Professor of Economics to Keynote ISM and NBTA Summit on Travel & Meetings

Dr Lee McPheters to Discuss Challenges, Strategies in Recovering Economy

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. December 16, 2009

ALEXANDIA, VA / TAMPA, FL, December 16, 2009 - The National Business Travel Association (NBTA), the Institute for Supply Management™ (ISM), and ProMedia.travel LLC, announced that Lee McPheters, Research Professor of Economics in the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, will deliver a keynote speech at the ISM and NBTA Summit on Travel & Meetings, to be held January 27-28, at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay in Tampa, Fla. Dr. McPheters will offer attendees economic insights that will enable businesses to thrive as the global recession comes to an end.

Dr. McPheters has published numerous articles in books and professional journals including the Review of Economics and Statistics, Land Economics, the National Tax Journal, and Journal of Long Range Planning. His recent research has emphasized transportation issues in economic development, with support from the U. S. Department of Transportation and Boeing. Dr. McPheters was recognized for the best research article in Economic Inquiry with an award from the Western Economic Association, and his writings on Western economics have been quoted in national newspapers and magazines throughout the United States.

“NBTA is pleased to welcome such an esteemed economist to this unique forum for travel, meetings and procurement professionals,” said NBTA President & CEO Craig Banikowski, CCTE, C.P.M, CMM. “Dr. McPheters' expertise and experience are sure to provide attendees with the insights necessary to successfully navigate the remainder of the current global economic crisis and prepare for recovery.”

Paul Novak, CPSM, C.P.M., A.P.P, ISM Chief Executive Officer, said, ““Dr. McPheters is a regular speaker at CAPS Research events, sharing his thoughtful and sometimes provocative perspectives on the U.S. economy. Audiences always look forward to his insightful analysis.”

The ISM-NBTA Summit on Travel & Meetings focuses on the challenges associated with the complex task of managing travel and meetings, the largest category of indirect spend. Last year's inaugural Summit produced strategic dialogue between more than 150 professionals who direct oversight of the travel and meetings management functions within their companies and those within the company's procurement organization who have direct supervisory oversight of those functional areas.

Banikowski continued, “Corporate travel professionals have faced some of their most challenging times over the past 14 months, and economic uncertainty has brought about a cultural shift in business spending that most expect to remain. At the Summit on Travel & Meetings, Dr McPheters and other industry and economic experts will help attendees to explore the new landscape for corporate travel and meetings and determine challenges as well as opportunities that lie ahead.”

Complete agenda, registration information, location and sponsorship opportunities are available online at www.ism-nbta.org.

About NBTA
The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world's premier business travel and corporate meetings organization. NBTA and its regional affiliates - NBTA Asia Pacific, the Brazilian Business Travel Association (ABGEV), NBTA Canada, NBTA Mexico and NBTA USA - serve a network of more than 15,000 business travel professionals around the globe with industry-leading events, networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. NBTA members, numbering more than 4,000 in 30 nations, are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers. They collectively manage and direct more than US$200 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually on behalf of more than 10 million business travelers within their organizations. For more information, visit www.nbta.org.

About ISM
As the largest supply management institute in the world, the mission of Institute for Supply Management™ (ISM) is to lead supply management. By executing and extending its mission through education, research, standards of excellence, influence building and information dissemination — including the renowned monthly ISM Report On Business® — ISM continues to extend the global impact of supply management. ISM is proud to recognize professional excellence in supply management with awards such as the ISM R. Gene Richter Awards for Leadership and Innovation in Supply Management and the J. Shipman Gold Medal Award. ISM's membership base includes more than 40,000 supply management professionals in 75 countries. Supply management professionals are responsible for trillions of dollars in the purchases of products and services annually. ISM is a member of the International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management (IFPSM). For more information on ISM, visit www.ism.ws.

About ProMedia.travel LLC
ProMedia.travel LLC is an integrated media company serving the information needs of the managed travel and meetings marketplace. ProMedia.travel publishes Procurement.travel, the industry's newest and only magazine designed exclusively for corporate travel and meetings procurement professionals worldwide. Procurement.travel provides the trends, case studies, market intelligence, analysis and benchmarks that expert buyers need to source, procure, fulfill, measure, evaluate and report. In addition to Procurement.travel, ProMedia.travel, publishes Management.travel, The Transnational and The Beat. For more information, visit www.promedia.travel.