Paragon Partnership
 

News

Franco Frattini and Charles Petruccelli to Speak at Pan-European Business Travel Conference

Source: NBTA
Date: February, 2008
Milan, Italy (February 28, 2008) - The Paragon Partnership, an alliance of 10 European and international business travel associations, announced today that Franco Frattini, Vice President of the European Commission Responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security, and Charles Petruccelli, President, American Express Global Travel Services, will deliver keynote addresses at Crossroads Milan – Paragon Business Travel Conference & Expo, a first-of-its kind pan-European business travel industry event. More Details...

 

 

 

Nine Business Travel Groups Join NBTA as Co-Hosts of Crossroads Milan

Source: NBTA
Date: September, 2007
Milan, Italy, and Alexandria, VA, USA (September 24, 2007) -- The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) – a global business travel organization based in the United States with members in 30 countries and regional affiliates in Asia Pacific, Canada and Mexico – today announced that nine other corporate travel organizations have signed on as partners for a new type of European business travel conference. A total of ten organizations based in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, and the United States will co-host Crossroads Milan -- Paragon Business Travel Conference & Expo, to be held May 15-16, 2008 in Milan. With support from across Europe, the event will be designed to provide the European business travel professional community with education sessions and an exposition tailored to meet their needs. More Details...

 

 

Australasian BTA Merges with NBTA  

Source: NBTA
Date: April, 2007

Sydney, Australia -- The Australasian Business Travel Association (ABTA) officially became the Asia Pacific subsidiary of the U.S.-based National Business Travel Association (NBTA) on April 2, 2007, after ABTA members overwhelming supported a merger at an Extraordinary General Meeting in Sydney.

 

NBTA Unveils New "NBTA-Canada" Brand  

Source: NBTA
Date: March, 2007

Toronto, ON (March 20, 2007) -- The National Business Travel Association – Canada (NBTA-Canada) today unveiled its new name and logo, supplanting the “Canadian Alliance of Business Travel” brand.

 

Paragon Partnership Welcomes the Institute of Travel Management (ITM) to the Alliance  

Source: NBTA
Date: February, 2007

Alexandria, VA (February 27, 2007) -- The Paragon Partnership, the global alliance of business travel associations, recently welcomed a new member -- the Institute of Travel Management (ITM) representing the UK and Ireland. The total membership of the Paragon Partnership is now 12 national corporate travel buyer-led associations dedicated to the support of the travel management profession and the business travel industry.

VDR, The Business Travel Association of Germany, Released the VDR Business Travel Report Germany 2006

Source: NBTA
Date: September 2006
Frankfurt, Germany (September 2006) -- VDR, The Business Travel Association of Germany, released the “VDR Business Travel Report Germany 2006.”  The 2006 Report offers findings on the various motives for business travel, the most important destinations, international consolidation, and savings evaluation in travel management along with many other findings.

Highlights of the 2006 VDR Business Travel Report Germany
  • In 2005 there were about 6.9 million business travelers in Germany
  • Undertook 150.7 million business trips
  • Costing 46.2 billion Euros
  • 17,200 business trips start ever hour in Germany
  • USA and France are the most important business travel destinations for the German economy, closely followed by China
  • Companies expect a constant to increasing business travel activity volume in 2007

VDR and its members have defined the basic structures of the report and selected the annual topics.   Please click here to access the English-language executive summary of the report.


Nordic Business Travel Barometer Recently Released 
Source: NBTA
Date: September 2006
Stockholm, Sweden (September 2006) --

The annual Nordic Business Travel Barometer report was recently released.  The annual report is meant to continually give the major players within the travel industry a view of the Nordic travel industry and sought after services and an understanding of the branch's suppliers.

Highlights from the Nordic Business Travel Barometer

  • After six years of turbulence and great losses, there seems to be optimism in the travel industry
  • The economic upturn in all four Nordic countries is expected to continue in 2006
  • Travel agencies still face strong competition
  • 93% of all Nordic companies stating increased use of low-price alternatives as the greatest challenge facing them in 2006
  • 2005 was a good year for the rental car industry, with a 10% increase in sales
  • Travel agencies in the Nordic countries are facing a bid dilemma 

More than 5,700 decision-makers and travelers within companies with more than 200 employees answered questions about their existing and potential suppliers of travel related services for the Nordic Business Travel Barometer.


Paragon Partnership ERC Meets in Frankfurt, Appoints Lobbyist in Brussels

Source: NBTA
Date: June, 2006

Alexandria, VA (June, 2006) -- At the Paragon Partnership's recent meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, the Partners appointed Sandra van de Walle as the Partnership's lobbyist in Brussels.  Sandra van de Walle will be monitoring developments at the European Commission and will also be promoting the interests of the alliance's European members.  Two current issues that are particularly important to the Partners are GDS de-regulation and the situation over the EC's Passenger Name Record (PNR) agreement.

 

On GDS de-regulation, the Partners were generally in favor of de-regulation but were concerned about it leading to a commercial invasion of content with airlines paying for their inventory to be prominently displayed.  On the PNR deal which the ECJ ruled was "not founded on a legal basis", the Partners were worried about what happened to data once it was handed over to the US authorities. 

 

 

Paragon Partners Urge for Fair CRS Rules in Europe

Source: NBTA
Date: February, 2006

Alexandria, VA (February, 2006) -- The European member associations of the Paragon Partnership sent an official letter to the European Union urging it to maintain Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) rules that ensure fair access to reservations in Europe. The letter was signed by all 8 European member associations: Austrian Business Travel Association – (ABTA); The French Business Travel Association – (AFCV); Danish Business Travel association – (DBTA); Finnish Business Travel Association – (FBTA); Iberian Business Travel association – (IBTA); Netherlands Association of Travel Management – (NATM); Swedish Business Travel Association – (SBTA); The Business Travel Association of Germany – (VDR).

 

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