The Business of Travel

Share Marriott's perspective on responsibility and oversight of tech and digital strategy, trends we see in the hospitality industry as it relates to the supplier side of the business. The podcast is hosted by Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA, aligned with Tammy Routh, who is President of the GBTA Allied Leadership Council and Senior Vice President of Marriott International.

Moderators and Speakers:

Moderator – Suzanne Neufang, GBTA CEO

Tammy Routh, Senior Vice President – Marriott International

Drew Pinto - EVP and Chief Revenue and Technology Officer - Marriott International

Music track is Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Corporate travel policies are more than just a set of guidelines—they define how employees travel, how companies manage costs, and how organizations adapt to an ever-changing business environment. And they are an essential and fundamental element of the day-to-day work and long-term approach of every travel buyer. With shifting workforce dynamics, new expectations around flexibility, and ongoing efforts to balance cost control with traveler satisfaction, however, policies are evolving faster than ever. In this podcast, GBTA Board members and industry experts discuss the latest trends, the challenges companies face in enforcing policies, and what the future holds for corporate travel programs:

• Rosemary Maloney, Senior Director, Corporate Travel, The Freeman Company, and GBTA Board, Vice President
• Carlos Almendros, Director, Strategic Sourcing Travel, Card and Marketing Manager, Cisco Systems, and GBTA Board, Direct Seat, At Large
• Carol Fergus, Director, Global Travel Events and Ground Transportation, Fidelity International, and GBTA Board, Direct Seat, At Large
• Katie Virtue, Head of Sales and Marketing, Festive Road, and GBTA Board, Allied Seat, At Large

The group's discussion includes insightful and actionable insights related to travel policy evolution including:

• Balancing cost and employee experience
• Policy enforcement vs. flexibility
• The current state of air travel policies
• Adapting to changing workforce needs
• The future of travel policy customization

Music track is Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Networking and community building are crucial for women's professional development. In this WINiT podcast sponsored by CWT, moderator Bev Heinritz, Director of Foundation Programs at GBTA Foundation, and Lisa Nelson, Senior Director of Customer Management at CWT, discuss how collective networking and community-building efforts can drive broader systemic change by advocating for policies, practices, and cultures that support women in the workplace. When women come together, they can influence industry standards and create more inclusive environments.

Show Links:

Lead to Win by Karla A. Harris

You've Been Chosen – Thriving the Unexpected by Cynt Marshall

Music track is Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Does when, where, and how the work gets done matter if deadlines and deliverables are met? How do ways of working impact organizations, employees, and travelers? Listen to this podcast to hear our expert panel as they debate the workplace of the future and the role of the travel manager in supporting this transformation. Drawing on the insights from 300+ participants captured at the GBTA Europe Conference and GBTA APAC conferences on varied questions pertaining to work culture, the role of business travel, and travel managers in supporting these new work environments.

Moderator & Speakers:

Moderator: Catherine Logan, Regional Senior Vice President - EMEA & APAC – GBTA

Christian Dahl, EVP People & Culture at BCD and

Rosemary Maloney, Senior Director, Corporate Travel Freeman

Music track is Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Globally, despite certain challenges, business travel spend has continued to grow in 2024. According to GBTA's latest Business Travel Index forecast, business travel spend is expected to end 2024 above the $1.5 trillion mark – for the first time surpassing 2019 spend. As we head into 2025, what are the current headwinds and tailwinds business travel buyers, suppliers and economists are seeing within this sector?

In this podcast, Dallas-based GBTA Board Treasurer, Kevin Sullivan, is joined for a topical discussion with fellow Board members and an economic expert:

· Ben Park, Executive Director-Travel & Sustainability, Paraxel, GBTA Board of Directors European Region Director – Berlin, Germany

· Katharine Farrell, Sr. Manager – Sales Digital Marketing Communication, Delta Airlines, GBTA Board of Directors, Director-at-Large – Atlanta, GA, USA

· Jarrod Castle, Research Analyst, UBS – London, UK

The group will offer their unique buy, supply, and analyst insights around bigger picture areas for the business travel industry including:

· Category-level outlook and overall sentiment for business travel for the year ahead

· How economic factors have shaped – and will further shape – business travel budgets and travel decisions

· The impact of changing workforce and related travel for work dynamics

· The current and future role of sustainability in business travel considerations

· Top challenges and opportunities ahead for business travel and the industry in their region

Listen in for a comprehensive, around-the-world view on the current and future state of business travel.

