I can't believe that it has been almost a week since #GBTA2017 in Boston concluded, yet here it is Tuesday afternoon and I am still on a post-Convention high and slowing getting caught up.  I wanted to share my thoughts and views of our recent Convention, and over the past few days I gave it a lot of thought.

First, there is a lot of work and effort goes into these things from Sponsors, GBTA Staff, Chapter President’s, Committees, etc. Planning is usually a year or so before each Convention. It is a lot of hard work!  I was able to make my way onto the Convention floor as it was being constructed and saw hundreds working hard on Saturday and Sunday getting things ready. Additionally, I was one of the many volunteers that volunteered their time during Convention. Volunteering is a great way to get involved with GBTA, plus your registration is free!  Lastly, I thought of the hundreds of professionals volunteering to give presentations on a host of topics, and the countless hours of preparation they put in.

During my week in Boston, I connected with amazing thought leaders, disruptors, and visionaries in the corporate travel industry *and* I was also lucky enough to make new connections and catch up with old friends. Even though there are thousands of us all around the world, we in the travel industry are a close knit family.  Please click here to see the collection of photos from GBTA Convention 2017.

No matter if you're a supplier or travel manager, we all share passion for travel and for what matters most -- improving the experience for the travelers that we serve. Thanks again to the GBTA for an amazing Convention and I look forward to #GBTA2018 in beautiful San Diego.

I was very fortunate to attend (with Jennifer Commuso, Chris Galle and Megan Howard) the Chapters President’s Council (CPC) Leadership Summit in Orlando. CPC provides the Leadership Summit as a venue for board members of chapters across the country to gather and share best practices and new ideas.

We attended workshops to strengthen our knowledge on sponsorships, scholarships, volunteerism, membership, driving attendance, engagement and succession planning.  As a result of the knowledge sharing among our peers, we are bringing home new ideas to help grow and strengthen our chapter and increasing your membership ROI.  

Our time spend in Orlando was productive and we have begun discussing new processes to implement, made new connections with other chapter members, networked across the industry and returned to Kansas City with an excitement for our members. 

We had an amazing chapter event on March 8. The event was held at the historical Courtyard Country Club Plaza. We had a great presenter from Cornerstone Government Affairs from DC, Todd Webster. Great topic about the impact of the Trump Admin to business travel, Real ID, infrastructure (directly impacts travel on roads, airports, etc.) And numerous other very interesting topics.

• Click here for event information - https://lnkd.in/eQbfx7h
• Click here for event photos - http://kcbta.org/gallery.php?id=24

We are having a Charity Bingo social event at Hamburger Mary’s on April 19 from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM. This is strictly for fun and isn’t your grandmother’s bingo!

Our next chapter event will be on May 10. We will have an update on the Kansas City Airport and our guest speaker is Ryan Pierce. He will be speaking on how to transform your travel program using social media and mobile to create a unique experience for your travelers.

I hope to see you at an upcoming event. Thank you for all our members, new members, guests, BOD and sponsors. LET'S KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING!