Creating meaningful dialogue through education, advocacy and research for the global corporate travel community.

Education Sessions

The education sessions are being developed by the Conference Steering Committee which is made up of your business travel peers. The sessions will highlight the experiences of those in the industry who leveraged greater visibility and recognition of their travel programs despite tenuous and demanding conditions. Leaders in travel purchasing will share proven best practices that have driven success not only for themselves and their program, but also for their organization.

Sunday, November 7 | 15.30 – 17.30

S101 - Buyer Round Table: Benchmarking Your Travel Program

(Open to Corporate Travel Buyers Only)

Benchmarking has become a growing business trend for good reason. It enables you to compare your own processes against those acknowledged as being the best. In helping you gauge how your travel program measures up, benchmarking can arm you with the knowledge to improve your own program as well as enhance your negotiating power with vendors. At this buyer round table session, the results of a comprehensive ACTE Canada-wide benchmarking survey will be shared for the first time, allowing you set goals and performance metrics for your company based on objective data from peers in your industry and company size.

Facilitator:
Michael Cox, Managing Partner, Loyalty Curve Consulting

Compliments of:

Monday, November 8 | 10.30 – 11.30

M101 - The Impact of Social Networking on Corporate Travel (session repeated at 14:45)

Population shifts and emerging technologies are creating unprecedented change throughout the business travel industry. As a result, a new category of travellers is hitting the road with expectations for a profoundly different traveller experience. Social networking is already being used to share experiences and information among travellers, giving them more power to influence the procurement of their preferred programs. This session will describe the future of business travel and how the travel management role can evolve to fit into this new reality by:

Embracing social networking.
Developing social networking best practices within a corporate travel program.
Benefitting from social networks knowledge-sharing and content-collaboration processes.

Presenter:
Miriam Moscovici, Director, Strategic Marketing & Technology Planning, BCD Travel

Compliments of:

M102 - Up in the Air: Airline Alliances and Joint Ventures

The recent approval of anti-trust immunity is changing the landscape of air travel. What is the difference between alliance airline offers versus a joint venture proposal? Can I still get a stand alone agreement? Business travel managers are struggling to understand the impacts and benefits to their travel programs. Hear first-hand from our airline panellists about the potential implications of these developments. This information session will examine:

The changing landscape of air travel.
The driving forces behind these changes.
The potential implications for business travel.

Moderator: Robert Tekker, Director, Advisory Services, American Express Business Travel

Panelists:
Russell Atkinson, Market Development Manager, Canada, oneworld Alliance
Patrick Burke, Product Director Global Corporate Sales North America, Air France KLM Delta
Hugh Dunleavy, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Planning, WestJet
Virgilio Russi, Director Planning, Global Sales, Air Canada

Compliments of:

M103 - The Metrics of Compliance: Turning Data into Insight

Reporting and data are the cornerstone of your travel program. But which data do you need? And how do you translate the data into meaningful and actionable information that clearly reflects the performance of your organization's travel program?
This session will discuss the essential components of a strong reporting strategy and offer insight into creating key performance indicators (KPIs), scorecards and dashboards that tactically link your program to your corporate travel objectives. During this session you will:

Learn to differentiate – and relate – strategic and tactical key performance indicators.
Gain insight into the building blocks of strategic travel scorecards and dashboards.
Focus on the tools that allow for better management of compliance in a self-booking world.

Moderator:
Michael Cox, Managing Partner, Loyalty Curve Consulting

Panelists:

Lori Benson, Senior Strategic Sourcing Director, Ernst & Young LLP
Kevin Craig, Regional Sales Executive, Concur
Tracy Schisler, Program Director, Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Compliments of:

Monday, November 8 | 14.45 – 15.45

M201 - The Impact of Social Networking on Corporate Travel (Repeated)

Embracing social networking.
Developing social networking best practices within a corporate travel program.
Benefitting from social networks knowledge-sharing and content-collaboration processes.

