Business Travel Show 2009 - London

10 Feb 2009 at 09:30

Business Travel Show 2009 announces conference programme

Description: The Business Travel Show is the leading event for anyone who buys or manages company travel or books business trips and sources meeting venues over the internet, the phone or through an agent.

Location: Earls Court 2, Warwick Road, London SW5

Time: 9.30am - 5pm (Thurs 9.30am - 4.30pm)

Tickets: £55 / £45 adv.

Website: www.businesstravelshow.com

Contact: +44 (0)8707444984 or marketing@businesstravelshow.com

(Source: Press release)

The Business Travel Show has unveiled a 47-session strong Conference Programme for 2009; the best in the event's 15 year history. The programme, which runs across all three days of the exhibition - 10-12 February 2009 - includes five not-to-be-missed keynotes, six panel debates, six case studies, industry discussions, seminars, workshops and training streams. In short: something for everyone.

The free-to-attend keynotes take place on the Centre Stage and will address - unsurprisingly - the potential impact of the current economic climate on the business travel industry. 

  • - Chris Tarry, Aviation Industry Research and Advisory, opens the show on Tuesday 10 February with some crystal ball gazing in his presentation: The Economic Perspective: The Future of Global Aviation.  
  • - Bob Lange, head of aircraft interiors marketing, Airbus, looks at The Future of Business Travel - Aircraft Design in the 21st Century.
  • - David Radcliffe, CEO, HRG takes The Industry Perspective
  • - Caroline Strachan, international travel manager, Yahoo and ITM chair, presents a session entitled Meetings Mode Management.
  • - Roger Martin-Fagg, senior lecturer at Henley Management College, closes the Business Travel Show on 12 February with Making Sense of the Economy and its Impact on Business Travel.

The Centre Stage will also host six complimentary panel discussions when business travel experts will debate a series of timely topics, including Minimising Cost While Maintaining Consumer Confidence; Incorporating Sustainable Travel in Your Policy; Automating Travel Management to Increase Cost Savings and Efficiency and Open Skies & the Future of Business Class Travel.
The main seminar programme follows five streams for 2009: a core Business Travel stream plus a further four that tie in to the event's Online, Meetings, CSR and Technology Showcases. Speakers from Accenture AG, Amadeus, AMO, Aviva, BBC, BT, Capita Business Travel, Clickair, Concur, Continental Airlines, The Carbon Neutral Company, Dell, Egencia, HRG, HRS, ITM, JPM Consultants, KDS, MPI UK, Nike, Phillips, Sabre, Unisys, Wellcome Trust and Yahoo will be among those tackling up to 50 different topics over the course of the conference.

A brand new addition for 2009 is the SME training stream hosted by Graeme Payne, experienced travel author and director of Travel Talk and Robert Daykin, partner, Corporate Travel Partnership. The stream features four sessions repeated daily from midday in the Show Floor Open Theatre: Understanding the Role of the Travel Manager to Optimise Success; Tapping into Loyalty Programmes to Generate Cost-Savings and Build Stronger Business Partnerships; Top Tips for Negotiating with Suppliers; and Making Your Travel Dollars Go That Extra Mile in Volatile Economic Times and Technology for the SME Business Traveller.

"I'm well aware of the demands placed on the travel arranger in today's chaotic and demanding environment, where companies are eager to reduce costs whilst most travellers are reluctant to alter or forgo established comforts promoted by hoteliers and airlines; so my sessions will illustrate the importance of monitoring the travel policy and budget and will introduce a host of tips and plans for reducing costs whilst identifying opportunities for improved efficiency," commented Graeme Payne.

David Chapple, Business Travel Show event director, added: "This year's conference programme is our most comprehensive yet. Over 7,000 visitors attend the Business Travel Show. Some are more experienced than others; some will represent global corporates, others 50-strong SMEs; some book meetings, others focus solely on travel. As a result, they all have unique knowledge requirements and that's why our programme is designed to be diverse enough to both reflect - and meet - their needs."

For more information about the 2009 Conference Programme and to book tickets in advance, please visit www.businesstravelshow.com. Sessions cost £45 when booked in advance or £55 on the door.