NBTA Concerned About Negative Portrayal of Meetings, Events
Urges Community to Inform Congress About Necessity of Meetings
ALEXANDRIA, VA, January 26, 2009 - The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is voicing concerns about the recent negative perception of business travel, meetings and events. NBTA is urging the corporate travel and meetings community to contact Congress with concerns about actions that may harm the business travel and meetings industry.
NBTA President & CEO Kevin Maguire, CCTE, GLP, said, "NBTA is alarmed by the negative portrayal of the meetings industry and fears Congressional actions that may cripple the travel industry and the economy as a whole. Corporate travel professionals have made travel for meetings and events a cost effective tool that help businesses grow, and Congress must be educated on the importance of managed travel and the benefits it brings."
Via NBTA's online Legislative Action Center, business travel and meetings professionals can submit a letter to Congress explaining the importance of managed travel and meetings, along with all associated economic benefits. The letter is customizable and is sent to the user's elected officials in Washington, DC.
In the email to Congress, travel professionals can say:
"The industry recognizes there are concerns with how companies are spending money. A well managed travel program ensures companies are following guidelines that include competitive bidding, expense reporting, cost containment, and policy compliance. Exactly the type of transparency and accountability President Obama has called for.
The introduction of legislation and media driven stories are having a chilling effect on the entire travel community. Companies that have never taken a cent of [government assistance] are canceling meetings and other events because they are afraid of being attacked as wasteful. This hurts the business travel industry, but it also affects the bellman, the maid, the waitress and other hourly employees that will be laid off as these meetings and conventions decline.
As a member of a community that creates $244 billion in spending, 2.4 million America jobs and $39 billion in tax revenue at the federal, state and local level, I hope you will listen to our ideas and suggestions. Let the Treasury Department work with the business travel industry to set guidelines for managed travel. The worst possible step Congress can do now is to ban meetings and conferences. This knee-jerk reaction would not only hurt the targeted companies, it would hurt the entire American economy.
NBTA and other travel and meetings organizations earlier this month issued recommended travel management guidelines. The guidelines, built upon existing corporate best practices, are designed to ensure transparency and accountability and protect the American jobs supported by corporate meetings and events."
Visit the NBTA Legislative Action Center at http://capwiz.com/nbta.
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