"An unmatched opportunity to reflect, connect, learn and be inspired."

That is what the 2024 Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention needed to—and did—become, according to Nicole Seely, CMP (MPI Tennessee Chapter), director, convention and event operations for GBTA.

"On July 22-24, the world’s largest gathering of the global business travel industry transcended a major travel disruption challenge to host 5,400 global delegates from 50 countries in Atlanta," she says. "More than 1,100 travel buyers from 600+ companies and 310 travel supplier exhibitors attended the not-to-bemissed event featuring 200+ dynamic presenters, 86 peer-reviewed education sessions, unmatched networking opportunities and the unveiling of the latest forecast ahead for global business travel."

EXPERTISE AND INSIGHTS

The innovation, expertise and insights brought by GBTA members and teams from around the world are key to the success of any GBTA convention, Seely says, noting focus areas for the 2024 convention that aligned with what’s affecting the sector and its professionals most: the state of the industry, understanding human behavior, innovating for transformation, solving sustainability challenges and looking to the future of business travel. A highlight for Seely: a particularly strong keynote lineup, a dynamic trio of experts in their respective fields.

"In keeping with the convention’s theme, each one presented an alternate point of view to commonalities and challenged the audience to embrace forward-thinking approaches," Seely says. "Dan Ariely, behavioral economist, best-selling author, speaker and professor, delved into captivating stories and research-based learnings about human behavior and why people make the everyday choices they do. Carla Harris, international public speaker and senior client advisor at Morgan Stanley, offered inspiring insights and examples on how to build trust and refine leadership approaches for maximum impact. Dr. Bertrand Piccard, initiator and chairman at the Solar Impulse Foundation, shared the adventures of his first-ever global circumnavigation in a solar-powered electric airplane in 2016."

Of course, no event is without challenges. In this case, the unprecedented CrowdStrike tech disruption that hobbled air travel for days began the Friday immediately before GBTA’s Monday-through-Wednesday convention.

"It provided real-time proof points of the value of all managed corporate travel programs," Seely says. "Our industry may have been delayed a bit, but we were not deterred. The attendance rate onsite was consistently as high as in years past. This shows the resilience of our industry professionals and the importance of business travel overall."

While some staff and attendees arrived later than anticipated because of this complication—with a few even skipping out on air travel altogether and carpooling—it led to important discussions onsite.

Nicole Seely, CMP, director, convention and event operations for GBTA, shared travel-related best practices and challenges—including how this year’s GBTA Convention was impacted by and worked through the CrowdStrike tech outage—this summer (episode 31) on MPI’s EVENTalks podcast. Listen today at mpi.org/EVENTalks.

COMMITMENT TO COLLABORATION

There were several compelling reasons to bring the GBTA Convention to Atlanta, according to Seely.

"First, Atlanta is a major hub for business and travel, offering excellent connectivity with its international airport. This makes it incredibly accessible for attendees coming from various regions," she says. "Second, Atlanta boasts a robust infrastructure and a diverse range of venues and accommodations that cater to large-scale events. The Georgia World Congress Center provided the space and amenities needed to host the GBTA Convention. Third, the partnership with the Atlanta CVB was a critical driver to choosing the destination. The tailored incentives and support offered by the Atlanta CVB further highlighted Atlanta’s dedication to the success our event."

Seely says the Atlanta CVB’s expertise in destination management was instrumental to the convention’s success.

"The CVB representatives offered invaluable support in terms of logistics, helping us navigate the city’s resources and coordinate with local businesses," she says. "They also facilitated partnerships with local vendors and service providers, ensuring that all aspects of the event met our high standards."

Kristin Delahunt, vice president, destination services for the Atlanta CVB, says leading up to July, the destination services team coordinated multiple site visits for GBTA to showcase Atlanta’s venues and restaurants that would be a good fit for the convention, while also connecting GBTA with member organizations that could supply décor and entertainment needs.

GBTA’s dedication to sustainability was impressive to the CVB’s team.

"They offered attendees a robust track of sessions focused on sustainability in the travel industry along with showcasing a Sustainability Pavilion on the trade show floor," Delahunt says. "Additionally, GBTA implemented several waste reduction and diversion initiatives throughout the convention including a donation program for unwanted event décor."