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The final presentation of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives‘ (ACTE) Global Education Conference in Munich is the cue for the curtain to rise on 16 Executive Forums, PowerTalks, and joint programs to be held on<…> six continents before the close of 2007.
According to a statement issued by ACTE Executive Director Susan Gurley, the spirit and momentum of the Munich conference is carrying over into each ACTE region as a logical progression of a global solution process.
"While we always seek a degree of closure and problem-solving at ACTE global conferences, the nature of our roundtables and presentations is to generate additional questions and drive industry developments in our regions to the next level," said Gurley. "These developments include GDS issues, open skies agreements, compliance, productivity, advanced managerial technique, corporate social responsibility, and cost containment."
The largest of the events that ACTE has planned for November is the Canada Education Conference, in Calgary (18-20 November 2007), which features five keynote speakers and nine educational sessions. The keynote speakers — Michael Furdyk, Technology Entrepreneur; Jennifer Corriero, Executive Director, TakingITGlobal; Tim Brelthaupt, President of Spectrum Training Solutions; Alexander Fritsche, Economist, Conference Board of Canada; and Rick Erickson, Principal, RP Erickson & Associates — will put global finance, technology, the direction of business, and human relations into a unique Canadian perspective, with strong implications for the business travel industry.
The nine educational sessions cover sustainability, communications, risk, RFPs, and a full agenda of travel management techniques. "The event has been more than a year in the planning," said Monica Hailstone, regional director for ACTE Canada, "and was designed to address issues that are indigenous in Canada, but that also have significance in an expanding global market."
ACTE has a strong presence in jointly conducting or presenting four different events throughout December. These are:
- Dubai, UAE (29-30 Oct. 2007) — The Business Travel Show
This event will be held at the Madinat Jumeirah and under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum Chairman & Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group; President, Dubai Department of Civil Aviation. The educational programme was designed by ACTE and emphasizes maximizing the travel spend, online booking, and low cost flight options.
- Brussels, Belgium (5 Nov. 2007) — The ACTE/BATM Event
This joint event features five educational sessions, one addressing GDS deregulation, another on value management, and two additional workshops.
- Toledo, Spain (26-27 Nov. 2007) — ACTE/AEGVE Partnership Forum
This event will zero-in on four issues relating to travel economics, advanced management technique, and global pressures affecting the industry.
- Sao Paulo, Brazil (11 Dec. 2007) — The Joint ACTE/FAVECC/TMC Executive Forum
This event features five seasons addressing the value of alliances in customer supplier relationships, CSR, global trends, and the crisis facing Brazilian airports.
ACTE will hold two forums in the United States this season.
- San Francisco, US (6 Nov. 2007) — New Tools for Delivering Value
This may be one of the most significant forum events of the year, as it deals with making travel arrangement from mobile devices, the emergence of demand management as a strategy, and strategic meetings planning.
- New York, US (8 Nov. 2007) -On The Ground And The Sky
The agenda for this event spans four major issues: duty of care, airport congestion, travel programs for the new era of connectivity, and the status of the aviation industry in 2008.
Three will be three standard forums held in Europe too.
- Manchester, UK (19 N) — Open Skies: Boon Or Barrier For Business
This forum will focus on the effect of Open Skies on the north of England while providing networking opportunities.
- Amsterdam, Netherlands () — This forum will be based on contingency issues gauged within the region closer to the event.
- Paris, France ( 17 Dec.) — Spotlight on Total Cost of Travel
This event will focus on key issues in today’s corporate travel market – examining environmental sustainability and total cost of travel. Four sessions will cover the green issue, global warming, determining the total cost of a trip and underlying distribution.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
