Travel industry research authority Phocuswright and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, today announced a partnership to launch the Innovation Series. This multifaceted, interactive program will bring the business travel industry's most impactful innovators to GBTA Convention 2017, July 15-19 in Boston. The Innovation Series and Innovation Row at Convention are sponsored by Travel Leaders Group."We are thrilled to join Phocuswright in launching this Innovation Series, putting a spotlight on the top innovators in our industry at GBTA Convention 2017," said Christle Johnson, GBTA president. "The Innovation Series will bring together Phocuswright's legacy of providing platforms for startups in the travel industry with GBTA's audience of influential travel buyers and corporate travel executives.""Phocuswright is excited to launch this program for the most promising young companies to showcase solutions for the disruption of the travel space. GBTA is a great partner to help foster innovation," said Pete Comeau, Phocuswright's senior vice president, research sales. "We're thrilled to join forces and provide a platform for building the next successful B2B travel tech brands."Nine innovators will compete for the opportunity to showcase their products and services at GBTA Convention 2017. The Innovation Series will kick-off with a series of three webinars beginning on April 25, 2017, where each group of innovators will have the opportunity to present their pitch. Our esteemed panel of technology and industry leaders will interact with the innovators during each session, and Phocuswright and GBTA leadership will address the state of innovation and its role in corporate travel.The Innovators: Groups360, GlobeChat, Local Measure, Distribusion, Mezi, 30K, Airmule, metaplanner and Waygo.At the conclusion of each webinar, the business travel community will vote on the winner of each group during their respective webinar who will then go on to be featured on Innovation Row at GBTA Convention 2017. The finalists square off again at Convention during an exclusive Innovation Series education session. The finalists will also be a part of the all-new Innovation Row on the expo floor featuring the industry's leading pioneers. Held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, GBTA Convention 2017 will bring together nearly 7,000 business travel professionals from more than 50 countries across the globe. It will feature world-class keynote speakers, more than 80 industry-leading education sessions, the largest business travel expo floor, a wide selection of professional development opportunities and much more, providing attendees the opportunity for professional development and to get business done. Attendee registration is open now. Register by April 25, 2017 to receive up to $300 in savings off of the regular registration rate. More info on programs and speakers will be unveiled throughout 2017. For the latest developments and more information, please visit gbta.org/convention.Media registration is complimentary and available online. GBTA's third annual Media Day on July 16, 2017, will feature back-to-back news announcements throughout the morning from top travel companies around the world, giving media an exclusive pass to the latest travel industry news.