Campaign Plan to Protect Meetings and Events

The worsening economy and recent sensationalism around corporate meetings, events and incentive travel programs has delivered a one-two punch to the travel community. Members of Congress have started to target all meetings and events hosted by companies who received money from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP).  The so-called “AIG effect” has caused business in all sectors to avoid legitimate travel practices out of fear of poisonous publicity – needlessly worsening the tough economic environment for those whose livelihoods depend on meetings and events.

We believe this trend could create serious, long term consequences, and therefore have joined and influenced a major, multi-faceted campaign to restore common sense to the debate. 
 
Campaign Objective:  Create an environment that allows businesses to make smart decisions about travel by taking fear, politics, and unnecessary regulations out of the equation.

Campaign Strategy:  Properly frame the issue around the importance of corporate travel to American workers and local communities, and of corporate travel management as a solution to the perceived problem.

Campaign Components:  Aggressively inform policymakers on the consequences of declining travel, drive national media coverage on the totality of the issue and develop local demand for policies that promote, not inhibit, corporate travel, and strengthen the role of the corporate travel manager.

Campaign Leadership:  GBTA is taking the lead in defining good corporate travel management and strategic meetings management for the industry to adopt. GBTA will work with other industry associations and companies such as the U.S. Travel Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Maritz, Carlson, ITA, etc. to promote the role of the travel manager and provide research to demonstrate the value of business travel to the federal government and the media.

Find out what you can do to protect travel to meetings and events >>