A corporate travel roundtable in September reveals alignment between industry needs and conference programme.
SHANGHAI – The seventh edition of the IT&CM China & CTW China Corporate Travel Roundtable was held in Beijing on 19 September 2014, attracting 12 travel managers from local, state-owned and multinational companies to register their interest. Hailing from the airline, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, financial services and international trade industries, participants shared a diversity of perspectives during the session.
The series of roundtable discussions, which travels to different Chinese cities every two months since 2013 April, is a platform for TTG Events and partner Carlson Wagonlit Travel, China to engage the marketplace ahead of the inaugural Corporate Travel World China (CTW China) conference in April 2015. It is supported by venue sponsor Frasers Hospitality.
Representing Carlson Wagonlit Travel, China, Ms Ruby Guang, Manager – Program Management (China) shared the results of their 2014 China travel managers’ survey with the group. This market-specific research complements the travel management company’s global annual survey by involving the opinions of local travel managers.
This resonated with Ms Erin Ji, who manages the travel programme for a private equity firm based in Beijing. She joined the roundtable with the intention of exchanging pointers with her industry counterparts in multinational companies, saying: “I’m keen on learning about global industry trends, how these apply to China and how I can leverage these ideas to advance travel management in my firm. It has been a very rewarding experience.”
This clear need for the localisation of industry knowledge affirms the decision of TTG Events, which has organised Corporate Travel World Asia-Pacific for some 17 years that China deserves its own edition. The conference programme will focus on the specific needs of the Chinese market.
Topics like the impact of the legislative and regulatory environment on travel management, redesigning travel policies and optimising the use of travel technology are being planned. At the same time, the conference will also address the key issue of cost savings with a dedicated track that will delve into supplier relationships in the air, ground and hotel segments. Carlson Wagonlit Travel, China also intends to reveal the results of its 2015 China survey during the conference.
The inaugural Corporate Travel World China will be held from 14 – 16 April 2015 in Shanghai. In the lead-up to the conference, TTG Events and Carlson Wagonlit Travel, China will continue its engagement efforts with another corporate travel roundtable in Shanghai this November.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
