By Kevin Maguire
President & CEO, NBTA
2007 was a progressive, good year for NBTA. I want to share with you some of your association’s accomplishments and the organization’s ambitious, yet focused plans for 2008 and beyond. As the association moves forward, NBTA will continue striving to provide the very best in member services and programs, and to be the leading, most respected source for providing information regarding travel issues.
Much of NBTA’s success last year can be credited to the support and commitment of your NBTA Board of Directors, the Allied Leadership Council, the Executive Committee, the committee chairpersons, and a very professional and dedicated NBTA staff. When you voted me in as the new NBTA President, I tasked each of these hard workers to evaluate every NBTA program and to offer constructive suggestions to make all the association's offerings the "best-in-class" for the industry. Everyone accepted the challenge, and I believe the membership will be pleased with the changes that will be occurring throughout the New Year.
My predecessor as NBTA President, Suzanne Fletcher, did a magnificent job of strengthening relationships with the U.S. chapters and with NBTA's industry partners, as well as moving NBTA into a new phase of global outreach and expansion. Suzanne created a strong foundation from which to build the future, and she has agreed to remain active as the association moves forward over the next two years. Her guidance, support and friendship have been invaluable to NBTA.
Happily, Don Draves accepted my request to lead the Legislative Advisory Council (LAC). As more and more pressing issues are presented to the U.S. Congress, state legislatures and local governments, the LAC's role grows in importance. I needed a strong "captain" for this role, and NBTA now has one in Don.
I also reappointed Scott Solombrino and Rob Deliberto as President and Vice President of the Allied Leadership Council. Scott and Rob have done a wonderful job bringing the allied and direct members together and in garnering allied member support for NBTA programs everywhere. Their advice and counsel has been much appreciated, and I know they will continue to help progress NBTA’s goals.
I would be remiss not to mention Michael Lyons' role in the development of NBTA over the last few months. He shares many international duties with me, having already represented NBTA at events in Australia, Canada and Mexico. Michael offers fresh ideas and a rational look at any situation. Our solid professional relationship, as well as our respectful friendship, I’m sure will continue to help push NBTA along its successful path.
NBTA’s international base is currently the strongest it’s ever been. Tanya Racz, CTE, CCTE, continues to develop and maintain a top-rate program for NBTA Canada, most recently offering the CTE program to Canadian businesses and members. Megan Lenfant, who came to us last year, is working closely with our European partners to build NBTA's presence in Europe and to develop and promote the new European corporate travel program in Milan this May (Crossroads Milan - Paragon Business Travel Conference & Expo). At one of NBTA’s newest regional affiliates – NBTA Mexico – Rodolfo Macedo is cultivating NBTA's image in Mexico, helping to grow the organization’s presence and implementing programs for NBTA Mexico. In fact, because of his steadfast efforts, NBTA Mexico hosted its first Corporate Travel Conference, garnering a 25 percent increase in attendance over last year’s NBTA conference in Mexico City. NBTA Asia Pacific (formerly the Australasian Business Travel Association) was also fully integrated into the NBTA family this year, and Karen Davis from Sydney, Australia, has been appointed Regional Director to develop NBTA Asia Pacific operations within the region.
Kevin Iwamoto accepted my request to chair a special "International Task Force" so that NBTA continues to successfully develop and strengthen partnerships around the world. His expertise and insight will be invaluable in developing the association's international structure. I also asked NBTA's "roving ambassador," Hank Roeder, to analyze ways to reach the global travel community through NBTA's educational and certification programs. Having already made significant progress in this request, NBTA professional development programs will soon be available in many countries around the world.
NBTA’s Government Relations initiatives and NBTAPAC continues to gain financial strength, momentum and is becoming a recognized force on Capitol Hill. Last year, the NBTA Chapter Challenge, through which NBTA Chapters encouraged each member to contribute $10.00 or more, was a great success, as was attendance at the annual NBTA Legislative Summit. The largest NBTA government relations event yet, the 2007 Legislative Summit allowed members to have one-on-one discussions with congressional representatives from their respective areas to earnestly discuss travel industry issues. NBTA will this year offer members the same opportunity at the 2008 Legislative Summit in June, and we’ll continue to press for solutions on several different matters, including the use or misuse of car rental taxes; non-refunded taxes and fees on unused tickets; and questions about passenger rights, security issues, etc.
2007’s NBTA Business Travel Financial Forum held in New York was another over-whelming success, attracting more than 250 attendees. This year’s Financial Forum offers an array of recognized financial and industry experts and new topics designed to generate lively discussion among those present for the sessions. Members have expressed growing interests in the program and early-registration is indicating another strong, record-breaking number of attendees. Added this year is the Travel Manager Exchange Forum, at which travel managers are invited to join with fellow buyers from around the world for a half-day open discussion on the most important issues facing the industry at a time when so much is in flux. As part of the conversation, the group will choose questions to pose the next day to the experts at the Financial Forum.
Overall, 2007 has been a year of positive transition for NBTA, and 2008 will be a year of new goals and continued success. I am privileged to work with such a great team, which includes each and every member of the association. Let’s continue to work as a team, keeping energized and creative to ensure that NBTA offers the very best services and resources in the global corporate travel industry.
Return to Connecting News January 2008