Phoenix, AZ – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the business travel industry, today announced that Kaihan Krippendorff, business strategist, author and lecturer at Wharton Business School will be a featured speaker at a joint session during the GBTA National Travel Forum (NTF) and the GBTA Sports Symposium. Kaihan will open the morning breakfast and general session on June 6th sharing his unique approach to corporate leadership training which blends Eastern philosophy, military theory, and modern business strategy. Both conferences will be at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix AZ.

"This year we are hosting two of the travel industry"s biggest events in government and sports travel under one roof," said Michael W. McCormick, executive director and COO of GBTA. "Kaihan"s approach to business management embodies the competitive spirit of sports and the diplomacy of government. His insights will help travel managers think about ways to strengthen their programs, motivate their teams and better serve their clients."

The GBTA National Travel Forum is the most important government travel event and the largest gathering of government travel professionals and leading travel industry suppliers. The four day forum provides travel professionals with the knowledge they need to be the best in class with their travel programs and stay compliant with ever-changing federal regulations to significantly reduce costs for their clients. Industry suppliers network with government employees, to provide the latest products, programs and innovations in service. The GBTA National Travel Forum will be held on June 4th – 7th.

The GBTA Sports Symposium 2012, the premier sports travel event will converge on markets meeting at the intersection of sports and travel, to include professional, collegiate, and amateur sports domestically and globally. Conference attendees will be able to network, discuss best practices and assess the current state of their travel programs. The educational sessions will bring new light to the unique challenges of the sports business travel industry, such as ancillary fees and managing risks faced by team travel managers in both transient and group travel. The GBTA Sports Symposium will be held on June 5th - 6th.

Kaihan Krippendorff is the author of three business strategy books – The Art of the Advantage, Hide a Dagger Behind A Smile and The Way of Innovation. Each text delves into the keys to true competitiveness and innovation. A former consultant with McKinsey & Co., Kaihan teaches executives how to unleash their strategic creativity to better their organizations.

Kaihan is also an expert blogger with FastCompany.com, and has been featured in key business media outlets, including BusinessWeek, The Miami
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Herald, and Bloomberg Radio. Kaihan earned MBAs from Columbia Business School and London Business School, a BSE in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania"s Wharton School, and a BSE in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania"s School of Engineering.

Online registration and a full agenda for the GBTA National Travel Forum and the GBTA Sports Symposium 2012 can be found on the GBTA Website. Click here to register for the National Travel Forum and here to register for the Sports Symposium.

About the Global Business Travel Association

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world"s premier business travel and meetings organization. Collectively, GBTA"s 5,000-plus members manage over $340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its network of 17,000 business and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, with networking events, news, education & professional development, research, and advocacy. For more information, visit gbta.org

Rebecca Carriero
GBTA