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August 15-16, 2023 | Royal Randwick Racecourse

The 23rd Annual btTB Business Travel Conference & Awards.

Australasia’s largest and most established business travel conference returns for its 23rd year

Count every second until the event.

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Hear from thought leaders in business travel.

In 2022, more than 200 buyers attended for the largest community of procurement travel category managers and representatives from the business travel supply chain in the region.

The  trade show features leading providers in the business travel supply chain, providing buyer delegates with the opportunity to explore the latest products and service offerings. For suppliers this provides the opportunity to identify and engage with potential new customers across travel procurement and corporate travel.

Where

Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney

When

August 15-16, 2023

First 150 buyers attend free

A two-day deep dive into the travel category.

We’re excited to be finalising the programme for yet another jam-packed two days of leading content. Register for updates and announcements on the theme – “What now?” 

Travel Buyer-Supplier Relationship Award.

This year, the 23rd year of btTB Conference, the region’s biggest business travel event, we will be recognising two-way excellence in travel management. Entries are open for the Travel Buyer-Supplier Relationship Award, which will acknowledge an outstanding arrangement and relationship between a travel buyer and its supplier.

Perhaps too often, the two sides of travel management are considered too separately. With the current disruptions and developments in the supply chain, and the ever greater need for mutual understanding, it is a good time to recognise and promote successful two-way procurement effort.

The Programme.

9.00am
Welcome and Housekeeping
Lesley Wardropper, Owner & MD btTB/PASA 

9.15am
Introduction & Award Description
Tony O’Connor, Managing Director, Butler Caroye 

9.30am
The Revolution is Coming
AI has taken a leap forward with ChatGPT. How will AI change business travel and travel procurement?

What exactly is AI? Why is it so different and powerful? How might it change business travel – the booking, the management and the travelling?
Dr. Michael G. Kollo, CEO, Evolved Reasoning

10.30am
Morning Tea Break

11.00am
The Sustainability Session
How to ensure offsets are good. And what other measures are available?

Is it time to stop relying on offsets? Why are some inadequate? If carbon reduction at source is needed, how should travel managers achieve ambitious goals?
Dr. Phil Ireland, CEO, Carbon Neutral
Frances Atkins, Co-Founder, Givvable

11.50am
Break

12.00pm
Travel Risk Management. The Post-Covid Challenges and New Solutions

Learn how an emergency assistance case is managed.  Identify some of the key elements to look out for and incorporate into your Travel Risk Management category strategy for the coming 12 months in terms of emergency medical and security assistance, followed by some insights into the insurers’ perspective, to help you drive increased value in your program.
Debra Harvey, Operations Manager, Clinical Services, World Travel Protection
David Stone, Global Network Manager, World Travel Protection
Daniel Kenny, Head of Accident & Health – Australasia, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance

12.30pm
The Business Travel Pricing Outlook
As the business travel industry continues its recovery with more factors to consider such as sustainability and ESG, what does recovery look like in terms of business travel pricing ? How are inflation, supply chain bottlenecks, labor shortages, and energy costs impacting the business travel industry? How should buyers respond to these pressures and what does it mean for air, hotel, and ground prices in particular?  To stay ahead of the curve with business travel spending join CWT for the first look at where pricing is trending and where the industry should look for opportunities.
Jackie Kidd, Manager, CWT Solutions Group Australia, CWT

12.50pm
Lunch & Networking

2.00pm
State of Play
The Travel Industry Outlook

One of Australia’s leading travel industry analysts discusses the lasting structural effects of Covid, and what we can expect in coming years.
Adele Labine-Romain, Partner, Deloitte Access Economics

2.50pm
Break

3.00pm
Airline Performance
The many factors behind delays and cancellations

We go behind the doors to explore the many factors and processes that effect airline performance. And what are your rights and remedies as a traveller?
Keith Tonkin, MD, Aviation Projects Consulting
Tony Cordato, Principal, Cordato Partners Lawyers

3.45pm
Afternoon Tea Break

4.10pm
The NDC Session.
It’s happening. It’s accelerating. And it matters. What you need to know.
After many years of talk, New Distribution Capability is really starting to impact on how we book and manage travel. After an Australian update and outlook, we hear from insiders about the risks and opportunities before us.
Kaylene Shuttlewood, Amadeus
Sarah Constable, Sales Manager, Air Canada
Russell Carstensen, CEO, Aeronology
Nathan Smeulders, Senior Manager Distribution, Qantas
Moderated by Mick Lavers, Partner, Deloitte

