Hello Friends,

It’s mid-May and school is coming to an end. In just a few weeks, we will have the long weekend to “celebrate” Memorial Day.

Shortly after I graduated from college, I moved from Minnesota to the Washington D.C. area. There, for the first time, I truly began to understand that Memorial Day wasn’t just the “unofficial” start of summer, but, also, a time to remember the men and women who have given their lives in service to our country.

If you have ever been to the ceremonial wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown soldiers… or, if you have walked through Arlington Cemetery, you have also experienced this overwhelming sense of gratitude and humility for all of those families that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom…parent’s, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, all touched by the commitment of a loved one to ensure our safety here in the United States and throughout the world.

This year, as you head to the beach, the mall, or your favorite picnic place, please remember, “Happy Memorial Day Weekend” is not the same thing as “Happy Summer”…maybe it should really be, “Remember the Sacrifice Weekend!”

On a separate note, we are getting very excited about the CNFBTA luncheon on May 23^rd at the Embassy Suites, Orlando Airport. Our speaker is Jerry Henderson from the TSA and is sure to be informative and enlightening.   This topic is one of our most popular and it is expected to be very well attended and to attract some new faces… RSVP today to be sure you have a seat as it is likely to sell out. I deeply regret I will not be in attendance. However, the CNFBTA Board is eager to greet you and welcome you to this great event.

On a lighter note, at our June 27^th luncheon in Jacksonville as we will hear from author and globetrotter, Carol Margolis, who wrote the book Business Travel Success…How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence!  Carol will be providing insight on this important topic for your travel program.

I will miss you at the luncheon this month, however, I send good thoughts your way and I hope you have a wonderful “Remember the Sacrifice Weekend” with your family.

Sincerely,

Kristina Rashedi

President, CNFBTA

Corporate Sales, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Join us next week on Thursday, May 23, 2013 at the Embassy Suites Orlando Airport for our May Member Luncheon. Join us for our May Member Luncheon to learn about what’s new at the TSA where Jerry Henderson, Federal Security Director at Orlando International Airport, gives us a firsthand update and can answer your pressing questions on:

• Technology
• Equipment
• New Processes
• Risk based security measures
• Pre-check for Business/Frequent Travelers

Register by Monday May 20^th to avoid late fees.  Please note that all participants must register and prepay in advance for this event. We look forward to seeing you on the 23rd!

SAVE THE DATE for our June Member luncheon on Thursday, June 27, 2013 in Jacksonville, where Carol Margolis, author of Business Travel Success...How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel With Confidence!, shares the needs of corporate business travelers that resulted in her creating her businesses and writing her book. She will share her most popular travel tips and answer your burning travel questions. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting event!

Your Opinion Matters!

To help as we plan our 2013-2014 events, let us know what's on your radar. Your feedback and time is much appreciated in this brief survey and helps to bring relevant and dynamic topics to our coming events. Please add any suggestions, as well. Thank you in advance for your time and input as we strive to bring you the best the business travel industry has to offer!

Access the Survey Here: CNFBTA Survey (click here to access)

Please join us in welcoming our New Member this month!

Michael P. Nesbit - Marriott International, Inc.

Executive Travel offers free airfare for Travel Managers to attend the GBTA convention in San Diego

Executive Travel, Inc. is pleased to announce a new scholarship program that will provide free airfare for Travel Managers to attend the GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) in San Diego in August.

Steve Glenn, Chairman of the Board and CEO announced that the new scholarship program is called “Soaring to GBTA” and is designed to assist Travel Managers to attend the GBTA Convention by providing qualified Travel Managers with FREE roundtrip airfare to attend the convention and help defray some of the cost of attending. Glenn announced, “We feel attendance at the GBTA convention is very important for Travel Managers and we want to help offset some of the costs so that GBTA attendance can fit in the Travel Manager’s budget.”

Glenn commented, “This is a very exciting program for our company and we feel we can help Travel Managers with their professional growth by encouraging them to attend GBTA.” Glenn also noted this is a strategic change in how they have been involved with GBTA in the past. For the past several years Executive Travel has been an active exhibitor at the convention by investing in exhibition space. Glenn observed, “Our company is committed to being an industry leader and innovator and as a result we have decided that rather than focus on “us” we would be better by focusing on the Travel Manager and how we can help them grow professionally. Toward that end, we made the decision to take the resources that were previously spent on exhibition space and use that money to provide scholarships to Travel Managers for their airfare to the convention.”

