward to meeting in person current business partners and new ones in Orlando! And Please don’t think convention is all about networking and business opportunities, the Convention is where you learn about the latest trends, tools and thought leadership in the outstanding education sessions and GBTA Main Stage….
Optimistic signs of return and tangible recovery in the business travel sector could be seen over the past month. In the latest poll from The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), half (52%) of industry respondents reported more optimism compared to September. October also saw an increase to 66% of those polled who said their companies…
Education. Training. Professional Development. Upskilling. Learning. No matter what you call it, it matters and especially in these changing times. It not only benefits our professional journey and careers but also our personal growth. Education programming has always been a cornerstone of GBTA’s mission and value, delivering leading programs by and for members and…
Today, the Biden Administration announced its new travel policy that beginning November 8 foreign national air travelers can enter the United States with the requirement that they be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their vaccination status to fly to the U.S. Fully vaccinated travelers will continue to be required to show a pre-departure negative test taken within…
Through the twists and turns that have marked the past 19 months, we’ve all continued to navigate to what’s next. For GBTA, that includes how to host an annual convention that re-connects the global business travel industry, safely and responsibly, after a break of over two years amid a lingering pandemic. Last week we all got some positive news. The Biden Administration announced the lifting of COVID-19-related travel restrictions beginning November 8 for fully…
Allison Ausband is Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Experience Officer for Delta Air Lines. She previously served as Senior Vice President — In-Flight Service, leading a team of 24,000 flight attendants, supervisory and support personnel around the globe, as well as Delta’s onboard global food and beverage operation and experience. Her key responsibilities included…
Education, learning and professional development sometimes don’t get the credit they deserve for how much they do to inform, inspire, engage and advance us. But at GBTA, they are not unsung heroes–they are the stars. When it comes to volume, breadth and relevancy, GBTA takes deep pride in leading the industry in year-round learning and…
It is the end of the first week of October! So many things are coming up, Canadian Workshops, GBTA Convention, U.S. Thanksgiving, the best day of the year, GBTA Conference Europe 2021 and Christmas! I will happily send you my letter to Santa. BUT before we get there, we must first finish the Politics of Travel. As for the…
Born in Germany and based out of Mexico, Maren Hanschke brings with her more than 20 years of travel industry experience, specializing in Business Travel and Global TMC´s. She graduated with a Business Management Degree at the Universidad Iberoamericana Golfo Centro in Puebla, Mexico and is fluent in 3 Languages. Consolidating and structuring the FCM…
English 
Spanish 
French 
Portuguese