Presenter:
Miriam Moscovici, Director, Strategic Marketing & Technology Planning, BCD Travel

Compliments of:

M202 - Corporate Cards: How to Better Your Bottom Line

Savvy companies are introducing metrics to measure a broad range of business dimensions, including travel. You will learn how leading organizations are managing expenses, corporate spending and corporate travel through their card program and effectively improving their bottom line. Hear first-hand why and how different companies have implemented billing options and policies related to their specific corporate card programs. The panelists will discuss the history and rationale behind their company’s choice of the following payment solutions:

Mandated versus non-mandated card usage.
Centralized versus individual billing systems.
Data reporting and integration with expense reporting and payment systems.

Presenters:

Douglas Aird, Director, Payment Magic, TELUS Finance
Scott Baxter, Manager, BMO Spend & Payment Advisors, BMO Financial Group
Guy Bilodeau,V.P. Sales, Public Sector Accounts, BMO Financial Group
Michelle Gravelle, Director, Meetings & Travel Management, Canadian Medical Association
Pauline Valiquette, Corporate Travel Manager, CBC/Radio Canada

Compliments of:

M203 – Building Your Personal Brand: The Know, Trust & Like Factors

Here’s a question: how well known are you in the business community? Are you a business leader? Are you the go-to person when people need to know the answer to a question or be connected to someone who can help them find a solution to their problem? More than ever we need to build new relationships, stay connected and keep our brand forefront in the community. While social media, everything from LinkedIn to Twitter, can keep us connected from our desks, face-to-face is the real currency. The session highlights:

Finding time to get out in the business community.
Identifying the best ways to raise your profile.
Assessing your network.
Setting goals to build a network of depth, breadth and reach.

Presenters:
Gayle Hallgren-Rezac, Chief Engagement Officer, Shepa Learning Company
Judy Thomson, Chief Operating Officer, Shepa Learning Company

Compliments of:

Monday, November 8 | 16.00 – 17.00

M301 - Fulfilling Duty of Care When a Crisis Strikes

Are you ready for the next crisis? Planning for the unexpected has become imperative in the business world and travel managers are expected to lead a rapid and comprehensive response when a crisis strikes. Political instability, road traffic accidents, travel-related illness, and natural disasters like the ash cloud are just some of the events that can seriously impact the safety and well being of your travellers. Case studies and best practices will explore the actions, successes and lessons learned by industry experts with extensive experience in leading crisis responses. Attend this session to stay ahead of the curve and:

Understand the issues and myths surrounding duty of care within the global arena.
Learn how your company can collaborate internally to build an effective program with existing resources.
Learn practical solutions to help mitigate risks and identify gaps.

Moderator:
Suzanne Garber, Chief Operating Officer, Americas Region, International SOS America

Panelists:
Naz Alp, Travel Coordinator, Nexen Inc
Steve Sproule, Team Lead, Health, Benefits & Retirement, Husky Energy Corporation

Compliments of:

M302 – Hotel Sourcing Initiatives to Align Meetings and Transient Spend

Sourcing initiatives that combine meeting and hotel spend are fast becoming standard practice for many corporations. This session will explore the unique perspectives of corporate travel managers and hoteliers to determine likely benefits, potential downsides, and answers to the following questions:

Are meetings and travel evolving into a more unified structure?
What are the projected volume savings to the company?
What are typical results for the pool of preferred properties?

Moderator:
Linda J McNairy,Vice President,Strategic Partner Management, StarCite, Inc.

Participants:
Lorie Blackwell, Director, National Accounts & Business Development, Global Sales, Marriott Hotels & Resorts Canada
Pat Carrigan, Associate Manager, Corporate Meetings,Travel & Incentives , Investors Group Financial Services Inc
Karen Willsteed, Corporate Travel, Contract Performancec Manager-Americas, Shell Canada Limited

Compliments of:

M303 - LinkedIn for Executives

With over 70 million members, LinkedIn is the social networking tool of choice for business executives in all industries. This session is for those who want to know how to take the first step in moving this tool beyond an online rolodex, as well as for those who are currently engaged in the LinkedIn world but want to improve their presence. LinkedIn has both official and unofficial guidelines that members follow as they connect, network and do business. In this session you will learn:

How to create a ROCK STAR profile, guaranteed to set you apart from the rest.
What to share, when and where in the LinkedIn world.
How to capitalize on your online presence to improve your success and the success of others.

Presenter:
LA (Leslie Anne) Palamar, Principal, BTE Hospitality and Tourism Sales Training

Compliments of: