The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s leading corporate travel organization, recently held their 2022 convention in San Diego this past August 14-17 with a reported 4,600+ registered attendees descending upon the West Coast for the four-day event. Working from the theme of (Re)connect, (Re)Imagine, and (Re)Create, the goal of the conference was to represent the evolution of the travel industry, as well as the future of work, sustainability, and the corporate trend of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Those concepts were ever-present throughout the event, including the association’s first Sustainability Pavilion where thought leaders offered their advice and debates for greener efforts in travel during their aptly named Green Talks.
In addition to the education lineup (90+ sessions with more than 300 speakers), Green Talks, and exhibit floor, the association held a 5K run/walk; announced election results and discussed bylaw reviews; released several reports including GBTA Business Travel Index™ 2022-2026 (made possible by MasterCard), The Evolution of Travel Program Technology, and GBTA-CWT Global Business Travel Forecast 2023; and hosted the standing-room-only WINiT by GBTA Summit, which was geared toward engaging and inspiring women in the industry.
“I’m delighted that we have been able to bring the industry together at the convention to celebrate achievements, recognize our members and volunteers, and build momentum for the future of business travel. Our industry is back after a few challenging years and the value of the networking, collaboration, and learnings gained from being together in-person cannot be underestimated,” said CEO GBTA Suzanne Neufang. “And there’s more to look forward to with our other GBTA events coming up around the globe including in Mexico City in October, Brussels in November, and Bangkok in December.”
The GBTA Convention has long been a favorite of our own industry, and about a dozen operators exhibited at the event including BLS, A1A Global Ground, Dav El/BostonCoach, EmpireCLS, RMA Worldwide, Mundi Limos, U.S. Sedan Service, Sunny’s Limousine, 305 Transportation Services, La Jolla Star Transportation, NYC Limo VIP, and Sixt.
Neufang was also center stage as the association revealed its new branding. In a process that took nine months and was conducted with collaboration between an external firm, GBTA leadership, and volunteers from around the world, Neufang noted that the new rebranding—which includes an updated logo and website—connects the brand closer to their global purpose while continuing their pillar missions of community, learning, and advocacy. The association also debuted its new tagline, “Many voices, one purpose,” to embody the international travel community that they represent. You can view the video from the announcement here.
The association is also busy planning several other events leading up to its 2023 Convention in Dallas next August 13-15, including GBTA reconecta CDMX: Educacion y Networking in Mexico City (October 6), GBTA Sustainability Summit in Brussels (November 8), GBTA Europe also in Brussels (November 8-10), and the PATA and GBTA APAC Travel Summit in Bangkok (December 8-9). Other events are available by clicking here.
Those who were unable to attend the conference can access highlights on-demand via Convention Plus, which includes five Main Stage sessions, five Collaboratory Spotlights, and 15 education sessions.
Visit gbta.org for more information about the association, or convention.gbta.org for more highlights from the show.
[08.23.22]