ACTE Education Agenda
ACTE has lined up an innovative and robust slate of education and networking programs that highlight the Best of the Best ideas and developments, with experts sharing the hottest trends for 2015, tackling industry challenges head-on, and arming you with skills for success. Look for a variety of new program features this year, including a range of formats and varying session durations.
ACTE's education programming begins Sunday, April 12 at 4:30pm with a full-length opening session followed by two days of education and networking.
View additional programming
• Pre-conference
• Tuesday
Sunday, April 12
4:30pm - 5:45pm
Kickoff General Session
 | Don't
miss 'The Drawing Boys' in this lively and thought-provoking opening
general session with Roman Tschaeppeler & Mikael Krogerus. Learn
more. |
Monday, April 13
Featured Session
Join Delta President Ed Bastian and Michael Lyons (ACTE's USA Regional Chair) for a lively discussion on a variety of hot topics that confront the travel industry today. Learn more.
10:00am - 12:00pm
The ACTExperience
Your time is valuable. We’ll help you make the most of your conference experience with our new ACTExperience. This innovative format provides a mashup of conference programming, presented in a ‘tour’ format that enables you to identify the main messages and core takeaways in three 35-minute, bite-sized experiences. Topics for each small group rotation are based on key areas our members have identified as priorities, and the facilitators have been hand-picked for their expertise.
| Connecting for Success - Building and expanding your network efficiently is about more than collecting business cards and greeting old friends. Meet one of ACTE Canada’s best rated speakers who will boost the quality your networking experiences and prepare you to get the most value out of every new connection you make. Presented by: Doug Carter, Presentation Consultant, Presentations Etc., Inc. |
| Drawing Conclusions - The Swiss duo, who first performed at our Copenhagen conference in 2014, use illustrations and humour to show how we make decisions, and more to the point, how we can make better decisions. You won’t want to miss this innovative and mind expanding experience. Presented by: Roman Tschäppeler & Mikael Krogerus, Authors of The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking |
 | Building a Better Approach - Hard Issues; Real Communications: A Negotiator's guide to breaking the mould of slug-it-out buying and selling. How to read minds, understand perspectives and generate mutually beneficial solutions. Facilitated by: Scott Wayne, Founder & Lead Consultant, The Frontier Project |
1:45pm - 2:45pm
General Session: Balancing Savings and Service with New Initiatives in Traveller Centricity
 | During
this General Session, top travel buyers will spotlight some of the industry's most creative developments that are maximizing traveler productivity and satisfaction without breaking budgets. Featuring trend-setting initiatives from AstraZeneca, Microsoft and Sapient, attendees will hear first-hand what the industry’s Best of the Best have been up to, and what is next on their list. Spotlight innovator: Michelle DeCosta, Director, Global Travel and Client Experience, Sapient Spotlight innovator: Georgie Farmer, Group Manager, Strategic Sourcing, Global Travel & Meetings, Global Procurement Group, Microsoft Corporation Spotlight innovator: Kerrie Henshaw-Cox, Global Commercial Leader - AstraZeneca Travel Service, AstraZeneca Hosted and moderated by Jason Long, Vice President, Global Solutions, HRS
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4:00pm - 5:00pm
Select from the following 60-minute education breakout sessions. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
 | 5 Ways a Technologist Re-invented Travel Management Steven Mandelbaum has built a reputation as one of our industry’s best innovators, earning him recent accolades from Business Travel News as their 2014 Travel Manager of the Year. He tackles the industry’s problems and inefficiencies by designing new programs, concepts, and digital solutions. Discover what he has in store next, and hear the latest on his recent innovations in expense reporting, gamification, re-envisioned database theory, and more. Speaker: Steven Mandelbaum, Vice President, Business Solutions, The Advisory Board Co.
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 | Beyond Big & Smart: The Next Big Trend in Data Analysis It's Big Data, sure, but we're turning it Phat - Modern, Cool, and Actionable! With all the talk about Big Data in the world today, how can you use this to your advantage in the business travel and meetings industry? There is significant opportunity to enhance the managed travel and meetings programs through utilization of the data that sits at your fingertips. This session will give you a peek under the hood on how we can use Big Data in creative ways to impact both buyers and the suppliers. Learn how to build a Phat Data Strategy that you can action immediately. Change the conversation about data and drive real impact in your T&E programs. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and dig into Phat Data! Speaker: Jennifer Steinke, Manager, Corporate Travel, ACT
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| Bold, Fast and Agile: Cisco’s Revolutionary Hotel Strategy Hear how Cisco revolutionized the hotel industry by successfully partnering with key global suppliers to move from annual market share agreements to multi-year revenue based contracts. Speakers: Teri Adams, Americas' Travel Manager, Cisco Systems & Susan Lichtenstein, Director of Global Travel, Cisco Systems
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| Building a Comprehensive Payments Security Strategy: Spotlight on Chip & Pin (EMV) In the aftermath of the Target breach, the urgency surrounding chip and PIN (aka EMV) cards in the U.S. is at an all-time high – and the migration is underway. However, questions remain about how the technology will impact fraud prevention strategies and what additional steps must be taken to ensure that businesses can protect the sensitive information entrusted to them. Learn how to accelerate chip and PIN adoption, and develop internal controls, such as improved detection, authentication and tokenization, to combat fraud in today’s market. Speakers: Alan Docherty, Senior Manager, North American Corporate Card Products, BMO Financial Group, Treasury & Payment Solutions With contributions by: Cassandra Prewett, Strategic Program Manager, Bank of Montreal
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| Latin American Spotlights: Exploring Global Travel Management Quickly get up to speed on the latest trends, issues, and industry news from Brazil and throughout Latin America. Regional experts from a variety of locations will highlight the essentials you need to know about corporate travel management in this rapidly growing area. Speakers: Dennis Swane, Head of Travel Global Category Team, Ericsson
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| Walking the Fine Line Between Savings and Service Bottom line versus traveller preferences. These are two polar opposite yet equally important objectives that travel managers must reconcile. But how? Hear from travel managers who are getting creative in their solutions as they strive to add value to both sides of the equation. Panelists: Eric Bailey, Travel and VenueSource Global Group Manager, Microsoft Global Procurement Group Michelle DeCosta, Director, Global Travel and Client Experience, Sapient Kerrie Henshaw-Cox, Global Commercial Leader - AstraZeneca Travel Service, AstraZeneca Moderated by: Georgie Farmer, Group Manager, Strategic Sourcing, Global Travel & Meetings, Global Procurement Group, Microsoft
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