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Education Sessions

Education will build upon the travel manager as the supporting hub, with each of the spokes representing the various components that must come together in a unified fashion for a successful travel programme. Key focus areas within each of these spokes will surround the evolving expectations and needs of the modern business traveller, and support to the travel managers with both today's challenges and tomorrow's future.

Sunday, November 19 14:00 - 16:00












 Pre-Conference Workshop: The New Age of Corporate Travel Management
Designed for: Business travel professionals new to the industry, and procurement managers new to the category.
This 2-hour workshop will introduce the discipline of travel management in the Canadian marketplace. Participants will start with the basics by learning what makes travel different from other procurement commodities, the structure of the industry and the types of suppliers, before moving on to negotiating strategies, ratios and benchmarks. The session will also touch upon new developments that could change the way travel is managed.

This session is a conference add-on and space is being limited to foster learning.  The fee to participate in this workshop is $89 for conference delegates who are members and $119 for non-members. To attend select the "workshop" option when registering for the conference.
  
Annemarie Reininger, Managing Director, A.R. Consulting
Helene Minville, Senior Business Travel Sales Manager, Antonopoulos Group
Nancy Lynch, Strategic Sourcing & Category Manager, Corporate Goods & Services, Shaw Communications

Monday and Tuesday Education Sessions














 Balance in Today’s Sleep Program
Achieving hotel key performance indicators is getting harder each year. Changes in hotel revenue models have eroded the effectiveness of corporate hotel programs, yet buyers have been slow to react. As a result of rate restrictions, fluctuating rates, and other market drivers, increasing numbers of travelers end up paying more than the hard won rates locked in during the traditional negotiating season. In this session, we’ll identify new trends and explore new strategies to help you optimize your program for your company, your travelers, and your budget. Our panel of experts will help you explore:
  • Changes adopted by hotels that have indirectly diluted the effectiveness of the traditional sourcing approach used by buyers
  • Strategies, including dynamic performance management, to help you increase hotel attachment, rate availability and compliance to your preferred program
  • Strategies to help you find the right mixture of fixed rates, dynamic rates and discounted rates in a fragmented and fast paced hotel market

Marwan Batrouni, VP Supplier Relations Global Hotel Strategy, BCD Travel











Determining your ‘Right’ Pay Solution
This pay primer goes beyond the basics to explore what a robust pay strategy looks like. The solution is seldom a simple ‘one size fits all.’ It is important to understand when and where to use each type of payment solution before you begin to engage in planning with suppliers. Gain understanding around:
  • How your other internal departments will be affected by any change you want to make
  • How you can best plan to streamline the tasks of coordinating with them to make any implementation more efficient
  • The broad product-types that currently exist and examples of when each type is most effective
  • Tips to make your implementation more seamless 

Colleen Black, Partner, GoldSpring Consulting






Change is in the Air
After years of relative 'status quo' in our airline industry, we find ourselves facing a range of changes and challenges that must be addressed and managed in your travel programme very soon. Stay on top of the latest information and get insights on how to prepare your travel programme to manage through these changes and more: 
  • Loyalty programmes
  • Canadian airline passenger bill of rights
  • The latest news on restrictions and things such as the electronics bans 










Leveraging Data for Travel Management Insights
Attendes and data experts will debate and discuss the industry's biggest data challenges. No pitches, no PowerPoint, no formal presentation - just an open exchange of ideas and expert opinions. Topics for discussion include: 
  • Determining the 'right data' for your program to collect, measure , and analyze
  • Exploring how to use and make actionable decisions based on data
  • Obtaining data from your suppliers and ways to manager, consolidate and use it; and more! 

Garth Jopling, Principal, Longview Indirect Spend Management







Smart Tech: A Future That's Closer Than You Think
This session is designed to bring advanced technology out of the fictional realms of movies and sci-fi and show you what tech is becoming a real part of our world - and our travel programs. We’ll focus on tech that is already disrupting how we travel, communicate, pay, manage expenses, develop contracts, and more advances that are on the horizon.


Johnny Thorsen, VP Global travel Strategy & Partnerships, Mezi



















Envisioning a Robust Travel Technology Strategy
New technology is is popping up every day providing new appeals to your traveller. Learn how to create a robust technology strategy by: 
  • Mapping out technology elements that offer a great travel experience while minimizing costs
  • Creating a solid strategy and vision of where you want to take your program in the next 1-2 years 
  • Learning the right questions to ask when looking at new technology
  • Putting yourself in your traveller's shoes to learn what technology is best fit for them
Compliments of: 


Speakers: 
Eric Tyree, Chief Data Scientist, Carlson Wagonlit Travel








Becoming a Travel Programme CEO: Skills of Effective Business Leaders
Move away from the misrepresentation of the travel manager role as an order-taker or paper-pusher and move towards becoming the Travel Programme CEO. Broaden your thought process and overall management of your travel programme to create a versatile role as the Travel Programme CEO.

  
Michael Bingham, Managing Director, BottomLine Group
Michelle (Mick) Lee, Managing Partner, Arrow212 and Founder, WINiT – Women Leadership
Hamish McKenzie, Founder, McKenzie Pitch Partners
Policy vs Reality: Take back the Policy!
Most companies are reluctant to allow the use of ride sharing and home sharing services in the corporate travel policy, yet travellers are taking advantage of these services in overwhelming numbers. Using travel and expense data, this session will start by examining the growth of the services across a range of company sizes and geographies, followed by legal counsel who will advise travel managers on how travel policies can reflect reality while still protecting corporate interests. Hear how to:
  • Implement policies that incorporate sharing economy practices that are within the company’s best interest
  • Develop policies that encourage travelers to comply
  • Offer options to travelers that are within the managed travel program

Compliments of:  















Sticker Shock? Hidden Fees are Driving Up Your Travel Costs
With continued shifts across the travel industry, it is more important than ever to accurately monitor total trip costs. The current business travel model has shortcomings when it comes to transparency. In this context, “transparency” means a true understanding of the significant complexities between the many parties involved in business travel; resulting in added fees and expenses. This session will aim to dissect the challenges and opportunities behind improving transparency around content, bookings, data and reporting.

Compliments of:  



Patrick Doyle, Regional VP, Strategic Account Management, American Express Global Business travel




All subjects, and session details subject to change. There is no individual session registration. All sessions will fill on a first come, first served basis.