General Sessions
Gain expertise and insight on macro-level issues in corporate travel and how they affect your day-to-day operations. Keynote and Sponsor Industry Perspective presentations given by well-known, respected leaders in travel and business will challenge your thinking and provide you with innovative intelligence.
Monday, 17 November
Professor Louis Gialloreto BA, BA (Hon) Law, MBA, LLM, MRAeS
Executive Director, Program Director, Lecturer, President, Partner, and Editorial Contributor are all positions held by Louis Gialloreto. An author of over 50 articles in various marketing and air transport publications along with 20 years of corporate management experience with regional and major airlines, Prof. Gialloreto has developed and/or taught on executive and management education seminars and corporate consulting mandates with representatives of over 100 companies in the last 15 years. Prof. Gialloreto was awarded Best Professor (MBA) at McGill University in Montreal from 2002-2004. He combines this experience with specialization in marketing, sales, customer service, and competitive analysis. With clarity and a direct approach laced with humour, Prof. Gialloreto will share his extensive knowledge and insights in this dynamic and engaging presentation.
Monday, November 17 - Lunch Keynote Presentation
The Turbo Charged Brain
Bob Gray CSP, HoF, The Memory Coach
In this funny and unique keynote presentation, memory coaching specialist, Hall of Fame Inductee, and Guinness World Record Holder Bob Gray will reveal the untapped memory potential in each of us. Mr. Gray will begin by sharing the hilarious story of how his unique skills enabled him to immigrate into Canada. He then delivers two incredibly powerful memory demonstrations which never fail to astonish.
An excellent memory conveys the image of success and having a trained memory is a business asset attainable by everyone. Using humour throughout, Mr. Gray will share the practical “Chain” system which dates all the way back to ancient Greece and is still today an invaluable tool for memorizing speeches, presentations, lists and more. This empowering technique and its many applications suitable for the business world provides immediate “walk away” value.
Are you ready to accelerate your memory into rapid recall?
Tuesday, 18 November
Snapshot: 2009 Economics and Spend Trends
The influence of the North American and international economies on the Canadian economy impacts how businesses run in today’s marketplace. Where is Canada going in 2009? Where does Canada stand? What are the driving factors you need to know about? Beginning with a high level economic overview, this session will then dig deeper specifically into the business travel world. Using analysis based on industry research including the 2nd Annual ACTE/Conference Board of Canada Business Travel Outlook 2009, Alex Fritsche will again deliver valuable analysis beyond statistics into the areas of accommodations, transportation, and more. In addition, there will be the opportunity for audience questions and answers.
Alexander Fritsche, Economist, Conference Board of Canada
Alex Fritsche is a seasoned forecaster and analyst. Since joining the Conference Board of Canada in 1999, he has contributed to a number of areas within the Board’s forecasting group. He possesses an in-depth understanding of the Canadian and international economies and played a key role in the development of the financial forecasting model used to forecast the profitability of the Canadian tourism industry. Since joining the Canadian Tourism Research Institute (CTRI), Mr. Fritsche has been chiefly responsible for producing metropolitan, provincial, national and international tourism forecasts, while contributing extensively to CTRI's wide range of custom research projects.