The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) announced today that its Global Education Conference in Rome netted almost 900 attendees from over 30 different countries.  Of the corporate travel executive delegates in attendance, 48% of companies are buyer companies.  The Conference, which concludes today, ran from 14 – 16 October.

“We’re thrilled with the turnout in Rome,” said ACTE Executive Director Ron DiLeo.  “We intentionally cap our global conferences around this number of executives to preserve the intimacy that fosters the networking, education and idea-sharing that defines this Association.”

Each of ACTE’s five keynote presenters reinforced global topics pertinent to the corporate travel industry:

• Beppe Severgnini, Author, Correspondent and Columnist:  Scoprire L’italiano. Business Travelers Discover the Italian!:  Severgnini introduced Italy – from Italian culture to Italian politics – through the eyes of a business traveler.

• Dr. Nariman Behravesh, Chief Economist, HIS:  The Global Economic Outlook & What We Can Learn From The Future:  Dr. Behravesh gave an outlook and risk analysis for China, Europe, Japan and the United States, as well as emerging markets around the globe to help attendees understand how these forecasts pertain to the health of the travel industry’s future.

• Dr. Graeme Codrington, Author & Future Trends Analyst; Co-Founder of TomorrowToday:  Leading in a Changing World:  Dr. Codrington identified new leadership imperatives and essential leadership skills required to successfully navigate shifts and advances in technology, demography, globalization and social values.

• Stéphane Garelli, Professor at the Institute of Management Development (IMD); Director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center:  From Global to Fragmented:  A Competitiveness Outlook for 2013 and Beyond:  Garelli’s presentation both entertained and provoked attendees to think outside the box and prepare for tomorrow with the strategies and mindsets that match emerging market trends and new competitive pressures.

• Mark Anthony, Motivation Advisor:  Motivating Travelers to Model Preferred Behaviors:  Anthony, a travel industry veteran, demonstrated the keys to motivating the right people for the right reasons towards the right goals.

The ACTE Global Education Conference in Rome also featured three days of educational sessions and networking events,  InterACTE, the Angel Investors Lounge and updates on ACTE initiatives like the ACTE Index,Consultants Corner and the Around the World in 80 Hours program.

Furthermore, the conference saw the announcement of ACTE’s next Executive Director, Greeley Koch, who will begin his tenure on 1 December.