ACTE Press Release

Immediate Release!

ACTE Announces Co-Chairs for ACTE Global Fall 2001 Conference in Munich

(Alexandria, Virginia, USA, June 11, 2001) - The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) has announced Nadine Dewart and Benjo Van Laarhoven as co-chairs of the ACTE 2001Global Fall Conference in Munich, 28-30 October 2001. Ms. Dewart, a Belgian resident, is a purchasing specialist with car manufacturer, Toyota's European travel operations and a member of ACTE's Board of Governors. Mr. Van Laarhoven is vice president multinational sales EMEA for TQ3, the recently formed travel management company resulting from the merger among Maritz Travel Company, TUI Business Travel and Internet Travel Group. Mr. Van Laarhoven works from the EMEA headquarters in London and has participated in past planning committees for ACTE Executive Forums and the 2000 Global Fall conference in Amsterdam.

ACTE Conference co-chairs serve as conference host/hostesses and provide leadership to the education steering committee. The Munich education program will be developed based on the direction and involvement of this small dynamic group. Greeley Koch, ACTE vice president of education said, "We initiated this new model using an eight member steering committee for the Tampa conference and found it to be exceptionally successful."

Dewart and Van Laarhoven expressed eagerness to begin working with the steering committee. Said Ms. Dewart, "Benjo and I along with the steering committee will launch the process of defining the education content for the ACTE 2001 Global Fall Conference with a careful review and evaluation of past conference surveys, responses to the call for presentations and advisory board recommendations." Added Mr. Van Laarhoven, "We expect to meet in early June for a 'roll up the sleeves' meeting that will result in the development of conference education sessions that provide relevant and timely take-away knowledge."

The ACTE 2001Global Fall Conference will take place at the ArabellaSheraton and Bogenhausen in Munich. Planning for this conference began several months ago including off-site venue selection. A Munich landmark, the Lowenbrau Brewery, has already been identified as a possible evening venue. Mr. Van Laarhoven said, "Sharing a beer in Munich where history and global economies meet, will be the perfect end to the months of hard work ahead for Nadine, myself and the committee."

Founded in 1988, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives is the only organization wholly dedicated to the science of business travel management with an international constituency. ACTE membership totals more than 2,400, including entities in Asia, Europe, Canada and the United States. The organization is headquartered in Alexandria, Va., and its web site is www.acte.org.