A focus on Italian corporate travel management issues is a critical component of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives' (ACTE) Global Education Conference in Rome, 5-7 October. The conference will feature a special educational track conducted in Italian. The track will be made up of four sessions and will discuss highly technical travel management functions such as end-to-end solutions, change management, and getting the most out of a hotel program.

"Presentations conducted in the local language, in this case Italian, allow for a relaxed learning environment," said Kate Farrell, ACTE Director of Global Education. "The course selection for the Italian language track was made in collaboration with our European members and Rome conference planning committee, four of whom are based in Italy."

The first of these presentations - Fundamentals of End-To-End Solutions - will survey the various configurations of booking and expense tracking options, and examine the elements of the most common configuration appropriate to the Italian market and a company's culture. The session will explore the elements of an end-to-end solution, detail implementation strategies, and discuss ways to measure new efficiencies and hardcore savings results.

The second session in the Italian track - Change Management for Travel Program Success - will examine how to overcome resistance to change whether it occurs in processes/policy, vendors or facilities. The session will illustrate how communications and support from senior management, coupled with setting penalties for resistance, can boost compliance with a new program.

Ten Steps to Optimize Your Hotel Program - is designed to make corporate hospitality policies a top cost-containment element. The session is based on 10 proven steps that have both an immediate and long-term yield in hotel program success. These include: designating a booking channel, changing policy, improving policy compliance, and performance measurement and reporting. Each in itself is a process incorporating technology, corporate culture, and advanced travel management technique.

The final session in the Italian track - The Crosswinds of Politics & Economics: Shaping the Future Nature of Travel - will address the current political scenario and economics related to fuel and how they are certain to impact the ways in which business travel will be conducted in the near future. Using forecast data, an authority on transportation will examine the factors that will determine future usage of modes of transportation. This session will be led by Professor David Jarach, Senior Professor, Air Transportation Marketing, Bocconi University and SDA Bocconi Business School, Milan, Italy, and Visiting Professor, Toulouse Business School, Toulouse, France.

"The Italian education track is designed to complement the overall global approach of the Rome Global Education Conference," said Farrell. "ACTE's conference programs are renowned for their international scope and their pertinence to issues that impact the entire industry. Yet, we are also known for focusing on key issues in the conference host countries. This boosts the value of attending an ACTE conference, while relating the big picture to regional developments."

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 €200 billion business travel industry. 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 offices 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.

Source: albawaba.com