Education Sessions

The education sessions are being developed by the Conference Steering Committee which is made up of your business travel peers. The sessions will highlight the experiences of those in the industry who leveraged greater visibility and recognition of their travel programs despite tenuous and demanding conditions. Leaders in travel purchasing share proven best practices that not only drive success for themselves and their program, but also for their organization.

Monday, 4 October 2010 | 08.00 - 09.00

Corporate Peer Review & Benchmarking Breakfast (travel managers and buyers only)

Do you have an informal network of travel management peers whom you turn to for advice, benchmarking, and feedback? Do you wish you did? This session is an excellent opportunity to meet with other travel managers from around the globe to discuss trending, mid-year industry challenges and to ensure your decision-making remains on track.

The open, unstructured format provides a platform for corporate travel buyers to have informal conversations around relevant and timely topics, i.e., procurement in a rebounding market, rate auditing, squatter rates, airline unbundling, the merger of hotels and meetings RFPs, total cost of stay versus total cost of trip, and more. Lead a discussion, join a conversation, or just listen to the dialogue. If your employer needs a reason to endorse your attendance at the ACTE Global Education Conference in Berlin, this is it.

Monday, 4 October 2010 | 10.45 – 11.45

M101 Adapting Communication Strategies to Fit a New Workplace

The combination of financial pressures, emerging technologies, and a younger workforce is transforming the way corporate travel managers are communicating with internal stakeholders. For example, travelers are increasingly becoming partners whose voices can guide traveler behavior and encourage ‘smart travel’ without mandates. At the same time, travel managers are involved in more frequent and complex conversations with finance and organizational leadership as they seek to ensure program support. Attendees will collaborate with session facilitators to define successful strategies for the new workplace, including:

  • Who is (and who should be) involved in the conversations?
  • Which tools are best suited for the dialogue?
  • Is the content of the message changing? And if so, how?

Facilitators:
Camilla Lie Jenssen, Strategy Director, Naked Communications
Cynthia Laferte, Procurement Manager, ABN AMRO Bank N.V.


M102 Staying Grounded? Transportation Alternatives that are Comfortable, Efficient and Cost-effective

A cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano drifted over the continent and the European ground transportation industry operated with few disruptions at the same time air traffic was grounded by authorities over safety concerns. Which role do transportation models as well as distribution and supply attributes play within this context and beyond? How can travel managers find the right mix of transportation means to employ in different scenarios? What support does technology, distribution and supply chain processes provide?

This session will examine current ground transportation models and communications strategies to encourage behavior changes among travellers. Session discussions will also include:

  • Sourcing, program and policy implications
  • Savings opportunities
  • Distribution and technology developments
  • Environmental impact measurements
  • Traveller satisfaction and traveller behavior

Moderator:
Cindy Van der Elst, Travel Manager, Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), Honeywell Corporate

Presenters:
Michael Flueck, Global Travel Manager, ABB Management Services Ltd.
Yves Galimidi, Global Travel Purchaser, IKEA Indirect Material & Services

Panelists:
Michael Kieppe, Head of Sales International, Sixt AG
Beatrice Paques, CCO(Chief Commerical Officer), Thalys International SCRL
Sandrine Thackery, Product Manager, Corporate & Distribution Channels, Amadeus

Compliments of:


M103 Assessing the Value of Loyalty Programmes

Whether you view supplier loyalty programmes as a benefit to the business traveler or to the business, they undeniably create added incentives and opportunities for the corporate travel program. This session will feature distinct perspectives along the continuum with diverging opinions on loyalty programmes as:

  • Offsets to rigors of business travel
  • Tools to control ancillary fees
  • Savings tool for the corporation
  • Means to promote supplier fidelity

Moderator:
Michael Cox, Founder & Managing Partner, Loyalty Curve

Panelists:
Carsten Anhalt, Vice President Relationship Marketing, Sixt
Martin Cannings, Director Product Management, Citi
Russell Green, Director, Business Travel Sales EMEA, InterContinental Hotels Group
Richard Pulliam, Head of Enterprise Business Development, Alcatel-Lucent

Compliments of:

M104 Sourcing Initiatives to Align Meetings & Transient Spend

Sourcing initiatives that combine meeting and hotel spend are fast becoming standard practice for some corporations. But can it be called a “best practice”? This session will explore the unique perspectives of corporate travel managers and hoteliers to determine likely benefits, potential downsides, and answers to the following questions:

  • Are meetings and travel evolving into a more unified structure?
  • What are projected volume savings to the company?
  • What are typical results for the pool of preferred properties?

