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From the Desk of Cheryl Hutchinson
ACTE President
July 1, 2002
Alexandria, VA
I recently wrote "The Association of Corporate Travel Executives is an
idea,
a philosophy, and a movement, representing the specialized travel interests
of corporate purchasers and travel service suppliers from 36 countries."
An
idea... A philosophy... And a movement... Each of these elements is a
powerful intangible. On April 30, 2002, I became the president of an
association of intangibles that tangibly impacts billions of dollars,
millions of business travelers and the way business is conducted around the
world.
It is ACTE's belief in intangible concepts like "honesty, integrity,
tomorrow," and thinking that is "genuinely new" that empowers our
membership
to overcome the obstacles that stall lesser minds (and occasionally, whole
economies). As president, it is my responsibility to guarantee that this
association always provides a forum to explore the intangibles that
constitute the corporate soul. The trouble with intangibles is that not
everyone can conceive of them, let alone put them into practice. Therefore,
we must also commit ACTE resources to expanding the level of business
consciousness to accept the intangible as "possible."
This association recently pioneered a Sense of the Industry Report. This
document could easily have been mistaken for an executive summary of industry
ills. But a more careful reading would have revealed a call to action in
eight initiatives designed to accelerate global economic recovery. Three of
these initiatives have repeatedly been in the headlines over the past few
weeks. They are: airfare reform, the Trusted Traveler program, and rail as
alternative travel in the United States.
Initially, ACTE was told that the carriers would never support airfare
reform. We were told that too many government agencies opposed the Trusted
Traveler concept. And we were told that Americans don't think in terms of
rail travel. Well, the head of the country's largest carrier has been quoted
saying the airfare structure needs reform. Travelers are shunning travel
without the element of convenience that a system like the Trusted Traveler
program would provide. And an imminent AMTRAK closure has disclosed that many
Americans favor rail as a means of travel.
It's a good thing that this association follows its instincts, instead of
doing what it's told.
In the next six months, ACTE will hold forums on airfare reform across the
country. We'll introduce new white papers on this subject and others, more
representative of the groundswell of support slowly but surely gathering
behind us. We're working on a new Sense of the Industry Report that will be
global in scope (placing a stronger emphasis on the association's regional
councils). And we're linking our forums and conferences through a program of
serialized presentations -- called "The Circles of Education." This
concept
was born in Europe and will shortly become our global standard for education.
ACTE members in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Pacific Rim and
South America are each contributing a major component to this process. In
leaps and bounds, we are developing a uniform approach to the science of
business travel management.
This is a very tangible agenda from the people who specialize in intangibles
-- like perseverance.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Hutchinson
President
Association of Corporate Travel Executive
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The
ACTE Vision
To be "the" global network of leading
business travel professionals
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The ACTE Statement of Purpose
To provide the environment and programs that enhance
the professional development of our membership and support business
travel objectives.
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ACTE
515 King Street,
Ste. 340
Alexandria, VA 22314
USA
Tel:1-703-683-5322
Fax:1-703-683-2720
E-mail:
[email protected]
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