The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)-the voice of the business travel industry-- today announced the creation of a new taskforce with a commitment to enhancing meetings strategy in global education, accelerated thought leadership, industry collaboration, and best practices. The taskforce will further bring the discipline of strategic meetings management into the forefront of the business travel industry as an important aspect of progressive travel management and will propel the progress and definition of global strategic meetings management. The Global Meetings taskforce will be led by Linda McNairy, vice president, Strategic Partner Management, StarCite.

"Meetings management is always a big focus for GBTA and through this taskforce we are striving to take this essential piece of the travel management practice even further. Our goal is to have a global impact on everyone involved in meetings management, from planning and executing to managing the overall meetings strategy within an organization," said Michael W. McCormick, executive director and COO, GBTA. "The taskforce will focus on providing the best tools, resources, and education in order to make each gathering strategic and successful. Strategic meetings management originated with GBTA and through this taskforce, we know the best is yet to come."

The new taskforce will be comprised of industry visionaries and practitioners including thought leaders of the former Groups and Meetings Committee. It will build upon the body of work created by GBTA including the recently launched SMM Maturity Index. The taskforce will outline a new strategic vision for Global SMM to launch in early 2012.

About the Global Business Travel Association

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world's premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA's members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA delivers world-class education, events, research, advocacy, and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts.

About the GBTA Foundation

The mission of the GBTA Foundation, the US 501c3 charitable arm of GBTA, is to help the global business travel industry create a positive impact and a better future for people and the planet. The GBTA Foundation focuses on the strategy and execution of GBTA's global sustainability programs, supporting initiatives related to climate action; diversity, equity and inclusion; and other talent-related topics via education, research and advocacy.

Meghan Henning
+1 571 309 3961
GBTA