NBTA Launches Europe Branch

The National Business Travel Association has expanded operations into Europe with the kickoff of NBTA Europe.

The new organization launched with the cooperation of several partner associations, including the Institute of Travel & Meetings (ITM) of the U.K. and Ireland, a group that will manage NBTA Europe on behalf of NBTA.

Caroline Strachan, chair of NBTA Europe and former chair of ITM, said that putting a European organization in charge of the new group will “ensure that this is a truly European effort.” Paul Tilstone, CEO of ITM, was appointed NBTA Europe’s managing director.

Other participating groups in the launch of NBTA Europe are the Danish Business Travel Association, Iberian Business Travel Association of Spain, Netherlands Association for Travel Management, Norwegian Business Travel Association and Swedish Business Travel Association.

Members of these partner associations will automatically be members of NBTA Europe for the network’s first year, NBTA said. The new group already has 2,000 members, 55 percent of whom are corporate travel managers, NBTA Europe said.

The formation of NBTA Europe comes after last year’s on-again, off-again merger talks between NBTA and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, an organization whose strength lies in its international membership.

ACTE’s board voted against an NBTA merger last June. Talks heated up again in August but fizzled shortly thereafter. There are no current discussions with ACTE, Tilstone said.

NBTA Europe replaces the Paragon Partnership, a collaboration of European business travel associations that was formed in 2002.

Most of the Paragon members have committed to NBTA Europe, but business travel groups in Germany and Austria have not. NBTA Europe said talks continue with associations that have not joined the new organization.

In the area of services, NBTA Europe said it is investing in a benchmarking tool that will enable buyers to measure the success of their travel programs. The group also said an online directory is in the works and an annual conference is planned.

The first conference will be held in the fall, but no other details have been released. The expansion into Europe means that NBTA’s professional designations (Corporate Travel Expert, Certified Corporate Travel Executive and Global Leadership Professional) will be available and recognized in Europe, said NBTA.