Back to business travel – 46% taking more US corporate trips
Business travel is back with 46% of US corporate travellers making more trips than before the pandemic, a new report has revealed.
The resurgence in travel comes despite issues of growing expenses, fuel costs and shaky economic conditions.
Other stories from our weekly events roundup include:
?? Clarion Events North America announces new president
?? Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) welcomes new legislation for visa delay relief
?? CHPI returns to Milan in 2024
Learn how digital tools will shape the event industry in H2 2023 with our latest Event Tech Forecast
Read on for your full Week in Events roundup ??
46% of US business travellers taking more trips compared to pre-pandemic
A Capterra survey has revealed that 46% of business travellers in the US are taking more trips compared to before the pandemic.
The uptick in corporate travel comes even as organisations deal with a fluctuating economy and internal pressures to cut down on travel expenses.
Here are some key findings from the report:
Despite the reliance on manual processes, companies are also embracing tech such as mobile apps and expense management software to record and report expenses.
The rise in business travel solidifies findings from the GBTA | Global Business Travel Association 's latest Business Travel Index Outlook.
The report anticipates travel spending to surpass 2019 levels by 2024 to reach $1.4 trillion and further increase to $1.8tn by 2027.
GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang said: “The headwinds that were anticipated to impact the rebound of global business travel over the past year didn’t materialise and that is good news.
“This latest forecast now indicates an accelerated return to pre-pandemic spending levels sooner than anticipated as well as growth ahead in the coming years.
“Business travel spending is a key indicator, but how travel volumes will continue to rebound is yet to be seen.”
Clarion Events North America appoints new president
Clarion Events has named Elizabeth Irving as the president of its North America division.
Liz joined the company in 2015 and has been key in driving and supporting its strategy for commercial success and for the global market.
Prior to joining Clarion Events, Liz worked with Reed Exhibitions for 15 years in different leadership roles. She has also been part of various event tech boards as well as SISO showcase.
Liz said: “Our industry is constantly evolving, our customers’ expectations are evolving just as rapidly, and I am excited to lead one of the most talented teams in shaping the future of events and media, leveraging technology, data and insights, and creating connected experiences that set new standards in the industry.”
领英推荐
Greg Topalian , CEO Clarion Event North America, said: “I have complete confidence in Liz’s ability to lead Clarion Events North America into this new chapter.
“She has been a critical partner to me in building the North American business, navigating the challenges of the past few years and delivering new revenue streams and strong financial performance.
“Liz has also supported Clarion in creating the unique culture within our team.
“Her passion, ability to learn quickly and adapt will undoubtedly elevate the organization to even greater heights, and further Clarion’s focus in the industry.”
ECA welcomes legislation for visa delay relief
The ECA has applauded new legislation that aims to address visa delay issues faced by the exhibition industry.
The Visa Processing Improvement Act proposes four measures to improve visa processing:
ECA chair Hervé S. said: “We welcome today’s legislation as it brings much-needed solutions to the prolonged visa delays faced by our friends and partners overseas, particularly in Mexico, India, and Brazil.
“Such restrictions inhibited American business event organizers from welcoming buyers back to their events in the United States.
“The legislation opens the doors to welcome back numerous international exhibitors, attendees, and buyers to U.S. events, revitalizing access to essential customer bases and unlocking opportunities.”
He added: “The impact of these delays has been far-reaching, especially on small businesses, representing 80% of the exhibitor base within the events industry.
“With the enactment of this legislation, a promising future awaits as we pave the way for growth and progress, where U.S. businesses can continue to thrive.”
The act was introduced after a series of actions taken by the US Congress to resolve the visa delay issues through a number of committee hearings at different policy levels.
ECA co-president Vinnie Polito said: “From setting clear goals for interview wait times to introducing new modernized processes, the Visa Processing Improvement Act would improve visa operations at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world and help our international stakeholders get back to business in the U.S.”
CPHI returns to Milan in 2024
Global pharmaceutical exhibition CPHI will be held in Milan, Italy on October 8-10 2024.?
This is the second time in three years that the show will be hosted in the city.
Adam Andersen , executive vice president, pharma at Informa, said: “We are delighted to be returning to Fiera Milano, as Italy and the Lombardy region are widely known as one of the key pharma manufacturing centres in Europe. There are very few global locations with such a depth and breadth of local and regional talent.
“We expect a large international attendance and will marry this with local and regional manufacturing insights.”
Italy has a robust pharmaceutical ingredients and manufacturing industry with Milan’s Lombardy region alone having more than 50 pharma facilities.
Roberto Foresti , deputy general manager of Fiera Milano, said: “Fiera Milano is the ideal venue for a global event like CPHI, which is an important tenet of this industry and central to the world economy, with the Lombardy region being a leading producer of pharmaceuticals.”
CPHI will be hosted later this year in Barcelona.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful. At ExpoPlatform, we want to help you build better events and communities. Please get in touch and?ask for a demo?here. Thank you?????