Advanced Principles of Business Travel Management™ - Day 1

(additional registration required for this add-on, 1 day and a half professional development course, $450 CAD + HST)

 A dedicated curriculum to aid business travel professionals in increasing their knowledge of the industry while also expanding on their professional skills. This course is designed for travel buyers overseeing a managed business travel program and suppliers offering travel-related products and services.  Advanced Principles course add-on $450 (includes a light working lunch).  Learn more.

Global Leaders Reception (by Invitation ONLY)

Location: Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Made possible by:

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Registration Opens 

Advanced Principles of Business Travel Management™ - Day 2

(additional registration required for this add-on, 1 day and a half professional development course, $450 CAD + HST)

 A dedicated curriculum to aid business travel professionals in increasing their knowledge of the industry while also expanding on their professional skills. This course is designed for travel buyers overseeing a managed business travel program and suppliers offering travel-related products and services.  Advanced Principles course add-on $450.  Learn more.

9:30 AM - 1:00 PM

WINiT at GBTA Conference 2019 – Toronto:  Add-on to your experience for $150.

A unique and interactive career development experience for the purpose of positively changing the careers and lives of women.  Includes sessions, lunch and keynote speaker Danièle Sauvageau, Gold Medal Olympic, Canadian Women’s Hockey Team Coach.  Learn More

Made possible by

*NOTE* this WINiT program is not included in the GBTA Conference 2019 – Toronto conference registration.  All prices are in Canadian dollars and subject to 13% HST tax.

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Kick-Start Professional Development Sessions

• Stop Letting That Difficult Person Ruin Your Day - Effectively handle negative attitudes and difficult people for better productivity and less drama. Attend this session if your success depends on being able to recognize and respond appropriately to different behaviors and situations.
• Crossing Borders – Hear directly from government officials from Global Affairs Canada and U.S. Department of Homeland Security on critical details and legislations that impacts business travellers.

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

SUPPLIERS ONLY – Allied Talk

Calling ALL Suppliers! Join this session for supplier focused discussion and professional development.

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

BUYERS ONLY – Direct Talk – Part 1

Calling ALL Buyers!  This is your chance to be behind closed doors in a room of your peers for a Direct Talk session.  Guided by Buyers from GBTA Canada’s Advisory Board, with topics that are of current importance to YOU, this Direct Talk session will prove to be a valuable opportunity to share best-practices, discuss current issues and trends and come together.  As a travel buyer, you will have valuable feedback from your peers and make lasting connections on relevant business fronts.

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Connect First Open House

Welcome to all NEW attendees and those NOT SO NEW…

New to attending the GBTA Canada Conference… OR simply want to connect with your conference peers in advance of all the activities?  Connect First with the GBTA Canada Advisory Board and GBTA Canada Conference Taskforce Volunteers for this informational, networking gathering.  Veteran GBTA members will share their insights on how to make the most out of your conference experience.  You will hear first-hand from industry peers, buyers and suppliers alike, about how GBTA Canada has benefited them within their career paths, and tips on how to optimize your conference experience ahead.  You will have a chance to get to know others attending the conference with ice breaking activities, to Evolve your conference experience.

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Opening Reception 
Join your fellow conference go’ers for an opportunity to meet, mix and mingle before the conference kicks into full-swing.  NEW this year, the reception will take place on the conference Expo Floor so you can informally preview the exhibitors!

Location: Expo Hall

Made possible by

Networking Breakfast & Registration

Light continental breakfast

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

The Power of Loyalty
Loyalty programs drive consumer behaviour. In today’s world of traveller empowerment, business travellers are trying to optimize for value at each moment of their travel experience. The power of loyalty programs; how they influence consumer behaviour, shift share in travel programs, increase (or challenge!) compliance and produce overall happiness among business travellers today.
Speaker:
Efrem Berman, Vice President, Global Loyalty, Radisson Hotel Group

CEO Talk
President and CEO of Air Canada, Calin Rovinescu, will be addressing GBTA Conference delegates in a candid discussion on the health and future of Canadian air travel.
Speaker:
Calin Rovinescu, CEO, Air Canada

Made possible by:

10:15 AM - 12:00 PM

Tech Talks
Technology innovators are changing the travel landscape as we know it.  This series of 15-minute power Tech Talks will enlighten you on the latest and greatest travel tech offerings

10:15 AM - 10:45 AM

Education Sessions (30 mins)
Choice of 3 concurrent education sessions:

• Travel Procurement - Understanding the Landscape of Airline Negotiations
• Strategic Meetings Management - Treating Travellers and Attendees as One
• Cannabis & International Travel

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Education Sessions (30 mins)
Choice of 3 concurrent education sessions:

• NDC – What You Need to Know
• Preventive Health Solutions for Pre-Travel Preparation
• You Build It - Creating the Perfect Hotel Program

