Over 500 registrants, representing a vast cross section of global commerce, from 23 countries are present. In keeping with ACTE’s five-pillared philosophy, the agenda for the Hong Kong conference includes four plenary session speakers – and a call to community action.
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives’ Global Travel Conference opened in Hong Kong yesterday to the largest audience of business travel managers and high volume travel experts ever assembled in the Asian market. Whilst the world holds its collective breath over stock market performance, this ACTE event provides insight, strategies, and tips on how companies can maximise investment in business travel.
“The key to a successful travel programme in this unique market is balance,” said ACTE Executive Director, Greeley Koch. “Our five-point pillar programme resonates throughout Asia with equal emphasis on community, data access and analytics, industry innovations, talent development, and traveller centricity. ACTE programmes build strong careers and generate strong corporate profits, whilst improving conditions for the business traveller. This generates a strong following.”
How strong? Over 500 registrants, representing a vast cross section of global commerce, from 23 countries are present. Companies like Huawei Group, Li & Fung Trading Company, LVMH Asia Pacific, Nestle F&B HK, Shell Eastern Petroleum, Ralph Lauren, Morgan Stanley, Ford Motor company, and Standard Chartered Bank are either presenting or sharing techniques.
In keeping with ACTE’s five-pillared philosophy, the agenda for the Hong Kong conference includes four plenary session speakers – and a call to community action. Chandran Nair, founder and CEO, Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT), is a regular speaker at the World Economic Forum (WEF), APEC Summits, OECD events and various UN conferences. He is a member of WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Governance for Sustainability. His topic, “Why the 21st Century Will be Different: Challenging the Western Economic Paradigm,” represents cutting edge innovative thinking.
Writer, broadcast personality, and a charismatic keynote speaker, Andree Jette
founder of Vision 360, will introduce two formulas that are essential to achieving success. Participants will explore how visual, auditory, and verbal dynamism – combined with a mindset toward alliances and exchanges – are critical to performance and talent development. Her presentation is titled, “New Attitudes for New Frontiers.” Hong Kong-based, Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC, TripAdvisor,
will present “Traveler Trends and Insights,” covering innovation.
Professor Kaye Chon, Walter Kwok Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management, and Dean and Chair Professor for the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will present “Innovations in Hospitality Businesses,” a compelling look at new developments within a specific travel segment.
The core of any ACTE event revolves around detailed travel management presentations that drive the industry. The agenda for Hong Kong global travel conference includes 14 hours of advanced travel management technique. These are:
- Be Smart about Big Data – Turning Big Data into Smart Data for Corporate Travel Managers (Data Access & Analytics)
- What’s New: Be on the Cutting Edge of the Industry’s Latest Innovations (Industry Innovation)
- Managing for Success: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities (Talent Development)
- Sharing Economy Disruptors in Corporate Travel (Traveller Centricity)
- Data Usage: Maximising Travel Support; Minimising Travel Risks (Data Access & Analytics)
- If You Don’t Have a Map – Create It (Talent Development)
- Sharing Economy Disruptors in Corporate Travel (Traveller Centricity)
- Designing the Travel Experience for the Next Generation Traveller (Traveller Centricity)
- Using Smart Data to Influence Traveller Behavior (Data Access & Analytics)
- Travel Programme Compliance – Key Considerations in Building Compliance into Your Programme (Data Access & Analytics)
- Developing High-performance Virtual Teams (Talent Development)
- Transformation of Travel Management – Going Online, Booking Real Time (Industry Innovation)
- Chaos or Carpe Diem? How to Deal with Change (Talent Development)
- The Value Equilibrium: Achieving Balance between Savings and Quality (Traveller Centricity)
“Traveller Centricity” has become a signature offering from ACTE. First explored by the association two years ago, it is a concept based on stronger cooperation between the travel manager and the business traveller. The travel manager provides greater support for the traveller, who has more control over her/his travel options – in keeping with what is best for the company.
The “Community” dimension to this conference represents a strong humanitarian effort to return something to the general public on behalf of the business travel industry. ACTE Asia has sponsored four unique regional events to benefit children, disadvantaged adolescents, or a specific charity in the past year.
“Just as our emphasis on individuals in the business travel industry makes us more responsive to our members, we wanted to put a face, or faces, on corporate social responsibility. We believe in helping people,” said Greeley Koch. “In the last 12 months, ACTE Asia has hosted, Care For Children With Autism… Pertapsis Charity Walk… The Wake The Lake Cleaning Campaign… And a Dialogue With Visually Impaired People. It takes time, effort, and vision to add CSR events like this to an agenda. But we are a global community of individuals. ACTE respects, celebrates and elevates the individual.”
ACTE Asia is planning another year of similar CSR events.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
