2020-2021 Teleconference

No one has all the answers, but it’s nice to connect. On our 2020-2021 Teleconference series, we chased insight during an emotional, uncertain and vexing time for our industry.

We chatted with execs and experts about pandemic-era business travel and expense management news, best practices and emerging options.

We’d like to thank the dozens of speakers who took time to join our events. 

Overall, we were pleased to welcome a broad audience of several hundred industry professionals to our “webinars” sans sponsors.

Subscribers can access the recordings at links below.

Archive

2021

Teleconference 44: Voice Of The Customer, April 29, 2021
We talked with a trio of corporate travel buyers about their concerns, expectations and priorities as business travel grows, and changes to their programs and roles as a result of the pandemic. The panel featureed BieGene director of global travel management Pedro Ceron; Cathy Moulton, director of travel services at Robert W. Baird & Co.; and Andrew Rzasa, global travel and expense program director at Arthrex. You can listen here.
Teleconference 43: American Airlines President Robert Isom, March 25, 2021
AA exec Robert Isom discussed operations, planning, marketing, sales, alliances and pricing. The full audio of the interview is available as part of this article.
Teleconference 42: CWT President And CEO Kurt Ekert, Feb. 24, 2021
It’s difficult to talk Kurt Ekert and not learn something about the travel business. At the time, he was CWT CEO and vice chair of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, and discussed how liability risks will force some companies to use strict pre-trip approval and booking channel policies for the foreseeable future. Listen to his comments here.
Teleconference 41: Pana Co-Founder And CEO Devon Tivona, Jan. 28, 2021
Karoline Mayr of Get Travel Solutions pitched in as co-moderator as Devon Tivona gave an update on Pana, a guest travel specialist. He also offered thoughts about innovation in business travel, the pandemic’s impact on startups and working with travel management companies. The full interview is presented within this article.

2020

Teleconference 40: United Airlines CCO Andrew Nocella, Dec. 10, 2020
With Microsoft global travel sourcing manager Diane Lundeen Smith chipping in as co-moderator, Andrew Nocella addressed challenges, issues and opportunities facing aviation and business travel at perhaps their most trying time. The complete interview is available here.
Teleconference 39: Veteran Executive Jeff Katz Of Journera, Nov. 19, 2020
A career including roles as president of Sabre, CEO of Swissair and founding CEO of Orbitz taught Jeff Katz a thing or two about challenge and success. We talked with him about the potential for targeted offers in business travel, how to fix the “broken journey” and the latest from his current company, Journera. The full interview is available as part of this article.
Teleconference 38: What's The Healthiest Way To Get To The Airport?, Nov. 5, 2020
To discuss the various considerations, we convened Matthew Daus, founder and chair of the Transportation Practice Group at law firm Windels Marx and a former Commissioner and Chairman of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission; Ann Dery, director of global travel and meetings in GBS Procurement for S&P Global; veteran ground transportation consultant Dave Kilduff; and Dr. Robert Quigley, SVP and global medical director for corporate health solutions at International SOS and MedAire. Their commentary is presented as part of a related news article.
Teleconference 37: TMC M&A, Oct. 22, 2020
Industry attorney Mark Pestronk, Direct Travel CFO John Coffman and Bob Sweeney of Innovative Travel Acquisitions discussed how the pandemic changed TMC valuations and seller expectations. Find the related coverage of the conversation and a complete audio recording here.
Teleconference 36 With ARC’s Mike Premo And Lauri Reishus, Oct. 8, 2020
We talked with ARC CEO Mike Premo before he retired and his successor Lauri Reishus about recovery, business versus leisure, TMC consolidation, airline distribution, blockchain, CTDs, data and more. Read or listen to their views.
Teleconference 35: Voice Of The Customer, Sept. 24, 2020
Along with travelers and budget heads, corporate travel managers hold the keys to business travel industry recovery. To examine the associated issues, we recruited Maria Chevalier of PredictX as co-host and brought together travel buyers Sheila Kittle, Jeff Kurn and Shelby LeMaire. Read the highlights or hear the complete recording here.
Teleconference 34: The Future Of Work In Corporate Travel, Sept. 10, 2020
To discuss the implications of the whiplash from a strong job market to a feeble one, we assembled Susie McKernan, managing director of Craig Bradford Associates; BCD Travel SVP for human resources Yvette Bryant; Amazon Web Services global program manager for workforce development Meghann Klein; and RLH Co. SVP, head of HR and chief of staff Pat Schneider. The full audio of their observations and tips are presented as part of this article.
Teleconference 33: Former GBTA Executive Director & COO Mike McCormick, Aug. 27, 2020
Mike McCormick shared some details about two initiatives he was working on to help with industry recovery. He played it diplomatically when asked about GBTA’s controversies, but offered some color about how the association works and how it could be fixed. Find discussion highlights and the complete recorded interview here.

For the archive of our 2016-2019 Teleconference series (v1), click here.