GBTA Finalizes ACTE Acquisition, Fills Two Open Board Seats
Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel association, has completed its acquisition of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives’ (ACTE) key assets.
As part of the integration effort, two former ACTE Board members will join the GBTA Global Board of directors effective immediately.
GBTA finalises ACTE Acquisition, fills two board seats
Alison Taylor, chief customer officer of American Airlines, will serve the remainder of the vacant ALC vice presidency. Steve Sitto, senior manager, Global Travel and Events for Tesla, will serve the remainder of the vacant direct member at-large term. Both terms will be completed at the time of the GBTA Convention in July 2021.
In addition, a committee led by GBTA chairman Christle Johnson, and former ACTE executive director and current DigitTravel Consulting Senior vice president Greeley Koch, will work together with GBTA staff and industry volunteers to identify the best value a combined GBTA and ACTE can deliver to its members.
“We are beyond thrilled to bring GBTA and ACTE together, creating one home for the thousands of business travel professionals who will collectively bring back business travel bigger and better than ever,” said Bhart Sarin, president of GBTA.
We look forward to combining the best attributes of both associations with our Ready. Safe. Travel campaign as we continue to advocate for business travel’s path to recovery,” said Dave Hilfman, interim executive director of GBTA.
Thirty-two years after its founding, ACTE ceased operations and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy earlier in July 2020, citing both the Covid-19 pandemic and cancellation of the August 2019 ACTE Global Summit in Macau – due to the Hong Kong protests – as reasons.
ICC Sydney is now approved to host 1,500 delegates at conferences and corporate events. Photo credit: ICC Sydney
The International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) has received an exemption to hold corporate events and conferences for up to 1,500 people, following approval from the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Health.
Corporate events, including conferences, meetings, AGMs, awards and banquets, will be subject to one person per four square metres and allocated to groups no larger than 300 people in separate areas within ICC Sydney.
ICC Sydney is now approved to host 1,500 delegates at conferences and corporate events. Photo credit: ICC Sydney
In addition, the Aware Super Theatre is now permitted to hold seated events of up to 2,400 patrons.
ICC Sydney CEO, Geoff Donaghy, said the increased capacity limit for corporate events is a vital next step in recovering from the coronavirus crisis for ICC Sydney and the business events sector.
“Our industry has been hard hit since March. This exemption will significantly improve ICC Sydney’s ability to attract corporate events, which is essential for the wider recovery of Australia’s business events sector – worth over A$36 billion (US$26.4 billion) annually to our economy”.
Following the exemption, preparations are now underway to welcome back larger conferences. The first of these events to be staged at ICC Sydney will be the 43rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly, in a hybrid format. In conjunction with a Space STEM Park, the Assembly will attract up to 1,500 local participants. A virtual platform will stream to an audience that is anticipated to exceed 3,000 attendees.
This comes as the border between Victoria and NSW has reopened, allowing greater movement of people between the two states for domestic event attendance.
ICC Sydney has made operational changes including limiting the 1,500 people in groups of 300; separate entrances and exits for each group of 300; check-in and contact tracing information collection; regular cleaning of high-traffic and high-touch areas with hospital-grade disinfectant; hand sanitiser stations; and providing Covid-19 safety training for all operational, frontline and contract staff, as well as on-site COVID-19 Safe Hygiene Marshals.
All events held at ICC Sydney will continue to be delivered in line with the venue’s EventSafe Operating Guide which integrates parent group ASM Global’s Venue Shield programme, while meeting NSW Government regulations.
Accor has opened Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha, the group’s seventh property in the Vietnamese capital.
Located in the Dong Da District, the property offers 338 studios, apartments and suites within, for both short- and long-stay corporate travellers. Guests staying in the Executive Apartments and Suites can enjoy light canapés, snacks and drinks at the Premier Lounge located on the hotel’s 26th floor.
For meetings, events and conferences, Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha boasts 11 meeting rooms that can host up to 480 guests. All function rooms are equipped with Wi-Fi access, built-in LCD projectors and multiple, large scale drop-down screens, lighting, sound system and state-of-the-art multimedia equipment.
Dining outlets include an all-day restaurant Food Exchange, the Gourmet Bar which offers sandwiches, salads and light snacks, poolside bar Aqua, and the Rooftop Bar with its selection of cocktails, mocktails and wines.
After a long day’s work, corporate guests can unwind at the recreational facilities such as the fitness centre, outdoor heated swimming pools, sauna and Jacuzzi.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that its director general and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, will step down from his role effective March 31, 2021.
In line to take over De Juniac’s role is Willie Walsh, former CEO of International Airlines Group. He was recommended by the IATA Board of Governors at the 76th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) to become IATA’s eighth director-general from April 1, 2021.
De Juniac commented: “I did not come to this decision lightly. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve the global air transport – what I call the business of freedom – as the head of IATA. Over the last years IATA has strategically increased its relevance as the voice of the global airline industry. This has been evident in the COVID-19 crisis. IATA has set the course to restore air connectivity amid the pandemic with systematic pre-departure testing. We are well into preparations to fulfil critical vaccine distribution needs.
“In parallel, we have restructured IATA to survive the crisis and be ready to support the industry recovery. We have a motivated team that is determined to get the job done. The building blocks for an industry recovery are in place, and now is the right time to hand over IATA’s leadership for the long process of recovery.”
De Juniac joined IATA in September 2016 from Air France-KLM, where he was chairman and CEO.
As well as proposing Walsh as the next IATA director general, resolutions will also be presented to the 76th IATA AGM thanking de Juniac for his service to IATA.
Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) held its Annual General Meeting on November 24, 2020, where the nine directors of the Board were announced, with executive positions subsequently appointed by the Board.
