The 6th annual Asia-Pacific Education Conference was hosted in Singapore by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives bringing together over 400 business travel industry leaders from 22 countries, with a large number of delegates from China and India. This is ACTE largest event ever in the region, representing a 20% increase in registrations over 2006.

Starting as a Training Workshop in 2002, this event evolved into a full conference program beginning in 2005.
This Asia-Pacific Education Conference has become a global conference within a regional context, said Susan Gurley, ACTE`s Executive Director. We have representatives from 8 countries outside the Asia-Pacific region and we are excited to see the rest of the world has recognized the growth and importance of the Asia-Pacific region to the overall welfare of the business travel industry.

Ed Cohen, Senior Vice President of the India headquartered Satyam School of Leadership and Satyam Computer Services, Ltd., wowed the General Session with his keynote presentation, Traverse the Divide. Dr. Cohen`s discussed how businesses in today`s borderless global marketplace face unprecedented challenges, requiring them to revive innovation by utilizing tactics for empowering a diversified workforce operating in different countries, cultures and time zones. This was an important topic for the large delegation of Indian representives.

The `Industry Roundtable: Corporate Chat`, was a highly interactive discussion centered on setting realistic product & service expectations which can be delivered by suppliers. The Roundtables offered almost 100 corporate buyers a channel to exchange views in a facilitated environment.

Murray Hogarth a leading environmentalist addressed the General Session. His presentation, Climate Control – Reduce CO2 Emissions Now, examined the question of CO2 emissions in travel, and its link to rising temperatures. Hogarth discussed the need to re-engineer the energy economy of the world in the coming decades to avoid an environmental crisis.

The next Asia-Pacific Executive Forum event will be held 13 September in Shanghai which will focus on `Building Blocks of Sourcing and Programme Management.`