Business travel community was out in force this past November 17-19 for the Global Business Travel Association’s 2021 Convention held in Orlando, Fla. The association reported that more than 3,500 professionals from more than 20 countries joined the 200+ exhibitors for the three-day conference in the Sunshine State.
“This was certainly a GBTA Convention like no other, in a year that’s been like no other. But what was clear is that we’re getting back to business and getting back to travel,” said GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang. “There were challenges due to the pandemic, but I am delighted to say that the event surpassed our expectations especially in light of current circumstances.”
Industry forecasts, data, and insights
- GBTA released its latest Business Travel Index 2021-2025 (made possible by HRS) revealing travel spending is forecast to surge in 2022 with full recovery expected in 2024–ending the year back to 2019 pre-pandemic global business travel spending levels of $1.4 trillion.
- The GBTA-CWT Global Business Travel Forecast 2022 showed global travel pricing increases are ahead–in 2022, flight prices are expected to rise 3.3 percent, hotel rates 13 percent and ground transportation 3.9 percent. This will be primarily driven by increasing demand, capacity constraints and travelers’ sustainability demands, plus increased labor and fuel costs.
- During GBTA Media Day, industry leaders announced news and industry firsts, while the GBTA Broadcast Studio hosted almost 40 executive interviews from some of the leading and most innovative companies in business travel and beyond.
There’s still an opportunity to access the best of Convention 2021 on-demand. Non-attendees can sign up for GBTA Convention Replay to view the five Main Stage sessions and 25 educations sessions from November 29 to January 28, 2022. Registered attendees can watch anytime via the GBTA Convention app by going to “My Convention Planner,” clicking the session of their choice, and scrolling down to the “Handouts” section to view.
What’s Next
GBTA revealed its theme for 2022 including next year’s convention: “(Re)Connect, (Re)Imagine, (Re)Create.” Sign up to receive alerts about registration, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities for GBTA Convention 2022, August 14-17 in San Diego, Calif.
GBTA’s European Conference, which was scheduled for December 2021, has been postponed to early 2022 in light of concerns about the Omicron variant of COVID.
[11.30.21]