Moderator:
Mary Ann McNulty, Content Director, ProMedia.travel

Panelists:
Frederic Dimanche, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the Faculty & Director, Center for Tourism Management, SKEMA Business School Nice
Stephanie Smook, Travel Manager, EMEA, Nike

Compliments of:

M105 Roundtable: Establishing Rules for Travel Duty of Care

Eyjafjallajokull’s ash cloud tested corporations’ Duty of Care practices in an environment posing little or no harm to its traveling employees. But what if circumstances had been different? A crisis management expert will provide attendees with a deeper understanding of the legal and fiduciary responsibilities of Duty of Care, and then facilitate roundtable discussions to help organizations avoid the risk of reasonably foreseeable dangers to their global travelers. The dialogue will focus on:

  • An effective Duty of Care framework
  • Identification of key Duty of Care stakeholders
  • The legal context and evolving trends
  • Successful response plans to significant incidents

Key Facilitator:
Herman J.G. Mensink, Vice President, PRISM Group Inc.

Facilitators:
Sven Bartel, Control Risks
Dominik Schaerer, International SOS

Presenters:
Hein Baartmans, Director Strategic Accounts, Control Risks Benelux B.V.
Carel Storm, General Manager, International SOS

Compliments of:

Monday, 4 October 2010 | 12.00 – 13.00

M201 Managing Multi-Country Travel Policies in a Diverse European Environment

This session will examine various aspects, rules and regulations when creating a travel and expense policy for consolidated European travel programmes. Presenters and attendees will collaborate in an attempt to answer the following questions:

  • Can a single policy cover the diversity of local multiple laws?
  • Does everything that is legally possible make sense in practice?
  • How can a company ensure its compliance to regional regulations?
  • How can the VAT process be harmonized?
  • What changes to VAT regulations are planned for Europe in 2011?

Moderator:
Winfried Barczaitis, Partner, Trust Management Consultants
Presenters:
Trevor L. James, Partner, Morrisson Foerster
William Morrison, Director - International VAT Consulting, Meridian Global Services

Compliments of:

M202 Can the BAR Be Raised in Hotel Programmes?

Recessionary pressures have led to declining revenues for the lodging industry. At the same time, frustration with rate inaccuracies and rate loading has reached a peak among corporate travel managers. Could dynamic pricing alleviate the pain for all involved? This session will focus on:

  • New reasons to consider dynamic pricing
  • Rethinking the hotel sourcing cycle
  • Achieving rate integrity and rate loading accuracy
  • Defining LRA (Last Room Availability)

Moderator:
Richard Veenstra, Travel Manager, Tommy Hilfiger Europe B.V

Panelists:
Russell Green, Director, Business Travel Sales EMEA, InterContinental Hotels Group
Torsten Kriedt, Vice President, Advito

M203 Market Update: Managed Travel Programmes in the Middle East

Anyone who has been involved in managing travel in the Middle East understands that processes and tools widely adopted elsewhere are not easily replicated in this region. This session will provide attendees with a forum to discuss the advancements that are underway and to debate the challenges that remain. Topics will include global policy mandates, corporate card usage, online booking tool adoption rates, and more. Panelists will also describe the population of travelers and explain the nuances of business culture as they relate to the process of managing travel in the Middle East.

Moderator:
Benjo van Laarhoven, Executive Vice President, Alshamel International

Panelists:
Albert Kilsdonk, Contract Performance Manager Global Agency, Shell International B.V.
Doran Fanning, Travel Manager, Government Abu Dhabi

Compliments of:

M204 Corporate Security’s Newest Risk: The Unaware Traveler

The ubiquity of mobile devices among business travelers presents an alarming opportunity for corporate espionage and risk to personal security. This session will address:

  • When and where corporate security is most vulnerable
  • How security risks are heightened through mobile devices
  • How an established security policy can mitigate risk

Presenter:
Peter Houppermans, Private & Confidential Group

Compliments of:

M205 Meeting & Events: Back to Growth, Transformation Ahead

The presenter will share recent findings from a comprehensive study of the global meetings and events industry, including a brief overview of the market and focusing on three key findings of the study. Attendees will learn:

  • How to calculate estimated meeting and events spend
  • Savings expectations through adoption of best practices
  • Steps to optimize the meetings and events programme

