President of Mexico sends representative to ACTE LATAM Educational Conference
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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Delegates to the Association of Corporate Travel Executives’ (ACTE) 2010 Latin American Education Conference received a warm welcome from President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, delivered by Phd. Jacqueline Arzoz, Subsecretary of Tourism Planning.
This high-level travel industry event drew 118 delegates from 11 Latin and South American countries to Mexico City for two days (29-30 June) of advanced travel management technique review and strategy. According to ACTE President Chris Crowley, this special recognition by the Mexican Government, coupled with the attendance of ranking travel managers from throughout the region, marked the conference as one of the most significant travel events to be held in the region.
“I would like to thank President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa and the Subsecretary of Tourism Planning Jacqueline Arzoz for the honor they bestowed on this conference and for the consideration they extended to this association,” said Crowley. “Their acknowledgement of this event, coupled with the attendance of some of the most prestigious firms in the world, emphasizes the significance and importance of global commerce in Mexico, and ACTE’s commitment to the region.”
In her opening statement, Subsecretary Arzoz addressed the economic growth opportunities of Mexico and Latin America through the development of the business travel industry. She stated that business travel is a key driver for expanding markets in the region, and for exploring new global markets for Mexican manufacturers.
Conference participants found themselves energized by the event’s keynote speakers. Jaime Alonso Gomez, Professor of Strategy and International Management EGADE — Business School, ITESM, Univ. of San Diego, Ahlers Centre for International Business delivered an addressed titled, “Reinventing the Rules for a Knowledge-based Global Economy.” Gomez, examined several fundamental transformations – social, technological and business trends – expected to affect business activity around the world during the next three to five years. He categorized these as:
- The impact of key trends on business needs, expectations, and user experiences
- The strategic challenges and opportunities emerging in a knowledge-based economy
- The global implications for human capital and talent management
Gomez backed his examples with real-world case studies that supported his conclusions and challenged participants to re-evaluate the manner in which they engage organizations, customers and each other in the future.
In the presentation titled, “An Economic Outlook For The LATAM Region,” Chávez López, Chief Economist for Santander, detailed a fresh economic outlook for the region, without sugar-coating the hard realities of the immediate future. López explored the financial strengths of Latin America, examined its weaknesses, and identified those countries most likely grow in the current economy. He provided a potential timetable for business travel to transition from rebound to resurgence.
Keynote presentations were supported by six highly technical educational sessions. They were:
- Technology trends such as on line booking tools.
- Procurement best practices and supplier relationship management
- Strategic meeting management
- Global Economy and how impacts Latin America
- Global vs. Local, regionalization programs.
- Crisis and risk management
“The sophistication of the program’s content and the timeliness of the agenda was directly reflected in the corporate composition of the event’s participants. Forty-one percent were buyers,” said Crowley. “This is a 7% increase over the industry average but in keeping with ACTE’s recent attendance records for European, Asian, and Latin American educational events."
"It is a great work that ACTE does to develop and advance the industry and the careers of the professionals who support it. said Jaime Alonso, Professor of Strategy and International Management EGADE – Business School, ITESM, Univ. of San Diego, Ahlers Centre for International Business. "Excellent organization and attendee participation throughout the event."
In closing conference moderator, Julian Benavento, reaffirmed ACTE’s commitment to the region.
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) represents the global business travel industry through its international advocacy efforts, executive level educational programs, and independent industry research. ACTE's membership consists of senior travel industry executives from 82 countries representing the €463 billion business travel industry. Our members serve more than 12 million business travelers worldwide. With the support of sponsors from every major segment of the business travel industry, ACTE develops and delivers educational programs in key business centers throughout the world. ACTE has representation in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and the United States. For more information on ACTE, please go to www.acte.org.an 23,000 members belonging to 71 chapters and clubs worldwide. For additional information, visit mpiweb.org.
