President Bill Clinton to Deliver Keynote Speech at the GBTA Convention

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry – today announced that President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the 42nd President of the United States will be featured as a keynote speaker at the annual 2012 GBTA Convention at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center in Boston, MA, July 22-25, 2012. President Clinton's appearance is made possible by The Boeing Company.

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"President Clinton was one of the most popular speakers we've ever had at the GBTA Convention, so we are thrilled and honored to be hosting him once again. He is the only featured speaker to ever book a repeat performance with us," said Michael W. McCormick, GBTA executive director and COO. "President Clinton's singular ability to distill global events, making even the most complex situation relatable, is one of the reasons we felt hosting him again would be a benefit to our members. I have no doubt he will provide a great source of inspiration to our GBTA Convention attendees."

William Jefferson Clinton is the first Democratic president in six decades to be elected twice, first in 1992 and then in 1996. During his term, President Clinton generated the strongest and longest economic expansion in U.S. history with the creation of more than 22 million jobs.

After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation with the mission to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence. Today the Foundation has staff and volunteers around the world working to improve lives through several initiatives, including the Clinton Health Access Initiative (formerly the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative) which is helping 4 million people living with HIV/AIDS access lifesaving drugs. Other initiatives -- including the Clinton Climate Initiative, the Clinton Development Initiative, and the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative -- are applying a business-oriented approach worldwide to fight climate change and develop sustainable economic growth in Africa and Latin America. In the U.S., the Foundation is working to combat the alarming rise in childhood obesity through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, and is helping individuals and families succeed and small businesses grow.

In addition to his Foundation work, President Clinton has joined with former President George H.W. Bush three times – after the 2004 tsunami in South Asia, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Ike in 2008 – to help raise money for recovery efforts and served as the U.N. Envoy for Tsunami Recovery.

Building on his longstanding commitment to Haiti as President and through his Foundation, President Clinton was named U.N. Special Envoy for Haiti in 2009 to assist the government and the people of Haiti as they "build back better" after a series of hurricanes battered the country in 2008.

With more than 35 years of public service initiatives and humanitarian work, President Clinton has laid a strong foundation for many future leaders across the nation and the world.

About the Global Business Travel Association Convention
The GBTA Convention, with nearly than 6,000 attendees, is the largest, most comprehensive annual gathering of business travel and meetings managers, meeting planners, procurement professionals and suppliers anywhere in the world. The Business Travel Event of the Year® features: more than 60 industry-leading education sessions organized into 15+ specialized tracks geared to specific levels of experience and a variety of disciplines; a 400+ company Exposition showcasing market choices not available at other industry gatherings; sessions featuring world-renowned speakers and industry leaders; a wide selection of professional development opportunities; and, much more. For more information on the GBTA Convention, visit gbta.org/convention.

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.

SOURCE Global Business Travel Association