MEA’s board of directors and executive roles are as follows:
Nigel Collin – chairperson
Suzana Bishop, Fed Square – deputy chair
Beverley Williamson, Melbourne Convention Bureau – secretary
Michael Firman, Harry the Hirer – treasurer
Paul Davison, Sydney Masonic Centre – director
Belinda Doery, Solterbeck – director
Kirsty Forbes, Accor Hotels – director
Jessica Glass, University of Queensland- director
Paula Nolan, Commonwealth Bank of Australia – director
At the AGM, the Board acknowledged the contribution of directors Kate Smith and Alana Hay who completed their term on the Board; and Robyn Johnson for her tenure as CEO and welcomed their continued support as valued members of MEA.
Newly-elected chair of the Board, Nigel Collin commented: “The new Board is committed to continuing to focus on the needs of our members through these challenging times as we build and strengthen our Association and industry into the future.”
The Board will continue to meet regularly including a strategic planning day scheduled for January 2021, where the new Board will undertake a review of the membership value proposition, identify new business opportunities and seek to strengthen its educational offering.
Shane Hannam will be stepping down from his position as portfolio director of IBTM Events after three years. As a result, the IBTM Events portfolio will now be managed by Claude Blanc.
In this new role, Blanc will ensure that the current IBTM strategy will continue with its customer-focused approach for exhibitors, hosted buyers and partners. Blanc will manage the new portfolio as part of his current role as portfolio director for World Travel Market.
Blanc has spent over 25 years in the travel industry, with extensive experience in both the leisure and business events sectors.
The pandemic has forced a change in the way people approach travel and events decisions, leading travel, tourism and MICE players to evolve the way they promote their products, deliver their experiences and support communities through their work.
In the TTG Asia and TTGmice dual masthead year-end special issue, TTG Asia Media’s editorial team cast their eyes into the future, checking in on how business strategies are changing, what lies ahead for tours and activities, what is needed for air travel to rebound, what destination managers and marketers are doing to stay in a positive light, how will hotels rewrite their creative catering playbook for face-to-face events, and more.
TTG Asia: The Future of Travel and TTGmice: The Future of Travel and Events are presented as a single publication, available in print and online.
Mark Stanford has been appointed as general manager of Mamaka by Ovolo, the first urban lifestyle resort in Bali.
Ahead of the hotel’s soft opening on November 6, Stanford had been leading the pre-opening team to manage the development of the hotel.
The Australian brings a wealth of hospitality experience and knowledge spanning over 25 years, specialising in resort and hotel operations management with a passion for luxury and alpine resorts.
Stanford has helmed the creation of eight hotels and resorts, five of which have been in the role of general manager, and three of which have been in Bali, including Mamaka by Ovolo.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass, a digital health passport that will support the safe reopening of borders, is now in the final phase of development and will see its first cross-border pilot later this year as well as a launch slated for 1Q2021.
As governments begin to rely on testing as a replacement of quarantine measures to limit the risks of Covid-19 importation when reopening their borders to travellers, the IATA Travel Pass will support the procedure by managing and verifying the secure flow of necessary testing or vaccine information among governments, airlines, laboratories and travellers.
IATA Travel Pass can replace quarantine requirements and get air travel on the path to recovery
The IATA Travel Pass incorporates four open sourced and interoperable modules which can be combined for an end-to-end solution. The first module covers a global registry of health requirements, which enables passengers to find accurate information on travel, testing and eventually vaccine requirements for their journey.
The second covers a global registry of testing / vaccination centre, enabling passengers to find testing centres and labs at their departure location which meet the standards for testing and vaccination requirements of their destination.
The third module takes in the Lab App, which enables authorised labs and test centres to securely share test and vaccination certificates with passengers.
Lastly, the Contactless Travel App enables passengers to create a digital passport; receive test and vaccination certificates and verify that they are sufficient for their itinerary; and share testing or vaccination certificates with airlines and authorities to facilitate travel. This app can also be used by travellers to manage travel documentation digitally and seamlessly throughout their journey, improving travel experience.
IATA Travel Pass is based on industry standards and IATA’s proven experience in managing information flows around complex travel requirements. IATA’s Timatic, which is used by most airlines to manage compliance with passport and visa regulations, is the base for the global registry and verification of health requirements.
IATA’s One ID initiative, which was endorsed by a resolution at its 75th Annual General Meeting in 2019 to securely facilitate travel processes with a single identity token, is the base for the IATA Contactless Travel App.
IATA and International Airlines Group (IAG) have been working together in the development of this solution and will undertake a trial to demonstrate that this platform combined with Covid-19 testing can reopen international travel and replace quarantine.
“Today borders are double locked. Testing is the first key to enable international travel without quarantine measures. The second key is the global information infrastructure needed to securely manage, share and verify test data matched with traveler identities in compliance with border control requirements. That’s the job of IATA Travel Pass. We are bringing this to market in the coming months to also meet the needs of the various travel bubbles and public health corridors that are starting operation,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.
Nick Careen, IATA senior vice president, airport, passenger, cargo and security, commented: “Our main priority is to get people travelling again safely. In the immediate term that means giving governments confidence that systematic Covid-19 testing can work as a replacement for quarantine requirements. And that will eventually develop into a vaccine programme. The IATA Travel Pass is a solution for both.”
Careen explained that the IATA Travel Pass’s interoperability will allow it to be used in combination with other providers or as a standalone end-to-end solution.
Throughout the travel and tourism crisis, IATA has advocated the use of rapid, accurate, affordable, easy-to-operate, scalable and systematic Covid-19 testing for all passengers before departure as an alternative to restrictive quarantine measures in order to re-establish global air connectivity.
Earlier in June, Juniac had expressed: “Imposing quarantine measures on arriving travelers keeps countries in isolation and the travel and tourism sector in lockdown.”
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