Joni Doiron, Vice President of Business Development for Executive Travel explained that the new scholarship program has been designed to encourage travel managers from mid-sized travel accounts ($1 million to $10 million in annual travel budget) to apply online for the application process at Click Here To Apply.  Doiron explained that the process is an easy way to apply for the FREE airline ticket to GBTA.

Doiron also said 20 scholarships will be awarded to attend GBTA through this program based on select criteria. The following qualifications apply:

            -        Must be the company Travel Manager or primary travel decision maker.

-        Annual company travel budget between $1 million and $10 million.

 -        Can be a first time or previous attendee of GBTA annual convention.

 -        Must complete online application at Click Here 

 -        Must be willing to attend a 60 minute reception at the event.

 Information about Executive Travel:

 Executive Travel, founded in 1986, is one of the largest and fastest growing privately owned travel management firms in the country. In 2012, Executive Travel was listed on the Inc. 5000 as one of America’s fastest growing private companies by Inc. Magazine. Executive Travel was also recognized as the second fast growing TMC (Travel Management Company) in 2012 by Inc. Magazine. The company has been a pioneer in online travel reservations and hotel cost control.

Executive Travel specializes in helping companies implement comprehensive travel management programs that lower the total cost of corporate travel.  Using state of the art technology combined with aggressive management systems Executive Travel has been able to enjoy strong growth throughout its 26 year history.  Executive Travel also has been an industry leader helping companies leverage travel costs by negotiating special rates for airfares, hotels, and car rentals with vendors.

Executive Travel is an affiliate of BCD Travel. BCD Travel operates in more than 90 countries and is the world’s third-largest travel management company. Combining global strength with local service, BCD Travel offers an integrated technology infrastructure that provides intelligent analysis of travel data, allowing corporations to maximize the return on their travel investment.

For information on Executive Travel call 402-435-8888 or visit their web site www.executivetravel.com.

For more information contact:

Joni Doiron, Vice President Business Development

Phone 402-435-8888

Email: jonid@executivetravel.com

CNFBTA membership has a variety of benefits.  One of the many benefits is access to scholarship funds.  Our chapter has annually offered scholarships to our members to help them to continue their business travel education.  Scholarship funds can be used towards industry webinars, GBTA conference attendance and GBTA membership and more!   

We are pleased to share the following enhancements to our scholarship program in 2013. 

• Scholarship funds are available now and we will continue to make the funds available to members until the allocated amount has been reached.  
• Funds will be available on a first come/first served basis so be sure to submit your application early if you are interested in taking advantage of this offering.
• We have increased the amount in the 2013 scholarship fund to $2000 (a $500 increase from last year)
• We have increased the individual scholarship amount to $750 (up from $500 last year)
• We have added a new Direct Membership Scholarship opportunity for new Direct Members that are sponsored by a CNFBTA Member.

Click here for additional details about our scholarship program or download the application. 

Completed applications, as well as questions concerning the eligibility or application process should be directed to CNFBTA’s Scholarship Chairperson who is the Chapter Vice President, Lissa Curtin at lcurtin@goaa.org.

Making a Difference in Washington, D.C. - GBTA 2013 Government Relations Agenda

Tuesday, May 21st  I 2:00 pm Eastern I 60 minutes

Presented by the GBTA Government Relations Committee

GBTA represents the collective voice of the Business Travel Industry in Washington, D.C.

 The Business Travel Industry needs an effective advocate to...

• Educate: Policy makers need to understand the impact of the Business Travel Industry on the U.S. economy and job growth
• Shape Policies: Policy, tax and funding decisions made by Congress and the Administration impact the growth and success of the industry
• Support: Elected Officials who understand and support the Industry can make a difference

GBTA's agenda focuses on the following areas:

• Efficiency of travel infrastructure
• Fair taxation and fees
• Passenger facilitation

Join this session to learn about the Business Travel Industry priorities that GBTA and its members are advocating, why your support as a business travel professional is critical and why GBTA must engage in the debate. Don't miss this informative session!

GBTA Convention 2013

 Your Peers Have Already Registered for GBTA Convention 2013. Have You?

GBTA Event