Music track is Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Welcome to this episode of the GBTA Business of Travel brought to you by the Canadian Meetings & Events Committee with special guest Heather Reid, Founder and CEO of Planner Protect Inc and the Canadian authority on event contracts.

With over 30 years planning conferences and events for clients, Heather has helped hundreds of event organizers generate more than $9M in cash savings and avoided risk. Heather has dedicated much of her career into changing the education landscape for event professionals.

In this podcast we explore some of the common issues and roadblocks with event contracts, both on the buyer and supplier side. We look at security and risk issues and force majeure and termination clauses and how the focus on contract language has changed over the years, especially since coming out of the pandemic. In an industry where planners used to "own" everything about a meeting, Heather helps to identify and acknowledge the other key stakeholders that contribute to the event from the contracting process to the execution.

The views and opinions expressed by podcast guests are their own and do not constitute legal advice on behalf of GBTA.

Music track is Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

The Meetings & Events Committee (EMEA) brings you this podcast which showcases How Radisson Hotel Group is using AI to optimize venue sourcing for buyers and suppliers. In this episode, Verónica González, a member of the GBTA M&E Committee, and head of Hotel Distribution Account Management at Amadeus IT Group, talks with Mandy Stam from Radisson Hotel Group and key technology partners, to learn more about how Radisson Hotel Groups optimizes M&E RFP Response Time, Conversion Rate and Revenue Generation with the use of AI. They share expertise and insights regarding

• • M&E Demand trends.
• • Buyers' behavior.
• • Suppliers' challenges.
• • How suppliers are using AI to better serve buyers.
• • RPA and AI trials and errors.
• • Outcome expected.
• • Challenges faced & Lesson learned.
• • Keys to success: flexibility, partnership, innovation, etc.
• • Results achieved

Names:

• • Verónica González, a member of the M&E Committee, global head of Hospitality Distribution Account Management at Amadeus IT Group.
• • Mandy Stam, Senior Director Business Solutions, Radisson Hotel Group.
• • Felix Undeutsch, Co-Founder Hivr.ai.
• • Tony Marcelli, Director of Product Management at Cvent.
• • Gonzalo Fortuny, Partner at EY

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Not every Corporate needs to implement NDC immediately and many can wait for their TMC to enable NDC content. Given all the noise around NDC, is there a temptation to rush NDC content rather than question whether it is relevant at this time?

Music track is Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

In this episode of the Carbon Compass, the planet-focused subseries of the Business of Travel podcast, GBTA Sustainability Leaders Nora Lovell Marchant, VP for Global Sustainability at American Express Global Business Travel and Page Motes, Chief Compliance and Sustainability Officer at Hertz, share their insights on the key success factors for accelerating climate action in business travel. Listeners will learn about the key takeaways from Climate Week NYC, and how to navigate key tensions on the road to Net Zero – fastest vs biggest impact; control vs influence; bottom line vs reputation; stronger commitments vs better ideas. Guests also discuss how the newly launched GBTA Sustainability Acceleration Challenge Maturity Assessment can help all travel and sustainability professionals understand their business travel-related emissions, and the importance of taking the assessment for your company's benefit. Access the Acceleration Challenge here. In each episode of the Carbon Compass, we unveil inspiring stories, innovative strategies, and impactful initiatives from special guests: Leaders committed to steering the course toward a more sustainable future for business travel. Together, we explore, unpack, and demystify the world of sustainability in business travel. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to follow us on Linkedin. Music track is Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Brought to you by the GBTA | Risk Committee - US.

The speakers are:

Valerie Ferraro, Manager, Program Operations

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation; Craig Collins, Vice President, Client Management - America's, CIBT;

Dr. Katherine O'Reilly, International SOS.

Music track is Space Jazz by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License