GBTA Presents 'Luminaries Of Travel CEO' Panel At 2012 Convention In Boston

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the business travel industry, today announced the speakers for the 'Luminaries of Travel CEO' panel to be held on July 24th, during GBTA Convention in Boston, Massachusetts. Trip Davis, President and Senior Associate Dean for external relations of the Darden School Foundation will moderate the panel with leaders of major travel suppliers including Barney Harford, CEO of Orbitz Worldwide, Luis Maroto, President and CEO of Amadeus, and Arne Sorenson, President and CEO of Marriott International, Inc. The panel is made possible by BMO Financial Group.

These luminaries will tackle crucial questions about the future of business travel including the changing supplier landscape and the new generation of business travelers. They will engage in an insightful dialogue about technological advances, industry consolidation and growing demands for sustainability shaping the industry.    

"These panelists have a real inside view into the supply side of the travel industry. Their insights will be invaluable for the travel managers, meetings professionals and procurement leaders tasked with managing the important relationships affecting their travel programs," said Michael W. McCormick, Executive Director and COO of GBTA. "This is one of the marquee panels at GBTA Convention and we're excited to hear from them."

Trip Davis is the President and Senior Associate Dean for external relations of the Darden School Foundation. As an award winning entrepreneur and executive in travel technology and data services, Trip is a visionary and driving force in the travel industry. He built two successful technology services firms which have been enablers of online travel, now the largest ecommerce category. He is the co-founder and Chairman of TRX, a global leader in travel technology and data services. TRX processes travel transaction data from over 400 sources in 50 countries he led the company from a start-up to $110 million in revenue and IPO in 2005.

Barney Harford serves as CEO of Orbitz Worldwide and director on the Orbitz Worldwide board of directors.  As one of the world's leading online travel companies, Orbitz Worldwide operates brands in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific that generate over US$11 billion in travel bookings each year. Barney previously served in a variety of roles at Expedia, Inc. and led the company's entry into China, Japan and Australia. He also serves as a board member of LiquidPlanner, an on-demand project management service that is transforming the way organizations manage complex projects; and Orange Hotel Group, a high-design budget hotel chain based in China.   

Luis Maroto serves as the President & CEO of Amadeus. Previously, Luis was Deputy CEO of Amadeus, with responsibility for overall company strategy as well as line management of the finance, internal audit, legal and human resources functions. He has also been instrumental in Amadeus' return to the stock market with the company's successful IPO in April 2010. Luis holds a law degree from the Complutense University, Madrid, an MBA from the IESE Business School and further postgraduate qualifications from Harvard Business School and Stanford.

Arne M. Sorenson is the President and CEO of Marriott International, Inc., a leading global lodging company with nearly 3,700 lodging properties in 72 countries and territories. In his previous role as Marriott's President and COO, Mr. Sorenson was responsible for the performance and growth of all of Marriott's worldwide brands and businesses. Mr. Sorenson is chairman of Marriott's Global Diversity and Inclusion Council and co-founded Marriott's Global Sustainability Council launching Marriott's rainforest preservation partnership with the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation in Brazil.

About the Global Business Travel Association Convention
The GBTA Convention, with more 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 65 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