The Association of Corporate Travel Executives and the Pittsburgh Business Travel Association will convene their first joint meeting on September 16, 2015, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh Downtown. The day-long event will combine the expertise of one of the most respected regional travel management groups in the country (PBTA), coupled with the findings of the most prominent travel management authority in the world. (ACTE will convene 75 travel forums in 24 countries this year.)

The event comes at a time when regional business travel groups are being recognized for their contributions to national and global business travel development. “PBTA has a reputation for innovation and a commitment to the travel management professional,” said Mary Taylor, C.P.M., the group’s president. “Our goal as travel management professionals is to support the traveler and boost corporate revenue. ACTE has a parallel philosophy.”

“ACTE represents the individual to the global business travel industry. Working jointly with groups like PBTA, we’re exploring concepts like traveler centricity as a means to making conditions easier on the business traveler, while increasing corporate revenue,” said Greeley Koch, ACTE’s executive director. “At the same time, we’re promoting the efforts of regional groups, and individuals, in a world-wide arena.”

ACTE is a strong advocate of traveler centricity, a philosophy that places greater decision-making and responsibility on the business traveler. Based on a concept that recognizes the business traveler as the primary source of corporate revenue, it opens up new avenues of opportunity and performance. Traveler centricity will be a primary item on the September 16 agenda for PBTA.