JULIA Sullivan has been appointed Association of Corporate Travel Executives’ (ACTE) regional chair for the Middle East and Africa, a role she will serve for two years, ending December 2017.

Commenting on the appointment, Greeley Koch, ACTE executive director, said: “Julia Sullivan has extensive experience as a buyer and a supplier, and as a committed ACTE volunteer.

“She understands the objectives of our membership and will energise this knowledge in a series of networking exchanges slated to begin this month. I’m confident her high-level engagement with travel managers and suppliers in the region will keep ACTE in the forefront of defining issues and solutions.”

As the business travel manager for Shell Corporate Travel MENA, Sullivan works closely with internal and external stakeholders across hierarchies to provide secure, safe and cost efficient travel solutions.

Following a dissertation project on demand management in travel management and procurement processes for EADS/Airbus, she joined American Express Business Travel in Europe in account management roles and moved to the Middle East in 2009 to build up and lead the account management function for Alshamel, then Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s partner in the Gulf.

“Serving as ACTE’s regional chair for the Middle East and Africa will not only broaden my own influence as an international travel management executive, it will help me empower those with a similar vision and a commitment to shared professional excellence,” said Sullivan.

A NEW promotion for business events at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Ortigas district will see groups benefitting from a series of service add-ons that grow along with the size of attendance.

Called Meetings +, it offers complimentary upgrades, discount on business center secretarial services, dining vouchers, free hosted board meetings and others for a minimum number of persons guaranteed.

It also ensures power discussion with daily snacks ranging from nuts and chips to healthy alternatives including bottled tea drinks and themed infused water stations.

Meetings director Anmi Luna told TTGmice e-Weekly that “competition has always been there” in Ortigas district where a growing number of hotels were built in recent years. That has spurred Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria into always adding value to its MICE offerings.

The hotel is said to be a top MICE draw, having the biggest pillarless ballroom in Ortigas district for up to 1,500 pax and 11 fully equipped function rooms.

Luna said complementing Meetings + is the IHG Business Rewards, the MICE loyalty programme of Intercontinental Hotel Group. MICE organisers booking an event with Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria can earn points which can be used for air miles, hotel stays at any IHG hotel worldwide and gift items from its global catalogue.

BCD Meetings & Events (BCD M&E) has launched Smart Meeting, a suite of flexible technology solutions with meeting management capabilities such as multi-audience invitation, meeting and spend reporting, and expense management.

“Our newest proprietary technology allows meeting owners to choose between using the full suite to support meetings management or the individual solutions that work best for them now – with the scalability for future needs,” said Ted Stone, BCD M&E’s senior vice president of global technology.

One part of the full suite is Smart Invitation, a multi-user invitation application that replaces the manual process of compiling customer lists and invitee contact information from multiple sources with an automatic invite process.

Another tool is Smart Registration, which simplifies attendee management with features such as attendee registration, opt in/out tracking, contract management, a document library as well as flexible meeting and spend reporting.

In addition, the company said the software provides specific functionality as well as service expertise in niche areas such as life sciences, something current meeting technology offerings lack.

For example, Smart Expense, an automated online attendee expense management tool, can meet the specific needs of meeting planners in the life sciences space by capturing domestic and international expenses as well as meeting spend with the capability to segment data.

“Given the complex compliance requirements in the Life Sciences vertical, Smart Meeting is a true value-add when considering operational efficiencies,” Stone said.

Users can use Smart Meetings as a plug-in and value-add to existing meetings technology.