5.00pm
Day One Wrap-Up

Cocktails

9.15am
About Today

9.20am
Accommodation Procurement Inventory and Efficiency are Key
Accommodation management is unique. There are many suppliers. But too few rooms when and where you need them. It requires an efficient process and a focus on inventory. Should you use an aggregator, automated tenders or just outsource?
John Balloch, Head of Supplier Relations, CTM
Lynda Cali, Operations manager, The Hotel Network (THN)
Natascha Schaller, Indirect Category Specialist, Cochlear Ltd.
Moderated by Liz Newberry, Travel Manager, QUT

10.00am
Driving Sustainability
Anna Paula Brito, Head of Strategy and Planning, Uber

10.30am
Morning Tea Break

11.00am
TBA

11.05am
The New Travel Territory
Navigating the Changed Supply Chain
The world of travel pre and post Covid – the Old-World vs the New World and what the analysis tells us. The findings might surprise but then again if you’ve been part of the travel sector in recent times nothing would surprise!
John O’Shea, Senior Analyst, Ord Minnett

11.50am
Break 

12.00pm // Breakout room
The Travel Suppliers’ Forum
An opportunity for travel suppliers from different parts of the supply chain to talk over pressing issues, including a presentation and discussion on managing the growing demand from buyers for CSG. 
Tass Messinis, Chairman, ATMC
Oliver Tams, Executive Director, ATMC
Karen Perks, Managing Director, Ancient Wisdom Business Writers
Taylor Fox-Smith, Partnerships Lead, Climate Technology, Trace

12.00pm // Main Theatre
The Buyers-Only Travel Procurement Workshop
Splat:  25 Years of Tendering in 50 Minutes

After twenty five years in the travel tendering trenches, Tony will share many of his tips, learnings and methods to help you to get the best TMC, IT, airline, accommodation and rental car procurement outcomes
Tony O’Connor, Managing Director, Butler Caroye

 12.50pm
Lunch & Networking

2.00pm
Presentation from the 2023 Travel Management Award winner
Presented by Lesley Wardropper, PASA

2.20pm
Building a Best OBT Relationship
Is this now the key supplier arrangement?
How do you ensure good performance, fair pricing and full access to all features and functions from this key travel technology? You might be surprised by what you’re not getting. Do you need a separate relationship or even a contract?
Liz Newberry, Travel Manager, QUT
Penny Meakes, Travel and Expense Manager, University of Sydney

Peter Wiseman, General Manager Sales, CTM
Amy Richards, Strategic Account Manager, Serko Ltd

3.00pm
Let’s Ask The Expert
A Business Travel Q&A with ChatGPT
To finish things on a high note, we ask the real expert in the room questions about travel management. Let’s see what we can learn.
MCed by Tony O’Connor and Bennett Jordan , Category Manager, Serco Group Plc

3.45pm
Wrap-Up and Thanks

Meet Our Speakers.

Dr. Phil Ireland

CEO, Carbon Neutral

John Balloch

Head of Supplier Relations, CTM

Liz Newberry

Travel Manager, QUT

Russell Carstensen

CEO, Aeronology

Natascha Schaller

Indirect Category Specialist, Cochlear Ltd

Penny Meakes

Travel and Expense Manager, University of Sydney

Amy Richards

Strategic Account Manager, Serko Ltd.

Frances Atkins LLM, BA, MBA

Co-Founder, Givvable

Adele Labine-Romain

Partner, Deloitte Access Economics

Tass Messinis

Chairman, ATMC

Sarah Constable

MBA, Corporate Sales Manager, Air Canada

Mick Lavers

Partner, Deloitte

Peter Wiseman

General Manager of Sales, CTM

Dr. Michael G. Kollo

CEO, Evolved Reasoning

Keith Tonkin, BSc, MBA

Managing Director, Aviation Projects

Kaylene Shuttlewood

Managing Director Pacific, Amadeus

Bennett Jordan

Category Manager – Travel and Events, Serco Group Plc

Nathan Smeulders

Senior Manager Distribution, Qantas

Anna Paula Brito

Head of Strategy and Planning, Uber - Driving Sustainability

Tony Cordato

Principal, Cordato Partners Lawyers

John O’Shea

Senior Research Analyst, Ord Minnett, Australia

Oliver Tams

Executive Director, ATMC

Jackie Kidd

Manager, CWT Solutions Group Australia, CWT

Lynda Cali

Operations manager, The Hotel Network (THN)

Rodger Cook

General Manager, Global Security Services, World Travel Protection

What's coming up.