Moderator:
Herve Joseph-Antoine, VP, M&E EMEA, Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Panelist:
Gregoire Boutin, Senior Manager, CWT Travel Management Institute

Compliments of:

Tuesday, 5 October 2010 | 10.45 – 11.45

T100-105 Roundtable Discussions
Using Scenario Planning to Prepare for Alternate Futures

Is your company prepared to respond to an unexpected global disruption of the internet or a coordinated global airline walk-out? Would your company’s travel policy change if scientists discovered escalating consequences from CO2 emissions? Would your road warriors still travel if there were unprecedented advances in communications and meetings technologies? How will your managed travel program prepare for industry-wide changes to pricing practices? Building on the preceding keynote presentation, roundtable session participants will work in small groups to prepare for one of five "alternate futures" with significant consequences for the industry. Based on given circumstances, attendees will define specific strategies and outcomes, which will be collected and distributed to attendees following the conference. Choose to attend one of the following scenario discussions:

  • T101 - Alternate Pricing Strategies
  • T102 - Coordinated Global Airline Walk-out
  • T103 - Escalating Consequences of CO2 Emissions
  • T104 - Global Disruption of the Internet
  • T105 - Unprecedented Technological Advancements

Lead Facilitator:
Wybren Meijer, Strategy Advisor, Scenario Planning, Futureconsult

Compliments of:

Tuesday, 5 October 2010 | 15:00 – 16:00

T201 Roundtable Discussion: Defining the Right Metrics for Your Enterprise

How does a travel manager measure the success of the program? What metrics do suppliers track for successful contract management? How do TMC’s measure agent productivity? Are existing performance metrics misaligned now that unbundling has changed the scope of total trip costs? How well do your KPI’s measure your strategic goals, regardless if it is cost containment, revenue generation, process efficiency or sustainability. In this interactive roundtable discussion, buyers and suppliers will evaluate the pros and cons of existing key performance indicators (KPIs) and benchmark against measurements used by other organizations. The results will be summarized and made available to all session attendees. (Session open to buyers and limited number of vendors and TMCs).

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

Compliments of:

T202 Point of Sale Intelligence: Guiding Travellers to Do the Right Thing

Due to limitations on point of sale intelligence and more opportunities for ancillary purchases throughout a trip, business travelers may be inclined to do the right thing, but they don’t always know which option that is. This session will discuss emerging tools and data sources integrated at the point of sale to automatically guide travelers to make smarter purchasing decisions with limited intervention from travel departments.

Moderator:
Jason Long, Head of Global Commercials, Corporations, Amadeus

Panelists:
Sally Defina, Advisory Services Director, American Express
Antoine Huet, Vice President, Global Corporate Sales AIR FRANCE KLM
Jean-Noel Lau Keng Lun, Head of Product Management, Corporate, Services and Security Distribution, Amadeus
Irina Kuznetsova, Director Admin, PricewaterhouseCoopers Russia B.V.

T203 Expanding the Portfolio of the Travel Manager

As the role and responsibilities of travel manager are expanded, some companies are opting to rename the position “mobility manager.” Proponents argue this title better reflects the responsibilities of the position, which applies travel management skills and best practices – process standardization, policy implementation and reporting - to improve the control and visibility of other areas of indirect spend, including:

  • Corporate housing
  • Fleet management
  • Travel alternatives

Moderator:
Geoff Allwright, Head of Travel and Expenses UK, EADS, UK
Panelists:
Carlos Almendros, Global Travel Manager, Cisco Systems
Christoph Carnier, Director Travel & Fleet Corporate Procurement, Merck KGaA
Rick Wakida, Global Travel Manager, Blue Coat Systems, Inc.

T204 Risk Management for Meetings & Events

There is an underestimated complexity related to potential risks and fraudulent activity in the management of meetings and events. There are numerous opportunities for corporations to experience outright fraud or to sustain damage to their brand equity when best practices are not applied to this area of spend. This session will identify the critical steps companies should employ to reduce their vulnerability to potential risks, including:

  • Policy and communication
  • Sourcing and contracting
  • Tools & technologies
  • Managed payment processes
  • Crisis management planning

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

Panelists:
Beate Christeleit, Corporate Travel Manager, Gambro Lundia AB
Jennifer Harper, Meetings Global Sourcing and Commodity Owner, Intel
Kate Harris, Director, Strategic Meetings Management - EMEA American Express