Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Speaks at Final Day of GBTA Convention 2013

Successful Convention Concluded with Record Breaking Buyer Attendance

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator and First Lady, spoke as the final keynote speaker at the annual GBTA Convention 2013 in San Diego. Attendees from all over the globe listened to Mrs. Clinton discuss the increasing global interdependence in our world today, the importance of travel and face-to-face connections, the State Department's recent global terror alert and her experiences as Secretary of State and First Lady.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110609/DC16833LOGO)

"Travel is an industry that helps to keep our economy moving and helps connect us to the world in a time of increasing global interdependence," said Mrs. Clinton. "Boundaries are dissolving, but travel is still one of the best ways to understand what's happening. In an age where we can be anywhere virtually, people want us to be there, actually."

When discussing the ever-present threat of terrorism she said, "It's important to remain vigilant, but not paranoid. It's important to pay attention to alerts, but don't stop making connections. Please don't pull back from the world. Please help us to strike the right balance and provide tools for Americans to continue traveling safely."

In closing, Mrs. Clinton told the thousands of business travel industry representatives in attendance, "Thank you all for helping bring America to the world and the world to America."

GBTA concluded the event breaking buyer attendance records announcing 1,531 travel buyers attended the GBTA Convention 2013 with 6,469 attendees total, making this one of the largest GBTA Conventions in history and one of the largest gatherings of travel professionals in the world. Next year's event will be in Los Angeles, CA on July 27-30, 2014.

About GBTA Convention
The GBTA Convention, with nearly 7,000 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 70 industry-leading education sessions organized into 20+ 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 6,000 plus members manage over $340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA provides its network of 21,000 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