Speakers to Include Charlie Wilson of Charlie Wilson’s War
CONTACT: Caleb Tiller, +1 703-684-0836, ext. 138
Nicole Hayes, +1 703-684-0836, ext. 133
Alexandria, VA and Atlanta, GA (April 23, 2008) -- The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) today announced program details for the National Travel Forum (NTF) – the largest and most important event for the federal travel and relocation community – to be held June 3-6 in Atlanta. NTF 2008 is designed to give attendees multiple opportunities to learn more about the topics most important to government travel and relocation professionals, to network with peers and to explore the services offered by key suppliers of travel and related services for government agencies.
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| L to R: NBTA’s Bill Connors, GSA’s Becky Rhodes, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau’s David McAuley |
Becky Rhodes, Deputy Associate Administrator; Office of Travel, Transportation and Asset Management; U.S. General Services Administration, commented, “With all of the important changes taking place within the government travel area, the National Travel Forum provides an excellent opportunity for travel management professionals throughout the federal government to ensure that they have accurate and up-to-date information on new policies and processes as well as insights into further improvements that are planned.”
SPEAKERS
Charlie Wilson, former Texas Congressman and inspiration for the best-selling book and the major motion picture, Charlie Wilson's War, will share his compelling story with NTF attendees. As a Congressman in 1980, Wilson read an alarming Associated Press report of thousands of refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Not many people knew what was happening, or even recognized what was at stake in the region, but Wilson immediately arranged to have CIA funds directed toward Afghanistan doubled and set in motion what would become known as "Charlie Wilson's War"-- his long fight championing the cause of the Afghan people against Soviet tyranny.
David DeBoy, Emmy Award-winning writer, actor and speaker, will serve as Official Master of Ceremonies. DeBoy was well-received as emcee for the 2006 NTF, and NBTA is pleased to welcome him back to the event. DeBoy began his career as an actor appearing in more than 40 professional stage productions, television and feature films. His plays and musicals have been published and produced Off-Broadway and he has won Emmy awards for his television writing.
GSA TRAVEL AND RELOCATION INNOVATION AWARD
Becky Rhodes, Deputy Associate Administrator; Office of Travel, Transportation and Asset Management; U.S. General Services Administration, will present the 2008 GSA Travel and Relocation Innovation Award during the NTF General Session, Thursday, June 5. The prestigious award highlights the achievements of leading government professionals as they work to implement new programs and ideas in order to better the travel and/or relocation experience.
EDUCATION
NTF 2008 offers attendees more than 35 educational sessions on the topics most important to government travel professionals, including:
- Relocation
- Per Diem and the rate setting process
- Travel Policy
- Federal Rental Car Program
- Contracting for Airfares
- Federal Travel Regulation
- Best Lodging Practices
- New DoD and GSA Policies
EXHIBITS
NTF will bring together government travel professionals with key suppliers of travel and related services to help attendees learn more how they can address their agencies’ travel needs. More than 50 exhibitors are already signed on for the trade show. Companies interested in obtaining the remaining space should contact Colette Skeen at NBTA: cskeen@nbta.org.
VENUE
NTF 2008 will be held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, which is conveniently located in Peachtree Center. The hotel provides easy access to such Atlanta highlights as the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, the CNN Center, the Georgia World Congress Center, the Philips Arena and the Georgia Dome.
People interested in learning more about NTF 2008 or registering should visit www.nationaltravelforum.org.
About NTF and NBTA GTG
The National Travel Forum (NTF) is the largest and most important event for the federal travel and relocation community. Government travel and relocation are constantly changing to meet the needs of government travelers and their agencies. NTF helps attendees continue to offer world-class travel management for their agencies by offering dozens of educational sessions on the topics most important to government travel professionals, an exhibition to facilitate networking with key suppliers of travel and related services and multiple opportunities for attendees to interact with government and industry travel and relocation peers. NTF was historically organized by the General Services Administration (GSA), and at the conclusion of NTF 2006, GSA entrusted the management of the event’s future to the National Business Travel Association’s Government Travel Group (NBTA GTG). For details, visit www.nationaltravelforum.org.
In 2004 NBTA created the GTG to serve the growing needs of government travel professionals within GSA, DoD and the states and to provide government travel managers with access to the member benefits that have long set NBTA apart as the leading association for corporate travel professionals. The GTG is steered by an Advisory Board comprised of leading travel figures, including officials from GSA and DoD. For more, see www.nbta.org/gtg.
About NBTA
The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world’s premier business travel organization. U.S.-based NBTA and its regional subsidiaries – NBTA Asia Pacific, NBTA Canada and NBTA Mexico – serve more than 3,200 members in 30 nations around the globe. NBTA has 41 U.S. Chapters with more than 5,000 members. NBTA members are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than US$170 billion of global business travel expenditures annually. The association provides industry-leading networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. For more information, visit www.nbta.org.
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