Europe’s business travel community once again came together to explore, discuss and connect around the current and future state of the sector in the region at the GBTA + VDR Europe Conference 2023 held this week at the CCH-Congress Center in Hamburg, Germany.
Hosted by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and German Business Travel Association, VDR, the conference attracted almost 1,100 business travel industry professionals from 29 countries, including 275 travel buyers. The event featured 61 new and returning exhibiting companies with more than eight hours of Expo Hall time for buyers and suppliers to connect. Education also remained at the forefront, with over 90 speakers and 26 sessions.
“In business travel, nothing stands still, and change is inevitable, especially in today’s world. GBTA is excited to again host this conference with our partners at VDR as a place and platform for the many voices of the region to network, learn from each other, and tackle some of our industry’s biggest challenges and opportunities together,” said Catherine Logan, Senior Vice President, EMEA and APAC for GBTA.
“We are looking forward to shaping business travel mobility of the future – in an economically and ecologically balanced way. Together with our members, the buyers and suppliers, GBTA and VDR will navigate the challenges ahead,” said Jens Schließmann, Executive Director VDR, in his closing speech at the conference.
During the event, Flavio Ghiringhelli from Emirates was the recipient of this year’s Luoma Award, established in 2011 to recognise volunteers who support the development of GBTA and its local market partners in Europe. The GBTA Europe Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023 was presented to Hans-Ingo Biehl, former Executive Director, VDR.
In 2024, the GBTA Europe Conference will occur in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 4–6 November. Conference highlights here.
