Press Release

For Immediate Release
31 October 2007

ACTE To Hold 16 Educational Events on 6 Continents Following Global Education Conference in Munich

Munich --

The final presentation of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives’ (ACTE) Global Education Conference in Munich is the cue for the curtain to rise on 16 Executive Forums, PowerTalks, and joint programs to be held on six continents before the close of 2007. According to a statement issued by ACTE Executive Director Susan Gurley, the spirit and momentum of the Munich conference  is carrying over into each ACTE region as a logical progression of a global solution process.

“While we always seek a degree of closure and problem-solving at ACTE global conferences, the nature of our roundtables and presentations is to generate additional questions and drive industry developments in our regions to the next level,” said Gurley. “These developments include GDS issues, open skies agreements, compliance, productivity, advanced managerial technique, corporate social responsibility, and cost containment.”

The largest of the events that ACTE has planned for November is the Canada Education Conference, in Calgary (18-20 November 2007), which features five keynote speakers and nine educational sessions. The keynote speakers -- Michael Furdyk, Technology Entrepreneur; Jennifer Corriero, Executive Director, TakingITGlobal; Tim Brelthaupt, President of Spectrum Training Solutions; Alexander Fritsche, Economist, Conference Board of Canada; and Rick Erickson, Principal, RP Erickson & Associates -- will put global finance, technology, the direction of business, and human relations into a unique Canadian perspective, with strong implications for the business travel industry.

The nine educational sessions cover sustainability, communications, risk, RFPs, and a full agenda of travel management techniques. “The event has been more than a year in the planning,” said Monica Hailstone, regional director for ACTE Canada, “and was designed to address issues that  are indigenous in Canada, but that also have significance in an expanding global market.”

ACTE has a strong presence in jointly conducting or presenting four different events throughout December. These are:

• Dubai,  UAE (29-30 Oct. 2007) -- The Business Travel Show
  This event will be held at the Madinat Jumeirah and under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum Chairman & Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group; President, Dubai Department of Civil Aviation. The educational programme was designed by ACTE and emphasizes maximizing the travel spend, online booking, and low cost flight options.



• Brussels, Belgium (5 Nov. 2007) -- The ACTE/BATM Event
  This joint event features five educational sessions, one addressing GDS deregulation, another on value management, and two additional workshops.



• Toledo, Spain (26-27 Nov. 2007) -- ACTE/AEGVE Partnership Forum
  This event will zero-in on four issues relating to travel economics, advanced management technique, and global pressures affecting the industry.



• Sao Paulo, Brazil (11 Dec. 2007) -- The Joint ACTE/FAVECC/TMC Executive Forum
  This event features five seasons addressing the value of alliances in customer supplier relationships, CSR, global trends, and the crisis facing Brazilian airports.
  ACTE will hold two forums in the United States this season.



• San Francisco, US (6 Nov. 2007) -- New Tools for Delivering Value
  This may be one of the most significant forum events of the year, as it deals with making travel arrangement from mobile devices, the emergence of demand management as a strategy, and strategic meetings planning.



• New York, US (8 Nov. 2007) -On The Ground And  The Sky
  The agenda for this event spans four major issues: duty of care, airport congestion, travel programs for the new era of connectivity, and the status of the aviation industry in 2008.
  Three will be three standard forums held in Europe too.



• Manchester, UK (19 Nov. 2007) -- Open Skies: Boon Or Barrier For Business
  This forum will focus on the effect of Open Skies on the north of England while providing networking opportunities.



• Amsterdam, Netherlands (3 Dec. 2007) -- This forum will be based on contingency issues gauged within the region closer to the event.



• Paris, France ( 17 Dec.) -- Spotlight on Total Cost of Travel
  This event will focus on key issues in today’s corporate travel market – examining environmental sustainability and total cost of travel. Four sessions will cover the green issue, global warming, determining the total cost of a trip and underlying distribution.
  In addition to the joint forum listed above, Latin America is slated for two other events before the end of the year.



• Buenos Aires, Argentina (15 Nov.) -- The Meeting of Like Minds
  This highly animate presentation is structured around a ten point Q&A focusing on corporate perspectives and traveler expectations.



• Santiago, Chile -- The Meeting of Like Minds
  This comprehensive PowerTalk will address challenges facing the airline industry, and the implication for corporate consumers.
  Two forums are scheduled for Australia.



• Sydney, Australia (2O Nov. 2007) -- Transparency, Compliance, and Productivity: Common Agenda or Deal Breakers
  The common concerns on the minds of corporate travel managers and suppliers are the constant challenges of transparent negotiations, policy compliance and productive programmers for travelers. This forum offers a vibrant dialogue on each.



• Sydney, Australia (2O Nov. 2007) -- Transparency, Compliance, and Productivity: Common Agenda or Deal Breakers
  The common concerns on the minds of corporate travel managers and suppliers are the constant challenges of transparent negotiations, policy compliance and productive programmers for travelers. This forum offers a vibrant dialogue on each.



• Melbourne, Australia (22 Nov. 2007) -- Can Real Time Reporting Deliver Improved Cost Management Performance?
  The PowerTalk traces some of the traditional processes in procuring and managing data before venturing to describe how much more potent cost-management initiatives will be with real-time information.
  South Africa will host another forum this year:



• Johannesburg, SA  (23 Nov. 2007)
  This event will be patterned on issues stemming from the ACTE Global Conference in Munich
  Asia will also be the site of another ACTE executive forum in November.



• Singapore (6 Dec. 2007) -- Strategic Indirect Spend Management: Travel Category Review
  The forum presents the  pre-requisites for successful implementation before turning to a major challenge that will potentially test the effectiveness of strategic indirect spend management.  Three sessions include: “From Big Squeeze To The Big Picture,” procurement strategies, the economic reality of hotel rates.

For more detail on any of these events, or to register, please go to: www.acte.org.

For more information, contact:
Debbie Flynn
CEO
Brighter Group
The Pod, London's Vertical Gateway
Bridges Wharf, Battersea
London SW11 3BE England
T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
E: [email protected]
W: www.brightergroup.com