Welcome

Summer is here for us in the Bay Area with perfect midday temperate climates and cool evenings - the weather is positive, which complements the outlook for the local business travel industry this year.

BABTA continued in second quarter to provide insightful and relevant programming to our members which began with our April program that took place on the east bay at the Waterfront Hotel, a Commune hotel,  with the subject on TSA and its current updates including the Global Entry Program.  To meet the different scheduling needs of some of our members, our May programming on social media as it relates to travel programs was a unique luncheon program held in downtown San Francisco at the famous Morton's restaurant.  Our annual joint meeting with Silicon Valley Business Travel Association (SVBTA) took place this year on Wednesday, June 19 at Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame and was another highly attended annual meeting.  The panel of industry experts spoke on innovation in travel and the ways in which these individuals have been recognized for their unique and creative approaches to effect change in the industry.

Many of us are preparing to be at the GBTA Annual Conference in early August in San Diego, and BABTA is excited to see so many of our members represented at this education conference.   Each year, several thousand members of the corporate travel industry attend this conference and expo to network, to receive quality education, and to develop their professional experiences and aspirations.   I look forward to seeing many of you there, as it is one of the industry conferences I enjoy attending each year.

Please also mark your calendars for the remainder of our education programs in September and October.  We are also close to announcing the location and date for the annual Holiday Gala in December, which provides our membership a time to celebrate the holidays and the year with industry friends and colleagues.

Thank you always for your continued support of BABTA and our goal to create these networking and education opportunities to our local area members.

Warm regards,

Gary Murakami, CTC, GTP, GLP, CMP
President
Bay Area Business Travel Association