Top notch speakers confirmed for BTM 2010

BUSINESS TRAVEL MARKET (BTM), the conference & exhibition for European travel buyers, has announced its 2010 conference programme, with an impressive line up of top UK and European speakers, for the event taking place at ExCel London on 16^th and 17^th June.

Over 90 speakers will take part in the only industry conference that is free to attend for both buyers and suppliers. Representatives from the buyer world are led by the BBC's Jamie Hindhaugh, Mark Avery from PriceaterhouseCoopers, Airbus' Geoff Allwright, HSBC's Lee Whiteing, Matthew Griffin from DWP and Jan Tucker Jones from BT.

European representation comes from Carlos Almedros from Cisco, Xavier Houart from Atlas Corp., Herman Mensink, from Prism Group, Yann Le Goff of SAS, Huub Smeets, Partnership CINT and Catherine Lundberg from CMM Consulting.

Airlines are represented by Air France's Henri Hourcade, British Airways' Richard Tams, Virgin Atlantic's Paul Wait, easyJet's Paul Simmons and Bob Schumacher from Continental.

Other supplier speakers include Emma Harris from Eurostar, Matthew Hall from Travelport, Kyle Moore from Sabre Holdings and Toby Joseph of Jumeirah International Hotels & Resorts.

A number of travel management company representatives will also be speaking at the conference.  These include Christa Manning from Amex, Chris Crowley from BCD, Nigel Turner from CWT, Tony Berry from HRG, Peter Muller from ATP, Ken McLeod from Advantage and Brian Donnelly from FCm Travel Solutions.

Other speakers include Geoff Kaley from Radio Taxis, Douglas O' Neill from Inntel, Johnny Thorsen from ConTgo, Todd Kramer from HRS, Trevor Elswood from BSI and Jani Kaskinen, of Hotelzon.

Conference producer Adam Coulter said:  "I am really pleased with the line up of speakers we have put together for this year's Business Travel Market.  The level of knowledge and the calibre of the people we have secured will ensure that the conference is a must-attend event.  The aim of the conference is to impart knowledge and best practice to ensure that the audience maximizes their two days out of office and I am confident that with this top notch line up of speakers will not disappoint!"

Paul Robin, event director, Business Travel Market said: As well as the convenience of having multiple buyer / supplier meetings in one place delegates are receiving added value with the top line up of speakers we have at this years BTM - and all sessions are free to attend!"

The free two-day conference agenda features 20 sessions across four distinct programmes and has been developed in association with key industry bodies ITMInstitute of Travel Management (UK and Ireland): A professional body for buyers, managers and suppliers of business travel in the UK and Ireland, with 1,000 members from large corporates, government departments & NGOs, SMEs and travel suppliers such as airlines, hotel companies, rail, car rental, technology and travel management companies (TMCs)., ACTEAssociation of Corporate Travel Executives: A non-profit association that represents the global business travel industry. It provides executive-level educational programmes and carries out independent industry research. Its members come from all areas of business travel - from corporate buyers to suppliers. Provides members with a forum for sharing ideas and also offers independent advice. and the HBAAThe Hotel Booking Agents Association: The trade association that represents the collective interest of those involved in the procurement and management of conference, meetings and accommodation in the UK and internationally. Some 80 booking agents and 280 venues and hotels are members of the organisation, which has a buying power in excess of £2.3 million a year..  Highlights of the sessions include: ‘NextGen Interaction' - a chance to discuss changing communication and meeting methods; ‘Emerging Markets' - an opportunity to learn more about the way business is carried out in China, India, Brazil and the Gulf states; ‘There's More To A Travel Programme Than Air & Hotels' and ‘A Paler Shade of Green' - focusing on the post-Copenhagen landscape and considering whether the pressures on being green are still as high on the corporate agenda.

The full conference programme is available to download on http://www.businesstravelmarket.co.uk/Downloads/programme.pdf

www.businesstravelmarket.co.uk