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Days of travel content
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Speakers over two days
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Procurement delegates expected

First 150 buyers attend free

What people say about our events.

The PASA conference was the best conference I had attended in many years – many practical advice and applications that my team and I can put to use straight away, a great investment of our time.

Procurement Professional

It was great to hear a wide range of presentations from a diverse mix of speakers, especially in person.

Procurement Professional 

I very much enjoyed the depth and variety of skills experience of the presenters.

Procurement Professional

First 150 buyers attend free

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The 23rd Annual btTB Business Travel Conference & Awards

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Dr. Phil Ireland

CEO, Carbon Neutral

Phil is a regional leader in producing environmental outcomes, with an exceptional background in organisational leadership and climate change strategy. He has led projects with major companies and organisations in Australia and around the world. His diverse experience cuts across a broad range of sectors, disciplines, and countries. Phil holds a PhD. in Climate Change Adaptation. He has a range of academic publications and is the recipient of multiple awards including the Marie Curie Scholarship to the EU for his work on climate change policy in Asia.

John Balloch

Head of Supplier Relations, CTM

With over 25 years of industry experience, John manages travel supplier relationships for CTM across Australasia, being an expert in travel supplier procurement and negotiations. He held similar positions in the UK and Asia prior to joining CTM.

Liz Newberry

Travel Manager, QUT

A long-time contributor and friend of the conference, Liz is one of the most highly regarded travel procurement specialists in the region. She has been in the industry for almost four decades, the first two of them at Ansett. More “recently”, she has managed complex programs at Fisher & Paykel, Tourism Queensland, Kellogg and BHP. Five years into the project at QUT, and a former winner of the btTB Travel Manager of the Year Award, Liz has built one of the most adaptive and successful programs in the country.

Russell Carstensen

CEO, Aeronology

Before starting Aeronology, Russell held senior management positions at Helloworld, QBT, Air Tickets, GlobalStar and Magellan. A former Board Member of AFTA, he has been at the leading edge of airline distribution and business travel management for many years. Aerology’s new-architecture platform is at the centre of the NDC solution. Unfortunately, Russell also barracks for Collingwood.

Natascha Schaller

Indirect Category Specialist, Cochlear Ltd

Natascha has been managing the travel category at large companies for nearly ten years. Prior to her four years at Cochlear, she managed the program at Downer. Natascha started her career as an international consultant at Ansett prior to a variety of positions at organisations including event planning. She is an expert in stakeholder management, and has a strong interest in social procurement.

Penny Meakes

Travel and Expense Manager, University of Sydney

Penny has been managing the large and complex travel and expense programs at Sydney University for the past five years, during which time she has implemented several substantial innovations and improvements. Prior to this, she worked in travel for over twenty years with several TMCs and agencies in a variety of operational and account management roles. She is an expert in process improvement, supplier negotiations and cost management.

Amy Richards

Strategic Account Manager, Serko Ltd.

Amy has been managing key IT accounts and relationshipa at Serko for over four years. Before Serko, she spent over twelve years in a variety of sales, client management and consultant roles at TMCs.

Frances Atkins LLM, BA, MBA

Co-Founder, Givvable

With a background of senior management in finance and corporate law, Frances moved into the field of sustainability and corporate social governance, developing Givvable, the leading AI-powered sustainability platform, providing companies with the data and digital tools to build real environmental outcomes. She also holds several board positions in the education and social services sectors. Frances is a frequent speaker and advocate of corporate sustainability, uniquely combining new technology with a deep practical background in business, finance and the law.

Adele Labine-Romain

Partner, Deloitte Access Economics

A renowned keynote speaker, Adele is the Australian Tourism Sector Leader at Deloitte and a partner within Deloitte Access Economics’ economic and policy advisory practice. With a deep understanding of the tourism landscape and experience in strategy and policy development including executive roles with Tourism Australia (Executive General Manager, Strategy and Research) and peak industry body Tourism & Transport Forum (Executive Director), Adele works with government and private sector clients across tourism-related industries including aviation, transport and cruising, hotels, business events, sports and major events and attractions. Adele has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Business and Tourism and an MBA focused on strategic management.  She is also an Adjunct Professor at the UQ Business School.

Tass Messinis

Chairman, ATMC

Tass chairs the Association of Travel Management Companies, Australia’s peak representative body for the TMC sector. He has held several senior management positions at companies including BCD and AmexGBT, and is a former Board Member of AFTA.

Sarah Constable, MBA

Corporate Sales Manager, Air Canada

Sarah has over fifteen years of supply chain experience, having worked at Air Canada and TMCs. She has an astute understanding of business travel needs, and the changing structure of airline distribution and the new technologies.

