The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) will hold its first education event in Moscow. The Executive Forum, At the Forefront of Business Travel in Russia, will take place on 3 April at the Hilton Leningradskaya. The event is relevant to corporate representatives (buyers and administrators of travel), suppliers of corporate travel and visa services in Russia.

“ACTE is pleased to hold its first education event in Russia, and we would like to thank our network of volunteers, from a variety of organisations, who have helped create an educational programme focused on solutions to the unique challenges that impact this region,” Caroline Allen, ACTE Regional Director, Northern & East Central Europe and Russia, said. “As business travel in Russia matures, the market has expressed a desire for a neutral platform for debate. Buyers and suppliers of corporate travel services are searching for best practice solutions to help develop a business travel management focus in the region.”

Sessions will outline and discuss issues surrounding the cost of business operations and finance in Russia; the introduction of BSP and the impact on credit lines, moving from commissions to fees, travel agency to TMC, productivity barriers, skills shortages, industry infrastructure and geographic challenges.

Corporate speakers include: Bernadette Basterfield, International Travel Manager, JP Morgan Chase; Irina Kuznetsova, Administrative Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Oleg Voevodin, Travel Coordinator, Troika Dialog.

The day will culminate with a roundtable session to identify key priorities and discuss solutions to help develop corporate travel best practice in the region.

The 2009 ACTE Global Education Conference in Prague, 25-27 October, is an opportunity to gather with the greatest minds in business travel, procurement, purchasing, meetings, finance, academia, business and government to share benchmarking and best practices.