Experience Buyer Empowerment

Senior-level travel buyers asked for it. ACTE delivers it.

What is ACTE Buyer Empowerment? For a second year, the ACTE Asia-Pacific Education Conference will feature buyer-empowered sessions, continuing ACTE’s goal of developing a conference curricula designed with the corporate travel buyer in mind—to give you the knowledge, resources, and contacts that will have an immediate impact on your job performance and career.

Look for the symbol throughout the conference website to experience more travel buyer-led panels, more travel buyer presenters, buyer-only education sessions and buyer-only networking.

The following is a list of Buyer Empowerment sessions scheduled for the 7th Annual ACTE Asia-Pacific Education Conference in Singapore. For more information on additional education sessions to be held at the Singapore conference, click on the “Education Sessions” link for a detailed list.

Wednesday, 20 August; 14.30 – 15.45

Strategic Indirect Spend Management has been prescribed as the better approach to control cost and extract value in the travel category, while improving supplier relationships and enabling business travelers to be more productive. This session will offer opportunities to compare both the common and unique characteristics between travel and other areas of indirect spend in the corporation while answering:

• What do companies want procurement executives to bring to travel management?
• What novel challenges must they surmount in the travel category?
• How should performance be measured?

Wednesday, 20 August; 16.15 – 17.30

W201 Change Management for Supply Partners: Critical Points for Accomplishing Price Reduction Targets

In spend categories characterized by high demand/limited supply, vendors have been slow in adapting to the procurement-led initiatives. Some suppliers may regard such initiatives with a measure of suspicion and disdain. Through a series of case studies, this session will show how corporate travel buyers have overcome the challenges of a reluctant supply chain resulting in successful buyer-vendor partnerships.

Thursday, 21 August; 10.45 – 12.00

T101 Demand Management: Managing the Consumption of Business Travel?

Corporate leaders are challenged with accomplishing bigger goals with smaller budgets and expense management remains an essential part of the task, but the traditional tactic of removing cost from the supply side may not always be available. In these situations, companies turn their sights inwards to manage demand for travel and find opportunities for savings. This session will expand on the following area of managing travel demand:

• Tightening policy
• Identifying non-essential travel
• Alternatives to travel

Thursday, 21 August; 14.30 – 15.45

T201 Change Management for Internal Customers: Critical Points for Accomplishing Consumption Reduction Goals

Just like a Supply Chain Management strategy requires the support of supply partners, Demand Management success must be endorsed by a corporation’s travelers. What can and must be done to win changes in attitudes and behaviors? This session will provide:

• Action plans for systematically managing the entire change process
• Critical success factors
• A detailed case study example from the travel management area