Today marked the start of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) first-ever Australasia Education Conference - Travelution | Evolving Solutions for the Business Travel. The much anticipated conference kicked off today with over 250 business travel professionals registered from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China, Canada and the United States.  Of the delegates in attendance, over 40% represent corporate travel buyer companies.  The event, taking place at the Shangri-La Hotel Sydney, runs from 5-6 December.

The education content for the conference was developed by a Steering Committee made up of regional travel professionals representing all segments of business travel – from buyers to suppliers, TMCs and Consultants. With their guidance and direction the agenda was created to address the most important and relevant topics facing the industry. 

Australasia Board Member Georgie Farmer, Global Service Delivery Manager – Travel, Global Procurement Group, Microsoft, who will continue in her role as ACTE Australasia Board Member through December 2013, opened the conference by providing an overview of how much the ACTE Australasia region has grown in the past year, thanking the members of the Australasia Regional Council and introducing Greeley Koch, ACTE’s new Executive Director (effective as of December 1), who is in Sydney this week attending the conference.

“We’re thrilled with the turnout at the conference,” said Koch. “The success of the conference is because of a lot of hard work by the leaders in the region, the Regional Council, Conference Planning Committee and all our sponsors. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

General Sessions include the following keynote presentations:

• Economic Outlook and Implications for Business Travel
  • Dr. Tony Webber, Managing Director at Webber Quantitative Consulting & Associate Professor at University of Sydney Business School
    
    
• Big Data:  The Next Frontier for Innovation, Competition and Productivity
  • Harry Bowcott, Partner at McKinsey & Company
    
    
• A Year of Critical Uncertainty:  An Assessment & Outlook on the Regional and Global Airline Industry
  • Peter Harbison, Executive Chairman and Founder, CAPA Centre for Aviation
    
    
• Travel Innovation Unplugged:  What’s Required & What’s Disruptive
  • Yeoh Siew Hoon, Editor and Founder, WIT (Web in Travel)

The conference also features education sessions including:

• Edu Travel Program Optimisation: From Objectives to Deliverables, Extracting Greater Value and the Crucial Art of Change Management
• Proposed Major Reforms: Affecting the Industry and Business Travel Programs
• Capture the Resource Sector Travel Opportunity: Insights and Learnings
• Accommodation: Under the Magnifying Glass
• Leisure Time for Corporate Travel: Why Can't Business Travel Planning and Booking be as Dynamic as Leisure Travel?
• Actively Managing and Marketing Your Career: Expert Advice on Reinventing Yourself to Meet Changing Market Demands
• Risky Business: Duty of Care & Travel Risk Management - Responsibilities, Legislation, Advice, Solutions
• Strategic Meetings Management Program: A Framework for Success

“We are confident that the conference attendees will be engaged by the insights revealed in the educational sessions,” said ACTE Australasia Regional Chair Aileen London, Senior Manager Global Meeting Services APAC at Oracle.  “We are also looking forward to the impact that this event will have as attendees are spurred to action within their own companies.”

Networking is also a key feature of the ACTE Australasia Education Conference.  In addition to networking breakfasts, luncheons and coffee breaks, InterACTE will provide attendees with time to speak directly to industry suppliers, showcasing the most exciting business travel products and solutions.  The ACTE mobile application for the conference is not only offering full access to conference information, but also allowing for attendee-to-attendee messaging.