The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Mexico hosted its 9th annual GBTA Mexico Conference 2015 from March 18 - 20 at the World Trade Center in Mexico City. A record number of more than 390 business travel professionals attended the event from Mexico, the United States and Latin America.

Attendees were given the opportunity to participate in educational sessions and an expanded trade show floor to grow their industry knowledge and contacts, and to spark innovative ideas about corporate travel management in the face of global economic crises.

"During the last few years, business travel in our country has shown considerable growth; no doubt this has been a great benefit for all those individuals and companies that comprise our industry," said Isabel Gomez, president of GBTA Mexico. "This conference is very special for us; it is a milestone in the consolidation of the Global Business Travel Association and its leadership in Latin America. The measure in which we grow professionally will help us to meet the challenges on the horizon in our expanding economy."

This year's Conference featured a presentation from GBTA Past President and Chairman Kevin Maguire, who emphasized the importance of Latin America for GBTA and its continued growth as a major region for continuing business travel education. Education was highlighted as 180 attendees took part in the successful roll out of the pilot program for The Principles of Business Travel Management course. The two-day workshop led by subject-matter experts featuring high-level discussion on a wide-range of industry best practices will debut at GBTA's 2015 convention in Orlando, Florida, July 25 - 29.

Conference attendees also had the opportunity to hear from leading industry speakers including:

  • Josh Campbell, Cornerstone Information Systems, presenting a newly developed Advanced Principles of Business Travel Management pilot education session relating to Data Analytics
  • Adam Waltuch, from Google USA, where he is responsible for Business Development for Work for Latin America, spoke of Innovation in the tourism industry
  • Alejandro Watson of Watson and Asociados presented strategic steps of efficient planning and event organization
  • Monica Sanchez, GBTA Education Foundation Project Director, Research, detailed the latest GBTA research, including the Business Travel Index (BTI) for México and the LATAM region
  • Elizabeth Champagne, Sales Manager, Sabre for the Americas, presented Realities of Booking Outside of Latin America travel programs
  • Sarah Kennedy, Vice President of Marketing for Sabre Hospitality Solutions, described implications of the Millennial Myth on corporate travel practices

For more information, visit www.gbta.org/mexico.

About GBTA Mexico
Founded in 2007, GBTA Mexico is the only Mexican corporate travel organization. GBTA Mexico is an important part of America Latina of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world's premier business travel and meetings organization. Collectively, GBTA's 7,000-plus members manage over $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives business growth, visit gbta.org.

About GBTA

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world's premiere business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area and serving stakeholders across six continents. GBTA and its 8,000+ members represent and advocate for the $1.48 trillion global travel business and meetings industry. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. For more information visit gbta.org.

About the GBTA Foundation

The mission of the GBTA Foundation, the US 501c3 charitable arm of the Global Business Travel Association, is to help the global business travel industry create a positive impact and better future for people and the planet. The GBTA Foundation focuses on the strategy and execution of GBTA's global sustainability programs, supporting initiatives related to climate action; diversity, equity and inclusion; and other talent-related topics via education, research and advocacy. For more information visit gbtafoundation.org.