CONTACT: Caleb Tiller | 703-684-0836 ext. 38
 |
| Katz, Kellner, Schleien |
August 4, 2004 (Orlando, FL) -- At the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) 36th Annual Convention and Trade Show, companies providing a wide variety of travel and related services are showing their ongoing commitment to business travel. Corporation’s business travel needs and expectations are center stage with nearly 4,800 business travel professionals gathered at the Orange County Convention Center for four days of education and networking.
In the “CEO Exchange” session, Jeffrey Katz, Orbitz chairman, president and CEO; Larry Kellner, Continental Airlines, Inc., president and COO; and Robin Schleien, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) president, North America, talked about current trends in the travel marketplace. Each of them used the occasion to explain the importance of the more than 1,100 corporate travel managers attending the NBTA Convention to their business plans, as well as the value travel brings to corporations.
Kellner explained that Continental views the NBTA Convention as “a great opportunity to understand what we can do better, because we’re an airline that thinks about business travel as our main driver.”
“It is clear the world marketplace knows that business travel is really important to making their companies grow and making them healthy,” Schleien followed. CWT comes to the NBTA Convention, he explained, because, “We love to be around customers and potential customers, learning what they need, learning how things are going, learning how we can do a better job taking care of them…This is the marketplace and we’re really privileged to be here.”
More than 400 companies exhibiting in the NBTA Trade Show view this annual opportunity to connect with corporate travel managers as an investment in the future.
“The NBTA Convention and Trade show provides two elements key to the success of corporate travel -- a chance for providers like American Express to showcase our offerings directly to travel managers and opportunities for travel managers to further develop their skills and knowledge through education,” said Pamela Arway, American Express executive vice president and general manager, business travel North America.
Ellen Keszler, president of Sabre Holdings Corporate Solutions, said, "Corporate travel departments are continuing to look for ways to strike the very best balance of service and cost management. NBTA has been a great opportunity to show them solutions through the latest Travelocity Business full service corporate agency, as well as the GetThere technology that gives companies the power of online travel, while working with their travel agency of choice."
Carol A. Devine, CCTE, NBTA president and CEO, said, “Travel suppliers come to the NBTA Convention and Trade Show because NBTA-member corporate travel managers direct more than $170 billion in annual travel spend, all of which goes to the companies that provide the optimal services to meet their corporate customers’ needs. This is a chance for travel suppliers and travel managers to make connections and build the relationships that provide the best value.”
The National Business Travel Association is the source for critical information on the business travel industry. For more than 35 years, NBTA has dedicated itself to the professional development of its members through advocacy, education and training, and networking opportunities. NBTA represents over 2,500 corporate travel managers and travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of expenditures within the business travel industry.
###