Education Sessions

Sunday, 8 November 16:00 – 17:00

S101 Introduction to Business Travel

Are you a recent addition or recent to the business travel industry? Or, perhaps, travel management is only one of the hats you wear? This practical session is a perfect opportunity to learn the fundamentals of the business in a relaxed, fun environment while kicking off your conference experience meeting others in similar circumstances. Suited to participants from all travel segments and across all departments, the overriding goal of this session is to crank up your knowledge of the business travel industry. You will leave with new knowledge, contacts and resources you can refer to in the future.

    Start the session with a snapshot of the industry before moving on to some specifics:
  • Fit the puzzling pieces of the travel pie together in a way that makes sense
  • DIPA - Decode the Industry’s Plethora of Acronyms!
  • Understand the role of technology in areas such as Global Distribution Systems and Online Booking Tools

Presenter:
Gillian McCormack, Manager, Business Development, American Express Business Travel and ACTE Canada Regional Chair

Compliments of:

Monday, 9 November 10:30 – 11:45

M101 - Meetings Management – From the Ground Up

Strategic meetings management (SMM) continues to be a top priority for many buyers as they follow the global trend to consolidate meetings within managed travel. Driven by cost containment pressures, which aspect of a SMM initiative will yield the greatest return in the shortest period of time – policy creation, defined sourcing processes, or technology acquisition? This interactive session brings together three experts who will share their distinctive game plan to successfully consolidate meetings and incentives into the travel and expense portfolio. Working from the ground up:

  • Identify the “First Five Things to Do” when implementing a new program
  • Create a solid foundation on everything from contracts, sourcing, establishing processes, reporting and enterprise-wide payment solutions
  • Outsourcing the meeting planning function – is it an option?

All participants will be provided with an audience response unit to assist in facilitating this discussion. Suppliers will gain benefit from this session by understanding the challenges corporate buyers face today in the quest to consolidate meetings as part of their travel program, and how they can better partner and support buyers through this understanding.

Moderator:
Onita Dey Frankian, Director, Sales, BCD Travel

Panelists:
Stephen Dempsey, Publisher, Meetings & Incentive Travel (M&IT),General Manager, Conferences & Events, Rogers Business & Professional Publishing
Michelle Gravelle, Director, Meetings & Travel Management, Canadian Medical Association
George Odom, Senior Director, Business Solutions, Advito 

Compliments of:


M102 Travel & Collaboration’s New Technology Landscape: Just Passing Through or Here to Stay?

This session will focus on three key emerging technologies related to business travel and collaboration. Are they ready for prime time? Learn from real corporate examples how each of the following technologies is evolving and may affect travel, collaboration, and service delivery options in the future.

  • Mobile applications and devices
  • Videoconferencing
  • Social networking

Moderator:
John Sifonis, Managing Director, SOTR, LLC

Panelists:
Anthony Bartolo, Partner Engagement Manager, Mobile, Microsoft Canada
Michal Stewart, Corporate Travel Manager, Sabre Holding
Val Stoyanov, Director, Internet Business Solutions Group, Retail Transportation Consult Group Canada, Cisco

Compliments of:


M103 Staying in the Driver’s Seat – Driving the Agenda, Strategy and Outcomes Before Someone Else Does

In this interactive session, creatively acted out through three vignettes, explore how travel managers can manage upwards and stay firmly in the driver’s seat. Even in today’s economy, corporations continue to manage T&E budgets through two primary strategies: investing big dollars into indirect expense consultancies and slashing budgets. Often decisions are made before coming to you to explore more efficient T&E management strategies. Benefit your company and your career with a proactive and proven approach that narrows the gap between travel managers and consultants.

    This session will focus on:
  • Understanding the approach and positioning of indirect consultancies
  • Aligning your strategies consistently with C-level initiatives
  • Planning proactively

Moderated by:
The BottomLine Group

Vignettes performed by:
myPractice, LLC

Compliments of:

Monday, 9 November 14:30 – 15:45

M201 Travel Data - Promises, Problems and Best Practices

Travel data is vital, yet working with it frustrates most everyone in our industry. This session takes a close look at the core value of travel data, the persistent problems managers face when using it, and the best practices achieved by leaders in the industry.

    Learn how to apply travel data and its sexier cousin, analytics, in these key elements of a travel program:
  • Supplier Negotiations
  • Policy Compliance
  • Spend Analysis
  • Management Recommendations

Presenter:
Scott Gillespie, Author, Gillespie's Guide to Travel Procurement (forthcoming)

Participants:
Yvonne Kerns, Senior Category Manager, Travel, Corporate Sourcing, Corporate Services, CIBC
Sean Brooks, Associate Director, Travel and Expense Management, Bell Canada

Compliments of:


M202 Let’s Make a Deal – Navigating Through Negotiations

No matter the status of the market, negotiations between buyer and supplier can be challenging and complex. Increasing pressures in a constrained market underline the significance of understanding the many nuances of successful negotiations. This session, focused on educating both buyer and supplier about creating win-wins in a tough marketplace will cover:

  • Key negotiating principles and behaviors that are critical to your success
  • How to effectively manage the tension of the negotiation without damaging relationships
  • How to build more profitable relationships with your customers
  • How to get creative about what constitutes a “win” in a negotiation

Presenter: Kevin Conklin, Senior Vice President, Northeast Region, BayGroup International

Compliments of:


M203 The Right Road to Optimizing Travel

Is your organization paying the right price for travel? Are your travellers travelling for the right reason? Are the right travellers travelling? And is travel purchased the right way - by your organization and by your travellers?

A travel program that considers these questions is on its way to a dynamic strategy that reflects the organization’s culture and ultimately achieves cost savings. Through practical case studies, this session hones in on real examples, from initial first steps to the bumps along the way, to the final results and measurements of the initiative. Join this session to learn:

  • How cost savings is more than just price or stopping travel
  • Tips from real case studies
  • Measurements to optimize a travel program

Presenters:
Anurag Banerjee, Vice President, Advisory Services, American Express
Lisa Inness, Director, Travel & Meeting Services, Canada, Johnson & Johnson

Compliments of: