Education Sessions

Twelve education sessions guided by three key themes will offer you in-depth discussions on the following topics:

  • Travel Procurement and Sourcing
  • Travel and Communication Technologies
  • Strategic Corporate Travel Management

All Sessions Compliments of:

Wednesday, 25 August | 11.15 - 12.15

W101 Developing an Airline Alliance Strategy to Fit Your Programme

This session will review the current state of airline alliances from the perspective of the value these groupings endeavour to deliver versus their fulfillment of such promises. Focus will be centered on:

  • Effect of Open Skies on alliances
  • Reality of seamless travel
  • Pricing strategies

Moderator:
Mike Bezer, Vice President Global Sales, Asia Pacific, Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Panelists:
Michael Molloy, Director Corporate Real Estate and Services (CRES), Credit Suisse Ag
Larry Ryan, General Manager, Corporate Account Development, Asia & Pacific, Lufthansa Airlines
Steve Smith, Vice President, Passenger Sales-The Americas, Japan Airlines

W102 Employing Communications Strategies to Support the Travel Programme

Exploring the integration of wiki, blogs, forums, and into the travel experience and programme will be discussed in this session including:

  • Identifying the appropriate information pool for travellers
  • The influence of corporate culture on the successful adoption of these open communications platforms
  • Communicating benefits and managing channels for travel program performance improvement

Moderator:
Kurt Knackstedt, Principal, Travel and Technology Consulting, Asia Pacific

Panelists:
Louise Miller, Executive Vice President, Global Business Solutions, Sales and Marketing, BCD Travel
Marzena Stankiewicz, Travel Buyer, Oracle
Megan Stowe, Strategic Sourcing Manager, Intel

W103 Strategic Thinking For "Travel Suppliers" (Workshop)

The term "strategic thinking" is often used but seldom properly understood, nor is its intent commonly agreed upon by all stakeholders in the organization. This session will debunk some common myths on the subject and take attendees through a strategic thinking process that enables firms to develop a distinct strategy that will clearly set them apart from the crowd, including:

  • Determining key trends and their impact on your organisation
  • Understanding the "food chain" in your space to establish sources of influence and to ensure continued relevancy to customers
  • Identifying the "Driving Force" that will enable your business to set itself apart in the future Business Travel Sandbox

Presenter:
David Wilkins, Partner, DPI Asia

Wednesday, 25 August | 14.15 - 15.15

W201 Procurement Outsourcing - Can It Work for Your Organisation?

Can outsourcing the procurement of travel reap efficiencies without compromising the quality of the travel programmes?
A panel with deep experience in the outcomes of outsourcing will provide answers to this question as well as discuss:

  • What procurement activities in your organization are best suited to outsourcing?
  • Key elements of successful outsourcing strategy and practice
  • Best practices for outsourcing execution and relationship management
  • Does the model work for you

Moderator:
Charlie Villasenor, President & Chief Executive Officer, Procurement & Sourcing Institute of Asia

Panelists:
Dean Fowles, Manager of Travel Services ASO/GCO, McKinsey & Company
Barrie Steele, Senior Regional Manager - JAPAC Source to Settle, Salesforce

W202 Tools to Enhance Traveller Safety and Health Management Programmes

Safe business travel requires good planning and an awareness of the legal implications surrounding this undertaking. This session discusses how companies can take advantage of technologies to reduce their exposure to risks in the context of:

  • Adopting a culture of health, safety and risk management
  • The role of communication in exercising duty of care
  • Cost-management considerations in making the business case for a comprehensive travel risk management plan

Moderator:
Tony Ridley, Director, Security Services, Asia Pacific, International SOS

Presenter:
Tony Solomon, Regional Security Manager, Asia, Philip Morris
Jeremy Stone, Deputy Head-Group Corporate Security, American International Assurance Company, Limited

W203 Strategic Thinking For "Customers" (Workshop)

In this presentation customer organisations will be presented proven 'thinking frameworks' that will help them identify and consider vital issues before plotting the strategic direction of their function. Including concepts that address "new realities" in a post global financial crisis world, the presentation will cover:

  • Deciphering the organisation's business strategy and business model
  • Checking for relevant trends and developments to understand their relevance to your business agenda
  • Defining a compelling charter for your function that ensures alignment with the organisation's business objectives

Presenter:
David Wilkins, Partner, DPI Asia

Thursday, 26 August | 10.45 - 11.45

T101 Best Practices in Hotel Sourcing

The post global financial crisis period has seen the hotel industry rebound across the region. This is a signal to buyers in the region they may need to rethink their sourcing practices for their next hotel sourcing initiative. A panel will examine the key issues of:

  • Industry trends and pricing models
  • Critical market specific data
  • How to manage hotel programs using newer pricing models
  • Defining a successful strategy in the context of the current market conditions

Moderator:
Andreas Wellauer, Travel Category Manager, APAC, GALIANT Asia-Pacific

Panelists:
Serene Chua, Travel Manager, J. Ray McDermott Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
Andrew Kuek, Regional Director of Global Sales, Starwood
Coleen Lee, Regional Director, Procurement-Travel Services, Honeywell

T102 Integrating Travel Programmes with Travel Alternatives

Many organizations aggressively adopted travel alternatives since the beginning of the economic crisis. This session will assess the benefits delivered within the context of those alternatives contribution to accomplishing business goals and include:

  • When are travel alternatives more effective in providing savings to companies
  • Cost comparison to travel
  • Implications for corporate mobility

Moderator:
Kurt Knackstedt, Principal, Travel and Technology Consulting, Asia Pacific

Panelists:
Karol Darmet, Indirect Purchasing, Travel Manager Asia, Gemalto
Lena Khoo, Vice President, Travel Services APAC, JPMorgan Chase Bank
Amarnath Lal Das, General Manager - India Travel, Accenture

T103 A New Relationship Between Transient Travel and Meetings

The ongoing drive to take control of costs attributed to corporate meetings and events has reached a new level as procurement managers are called on to find additional savings and assure quality is delivered. A panel of subject experts will help construct an understanding of the web of relationships which are forming between these travel spend areas which have traditionally been managed separately.

Moderator:
Kevin Iwamoto, Vice President, Enterprise Strategy, StarCite

Panelists:
Aileen London, Senior Manager of Global Meetings Services, APAC, Oracle
Meredith Smith, Travel manager - APJ, Merck

Thursday, 26 August | 12.00 - 13.00

T201 Identifying the Key Performance Indicators That are Right For Your Business

The call for greater recognition of the travel category is accompanied by a more comprehensive measure of its ROI. In this session the experts share their experience with greater accountability for corporation’s bottom line while demonstrating how the travel program supports the corporate mission:

  • Aligning travel strategy with corporate strategy
  • Developing appropriate key performance for the programme
  • Communicating programme performance

Moderator:
Christopher Ng, Global Sales Director, Asia Pacific, Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Panelists:
Yvonne Fock, Regional Head of Travel, Credit Suisse Ag
Karina Harris, Regional Travel, BP
Craig Smith, General Manager, Key Stakeholder Relations, Corporate Travel Management

T202 How is Mobile/Wireless Technology Changing the Distribution Chain?

This session will look at the new technology players who are entering the business travel distribution chain from the perspective of corporations in the region who have integrated mobile technology in their programs to:

  • Review types of intermediaries that support mobile applications
  • Compare the incremental value to incremental cost each intermediary adds to an extended supply chain
  • Consider the sustainability of this chain in view of potential upward or downward integration

Moderator:
Kurt Knackstedt, Principal, Travel and Technology Consulting, Asia Pacific

Panelists:
Steve Ash, Director of Business Technology, HRG
Georgie Farmer, Asia Travel Manager, Microsoft
Johnny Thorsen, Co-founder, CEO, ConTGo

T203 Changing Perspectives on Total Cost of Trip

More travel managers are beginning to focus on the total cost of each business trip--not merely the obvious expenses to find opportunities for controlling spend. This session will identify trip cost elements and how to drive compliance that will lead to savings. This session will discuss:

  • What’s driving the Total Cost of Trip focus
  • Opportunity for savings vs. cost of managing
  • Behaviour modification with the greatest impact
  • Do you need more/different gauges on your dashboard

Moderator:
Geraldine Valenti, Global Program Manager Asia Pacific, Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Panelists:
Koby Brice, Travel Manager, APJ, EMC
Jeremy Findley, Director Business Growth - Asia, Spendvision