CONTACT: Caleb Tiller | 703-684-0836 Ext. 138
San Diego, CA (August 14, 2005) – During its 37th Annual Convention and Trade Show, the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) unveiled a new name and logo for its annual convention that will build on the strength of the NBTA name and logo, emphasize the host city and highlight the international nature of the event. Next year, the leading education and networking event for the corporate travel industry will be called “NBTA International Convention & Exposition,” and the logo for the event will incorporate an element of the recognized NBTA logo. The basic elements of the name and logo will remain the same from year to year, with only the host city and year changing.
Bill Connors, CTC, executive director and COO of NBTA, commented, “Each year more than half of travel managers attending the convention indicate that their travel programs are global in scope. Hundreds of our attendees come from dozens of nations outside of the United States. With this name change, we are recognizing the fact that the NBTA Convention truly is an international event.”
The 2005 NBTA Annual Convention and Trade Show offers attendees a global education track with courses designed to provide travel managers with information and methods to position themselves for operating in the global marketplace and the world economy. During the convention, NBTA will host an International Reception for international delegates from more than 30 countries, including members of organizations in the Paragon Partnership, a group of major buyer-driven business travel associations across the globe, and travel manager attendees who have global travel responsibilities.
Connors continued, “As more companies operate in a global economy, travel management is increasingly an international practice, and NBTA’s annual convention has evolved to reflect that change among its membership. Changing the convention brand reiterates our commitment to providing members with valuable education and networking opportunities to help them masterfully and successfully carry out global responsibilities.”
The logo to accompany the new convention name incorporates bold colors and components of NBTA’s logo to create a classic and memorable brand. It will begin representing the NBTA Convention on Wednesday, August 17, 2005, at the closing ceremony of this year’s convention, hosted by the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. The 2006 NBTA International Convention & Exposition will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago on July 16-19.
Connors concluded, “Both NBTA and its annual convention have long had strong, respected brands, and with this change, those brands more effectively reinforce each other.”
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 and government travel managers and travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of expenditures within the business travel industry. For more on NBTA, visit www.nbta.org.
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