Mick Lavers

Partner, Deloitte Australia

Mick has a long history in business travel and procurement, having held senior travel management positions at BAE, EDS and Raytheon, before being the Head of Procurement Strategy and Governance at Qantas. He is an expert in in the selection and implementation of travel and payment systems. For the past several years, Mick has assisted many major corporates in his position as a Partner of Deloitte.

Peter Wiseman

General Manager of Sales, CTM

Peter Wiseman joined CTM in the role of General Manager Sales in early 2013, responsible for the company’s sales strategy across the Australian and New Zealand markets. Peter brings over 3 decades of corporate travel industry experience to the CTM leadership team.  His extensive experience in sales and account management spans Federal and State Government, universities, and both large and small to medium corporate organisations.

Peter is passionate about building a strong understanding of a client’s unique travel requirements, and tailoring technology and service-driven solutions to meet and exceed their travel objectives.

Dr. Michael G. Kollo

CEO, Evolved Reasoning

Michael operates at the leading edge of AI’s commercial application and planning. He has advised management from numerous blue-chip companies and organisations, and frequently presents on the potential for Generative AI to revolutionise parts of our economy and society, including at TEDxSydney. Some of his most interesting ideas revolve around the matter of bias and trust in the algorithms. Michael has a PhD in Finance from the LSE and NYU, and degrees in Finance and Psychology.

Keith Tonkin, BSc, MBA

Managing Director, Aviation Projects

Keith is a world leading expert in aviation management, having consulted to the aviation industry for over twenty years. He has also been the Editor of the Australian Aviation magazine, and a university lecturer in aviation.  An expert in aviation regulation, safety and law, Keith is also a former Qantas and RAAF pilot. His vast experience ranges from lecture halls and boardrooms to 737s and F-111s.

Kaylene Shuttlewood

Managing Director Pacific, Amadeus

Kaylene has decades of managerial experience across the travel supply chain, including Helloworld, Jetset, Stella, Travel Counsellors and Travelport. At Amadeus, she leads a regional culture of innovation and inclusion. She is an expert on travel distribution strategy and technology.

Bennett Jordan

Category Manager – Travel and Events, Serco Group Plc

In addition to managing the large and complex travel requirements for Serco across the Asia Pacific, Bennett’s remit covers diversity, equity and inclusion. Prior to Serco, Bennett had fourteen years of experience with travel suppliers including sales, account management and supplier relations, giving him a broad and deep understanding of the supply chain.

Nathan Smeulders

Senior Manager Distribution, Qantas

Nathan will shortly be receiving his “twenty years of service” badge at Qantas. He has steered the development, strategy and implementation of distribution at the airline for nearly six years, from the early days of NDC planning. Nathan has managed the deployment of the new Qantas Distribution Platform. He represents Qantas at IATA. Prior to managing distribution, he held senior positions in Sales Operations, Revenue and Pricing.

Anna Paula Brito

Head of Strategy and Planning, Uber - Driving Sustainability

Anna is currently the Head of Strategy for Uber’s ridesharing business across Australia and New Zealand.

She joined Uber in 2020, and has focused her work on electrification, future horizons of growth, and reimagining the way our cities move for the better.Prior to Uber, Anna led strategy as a co-founder at a climatech startup, was a strategy manager at Jetstar and spent several years in banking at Citi and JP Morgan across NYC and Melbourne.She is passionate about problem solving, electrification, chocolate, and exploring Sydney with her husband and 4-year old daughter.

Tony Cordato

Principal, Cordato Partners Lawyers

You might have seen Tony on television advising viewers on their legal remedies as travellers. He is a veteran of travel law and a champion of consumer rights in this area. He and his firm have been at the forefront for decades, and are experts in traveller justice and equity.

 

John O’Shea

Senior Research Analyst, Ord Minnett, Australia

John is Australia’s leading financial analyst specializing in travel and tourism, covering travel tech, TMC’s, airlines, airports and travel agents. As well as the deep dive fundamental analysis of travel companies, John is highly regarded for his research into the future direction of the industry. Recent work has included assisting various Australian and New Zealand travel companies to raise equity capital, underlining his knowledge of the financial workings of the industry. His research is underpinned by a proprietary travel database and extensive industry contacts.

Oliver Tams

Executive Director, ATMC

Oliver is the full-time manager of the ATMC. He has decades of diverse business travel experience, including senior management positions at Amadeus, Jetset, Stella and Destinations Travel. More recently, Oliver had advised a number of technology start-ups.