11:45 AM - 12:15 PM

Education Sessions (30 mins)
Choice of 2 concurrent education sessions:

• 30 in 30: 30 Procurement Strategies and Tips that Apply to Travel
• Navigating the Future of Travel and Meeting Risk Management

12:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Day 1 – Centre Stage & Lunch

Innovation Series Spotlight

Innovation Series Companies: BagsAway and HelloGbye
Made possible by:

Keynote Speaker – Ben Mulroney 
Co-Host of CTV’s Your Morning and Anchor of CTV’s etalk, Ben Mulroney is one of Canada’s most recognized television personalities. His credits include coverage of renowned events such as the Oscars, the Golden Globe Awards, the Emmys, the Toronto International Film Festival and the Juno Awards, as well the host of Canadian Idol for its first six seasons.


Made possible by:

2:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Expo Hall

Engage with our largest and most diverse offering of exhibitors ever. 

Optimize your expo experience by:

• Reaching out to exhibitors to arrange booth-time meetings
• Connecting with your conference peers in the Network Lounge

6:30 PM - 10:30 PM

Big Night Out!

Toronto’s fun hot spot, The Rec Room – Back by Popular Demand!

We will EVOLVE by day and go RETRO by night at this year’s Big Night Out!  GBTA’s evening celebration will have conference delegates Party-to-the-Max, 80’s style!  Bring on your 80’s inspired look for this evening of retro entertainment, bodacious food, and awesome fun. Tease-up your hair, wear that MJ glove and pull out those shoulder pads, as we will be awarding the nights most Rad 80’s look!

7:45 AM - 8:45 AM

BUYERS ONLY – Direct Talk – Part 2

Breakfast included

Calling ALL Buyers! Continue the conversation…  This is your chance to be behind closed doors in a room of your peers for a Direct Talk session.  Guided by Buyers from GBTA Canada’s Advisory Board, with topics identified that are of current importance to YOU, this Direct Talk session will prove to be a valuable opportunity to share best-practices, discuss current issues and trends and come together.  As a travel buyer, you will have valuable feedback from your peers and make lasting connections on relevant business fronts.

Made possible by:

9:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Titans of Travel
A discussion on women’s journey to the executive level in the travel industry. This panel, led by women who have become Titans of Travel, will with share personal stories, obstacles overcome and key messages of success, intended to inspire women in leadership, empowerment and workplace diversity.   
Panelists:
Dorothy Dowling, CMO of Best Western
Chrissy Taylor, COO of Enterprise Holdings
Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Senior Vice President, People, Culture and Communications, Air Canada

Made possible by:


How Far Has Your Data Travelled?
Personal data and its protection are critical in today’s world. Data breaches happen all too often and put society at risk. As business travelers, we expose our personal data regularly. This panel will discuss personal data in travel, where the risks are and how to mitigate them. How easy it is for hackers, how unaware we all are on what is happening and how damaging a hack can be on a company’s reputation, and future. Essentially discussing, How far has your data travelled?
Panelists:
Daniel Tobok, CEO, Cytelligence Inc
Matthew Paull, Sr. Director, Technology Management, Best Western International
Craig Maccubbin, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO),WestJet

10:15 AM - 11:45 AM

Expo Hall

Engage with our largest and most diverse offering of exhibitors ever. 

Optimize your expo experience by:

• Reaching out to exhibitors to arrange booth-time meetings
• Connecting with your conference peers in the Network Lounge

12:00 PM - 12:45 PM

Tech Talks
Technology innovators are changing the travel landscape as we know it.  This series of 15 minute power Tech Talks will enlighten you on the latest and greatest travel tech offerings

11:45 AM - 12:15 PM

Education Sessions (30 mins)
Choice of 3 concurrent education sessions:

• 5 Ways Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics Can Improve Your Travel Program Today
• Business Aviation - Your Very Own Time Machine!
• Getting Caught in the Cracks - What You Don't Know About Immigration Compliance Can Hurt!

12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

Education Sessions (30 mins)
Choice of 3 concurrent education sessions

• Using Share Shift to Drive Hotel Program Improvements
• How Blockchain Technology Will Change Managed Travel
• Simplifying Corporate Travel - Exploring the Benefits of Virtual Payments

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Closing Centre Stage & Sit Down Lunch
Keynote speaker: Arlene Dickinson

Venture capitalist, TV personality, renowned marketer, entrepreneur and CEO, Arlene Dickinson, is one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women and has been awarded such many times over. CEO of Venture Communications, yet most widely known across Canada as a Dragon on Dragon’s Den, Arlene will impart with our conference delegates, her business savvy wisdom derived from lessons from the ‘Den’: Succeeding at Business and Being an Entrepreneur.