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Post Keynote Presentations
General Sessions
This conference's line-up of keynote and general session speakers was
outstanding. The following individuals inspired confernece attendees with
their vision and insight on global business practices...
ARI FLEISCHER
Former White House Press Secretary
Business Travel Industry is Economy's Early Warning System
Sunday, April 25
6:00pm - 7:30pm
Addressing the packed Orlando auditorium, Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary and assistant to President George W. Bush, said that there is no denying that business travel is vital to worldwide economic progression. According to Fleischer, "By observing the rise and fall of business travel, one can anticipate the coincident recovery or decline of the global economy."
Describing what he called his "interconnected world view" - one in which international economic health is largely reliant on a pattern of continual economic achievement such as that currently underway in Asia's emerging markets - Fleischer stated that, in his opinion, today's international community is not only linked by economic factors but by the threat of terrorism. Nevertheless, Fleischer predicted that it will be the economic situation within U.S. borders - specifically unemployment, the stock market, and the federal deficit - which will ultimately decide the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
RAM CHARAN
Advisor, Speaker and Author
Block Out Your Future For Success
Monday, April 26
8:15am - 9:45amRam Charam converted an audience of business travel executives into architects for
success with a unique blueprint for the future. Advisor, speaker, and author, Charan
has been building futures for some of the world's most influential CEO's. His secret is
to start with an airtight foundation of six blocks, each of which constitutes part of a
broader plan. They are:
- Master The Guts Of The Business
- Have Laser Sharp Priorities
- Have The Right People In The Right Place
- Learn To Manage A Social System
- Work With People In Teams
- Follow-Through
Most significant about Charam's blocks is that three of them entail dealing with other
people as an integral part of your plan. These blocks are the support system that
enables your program to grow with confidence. The other three constitute both a
plan of action and a discipline. The speaker's message was well received by the audience,
judging from the way every copy of his book was purchased following the presentation.
MICHAEL G. CHERKASKY
President and CEO of Kroll, Inc.
Forewarned
Monday, April 26
2:15pm - 3:15pm
Michael Cherkasky, President & Chief Executive Officer of Kroll Inc., delivered
a piercingly appropriate perspective on the terrorist threat against the U.S. According to Cherkasky, it was no surprise that hijacked planes were used as vehicles of terrorism. He predicts that the 'Al Jazeera Generation' will haunt us in the years to come. In reference to the war on terrorism Cherkasky said, "The reality of war is real, it is heavy and it is not going away."
There are measures Cherkasky recom-mends the U.S. Government to pursue
in its fight against terrorism among them are:
A Hardended Infrastructure
A Reinvented Intelligence/Investigation
The Issuance Of National
Identification Cards
A Cargo Identification System
Well Thought-Out Security Systems
For NGC
Although he clearly views the U.S. as "ill prepared" and believes that more acts of terror are to come, he reassured the ACTE audience that the number of deaths per year caused by smoking largely outnumbers deaths caused by terrorism in the last five years. Thus, he encouraged people to continue with their businessÉ to continue traveling. "Otherwise," he stressed, "they are the winners."
DR. GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND
Former Director of the World Health Organization
World Response to SARS: Global Public Health at its Best!
Tuesday, April 27
8:00am - 9:15am
Calling the containment of SARS in 2003 a milestone for global public health, ACTE keynote speaker Dr. Gro Brundtland - former prime minister of Norway and former director general of the World Health Organization - said that, with over 2 million people crossing international borders every day, a tenth of humanity each year, industrialized nations cannot afford to neglect other nations in crisis. During the last century, life-threatening diseases emerged at the rate of one per year. According to Dr. Brundtland, SARS was the first such disease of the 21st century, with an enormous economic impact; costing Hong Kong alone more than 7 billion dollars or 4 per cent of its GDP. In regards to the travel industry, prior to SARS, 102,000 passengers passed through Hong Kong Airport each day. After WHO issued its travel recommendations, that number fell to 14,000 in less than a month.
Despite the speed at which SARS spread, the response from the world community - including the travel and airline industries - was remarkable," said Brundtland, adding that the international cooperation that so successfully contained SARS will likely avert global catastrophe in the future.
VIEW FROM THE TOP
Tuesday, April 27
11:15am - 12:30pm
Introduced by Marc Hildebrand, President & CEO of TQ3 Travel Solutions
Richard Anderson, CEO, Northwest Airlines
Gordon Bethune, Chairman and CEO, Continental Airlines
Michael Linenberg, First Vice President, Merrill Lynch
Never before have the leading providers of international and domestic airline service found themselves at
the the thin edge of the wedge when it comes to headlines and media coverage. Hardly a paragraph finds
its way into print without mention of a low-cost carrier or the slow-to-change business reversals of the
major airlines. In this keynote presentation, airline executives will be joined by a finanicial executive to
discuss airline industry strategies for 2004-2005, and describe how they must work to meet business
traveler expectations.
CLOSING GENERAL SESSION
Travel Management Company Vs. On-Line Agency: What's The Difference?
Tuesday, April 27
4:45pm - 5:45pm
Closing Session Panel
David Cerino, General Manager, Orbitz for Business
Matt Hulett, President, Expedia Corporate Travel
Toby Joseph, Global Chief Operating Officer, TQ3 Travel Solutions
Ellen Keszler, President, Travelocity Business
Robin Schleien, President, Carlson Wagonlit Travel North America
Technology has given the purchaser of travel services a world of new choices. And changed the
fabric of the industry while raising the awareness of the CFO about cost savings attributed to
technology. On-line firms are now offering more than low cost airline tickets and hotel rooms to
entice corporate buyers—they're also pitching fulfillment and reporting. Travel management
companies, long known for these services, have offered on-line booking engines as part of their
product mix for a few years. In response to the prophesizing by some on-line agencies that the
heyday of the bricks and mortar TMCs was over, a notable CEO of a major travel management
company has said "We believe we are one of you". The distinctions between on-line and travel
management companies are getting cloudier every day, corporate travel managers believe they
know they're making the best decisions for their companies.
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