Jaclynn Kidd

Global Practice Lead | Responsible Travel Consulting, CWT Solutions Group

Committed to driving decarbonization efforts and improved well-being in the travel space, Jaclynn has spent over four years leading the ECO responsible consulting practice for CWT Solutions Group centred around employee wellbeing, climate impact and organizational performance. Her career began in the hotel industry with over 8 years working in sales & marketing throughout North and Latin America. She later earned an MBA in London with a focus in strategic consulting prior to joining CWT Solutions Group’s London office, in 2016. Within CWT Solutions Group, Jaclynn has not only the experience in hotel, air, and travel policy consulting prior but also a focus on sustainability and responsible business.

Lynda Cali

Operations manager, The Hotel Network (THN)

Lynda has been running operations at Australia’s leading independent accommodation services provider for over sixteen years, over which time she has implemented a range of processes and systems to improve client outcomes. Prior to THN, Lynda worked across many facets within hotels. Giving her a deep understanding of the hotel industry and the ability to improve efficiencies for both clients and THN operations.

Rodger Cook

General Manager, Global Security Services, World Travel Protection

Rodger joined World Travel Protection (WTP) in 2020 as Security Director in the Brisbane-based Command Centre.  

He works closely with clients that come from a diverse range of businesses, including universities, security firms, travel management agencies, business continuity advisors and human resources consultants, to identify potential travel risks and provide expert security advice and support.  

Rodger spent 16 years in the Australian Defence Force with operational service in Rwanda, East Timor and Iraq. In addition to these deployments, Rodger participated in military exchanges to the US, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. For most of the last decade he has held senior security and business resilience roles for mining, oil and gas companies, living and working in Indonesia, Madagascar, Zambia and Papua New Guinea. 

Contact Us

Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada’s largest airline, the country’s flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, and provides direct service to six continents. It is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air Canada’s fleet of more than 400 aircraft is one of the youngest, most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly in the world.

Air Canada currently operates daily services from Vancouver to Sydney and Brisbane, and provide hassle free connections to 100+ destinations across US and Canada, thanks to Vancouver Airport’s innovative facilities which includes faster security checks and US immigration/customs pre-clearance. 

Uber for Business

Uber for Business brings the best of Uber to organisations around the globe with a seamless platform to manage corporate travel and meal programs and more. With global scale, integrated solutions and exceptional service, Uber for Business empowers organisations to streamline business travel, reimagine employee wellbeing, and elevate the customer experience – all while enabling employees to effortlessly leverage the Uber they love and trust in their professional lives. Since launching in 2014, Uber for Business has scaled to 60+ countries and 10,000 cities, and helped 170,000 organisations bring flexibility and efficiency into their operations. For more, visit our website.

Avis

Avis Car Rental operates one of the world’s best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,500 locations in approximately 170 countries. Avis Australia has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world’s top brands for customer loyalty.

With technology such as Express ExitTM, PreCheck and PhotoProofedTM, Avis aims to provide a seamless customer experience for the busy business traveller looking to be more productive and time efficient on the road.

Avis Australia is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAR), which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world.

For more information, visit www.avis.com.au

Kimberly Hotel

Among boutique hotels in Midtown Manhattan, few offer a sense of warmth like The Kimberly Hotel. With 40 rooms and 154 suites, most with private balconies, we’re the perfect choice for a business trip, meeting, family vacation or group getaway to NYC.  With a classic and sophisticated décor highlighted by antique furnishings and a unique circular salt-water aquarium, our lobby offers a calming retreat from the bustle of Manhattan.

Spacious guest rooms, inviting restaurants and a 30th-floor rooftop lounge all combine to create an intimate urban oasis where long-tenured staff members greet guests by name while delivering personalized hospitality.

CWT

CWT is a global business travel and meetings specialist, with whom companies and governments partner to keep their people connected, in traditional business locations and some of the most remote and inaccessible parts of the globe. A private company, CWT provides its customers’ employees with innovative technology and an efficient, safe and sustainable travel experience.

Amadeus

Managing business travel & expense effectively is more vital than ever. Amadeus’ flagship solution for Corporations, Cytric, helps customers around the world to manage their corporate travel programs and optimise travel spend.

In our mission to transform the employee experience, we are working in partnership with Microsoft and have recently launched Cytric Easy. With Cytric Easy, your travellers can book flights, share trips and claim travel expenses within the collaborative application of Microsoft Teams. This will help them reduce disruption throughout their workday and increase productivity by making the process easier and faster than ever before.