After almost 2 years of events being cancelled, lockdowns, and anxiety throughout the industry, Business Travel returned to GBTA 2021. With COVID protocols in place, one thing was clear, above all else: people were just happy to come together and be with one another. And we at Grasp Technologies were thrilled to be there too.
back to business travel
GBTA 2021 returned on November 17 in Orlando, Florida. This year’s theme was “Ready. Safe. Travel”, with a goal of a “Safe return to business travel through advocacy, education, and awareness.”
While a safe return to travel was foremost, innovation and sustainability were also a large focus this year. This year’s Main Stage presentations covered the current state of the industry, the future of work and corporate culture, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), and how to move forward in the future with Business Travel while focusing on wellness and safety.
Away from the Main Stage, there were over 70 educational sessions including, “Let’s Be Safe, Let’s Be Accepted and Let’s Travel”, moderated by Grasp Technologies’ own Stacey Mack, Senior Sales Director, Virtual Payments. This session was presented by the GBTA Payment Solutions Committee and featured a Buyer Panel that discussed successful payment usage during the last 12 to 18 months for Business-Critical Corporate Travelers. While staying true to the overall theme of GBTA, this session focused on the rise in acceptance of virtual payments and what that means for the future of Business Travel. Watch this session here.
Want to catch up on more of these educational sessions and main stage presentations? You can watch many of these sessions on GBTA Convention 2021 Replay through January 28, 2022. There, you will be able to watch all 5 Main Stage presentation recordings, select from more than 25 educational sessions and connect virtually with exhibitors.
Our takeaways
Our key takeaway may be simple, but it is important: People are ready to get back to business and back to normal - and 2022 is shaping up to be a very promising year.
We are seeing that not only is there a much larger focus now on not only having good, quality, accurate data, and an increased need to bring it all together and to make sure all aspects of a travel program are visible.
Virtual payments are still a hot topic and are even more important in a post-COVID world. Sustainability/ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is another important area that companies are focused on. We were excited to engage with our friends in the industry about how Grasp Technologies can help in these areas.
Topgolf orlando
Grasp hosted an evening event at Topgolf which was very well attended. It was fun to see such a wonderful group of people get together, have a great time, and find opportunities with each other. There were a few tee-rific golf shots as well!
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A big thank you to GBTA for a safe and enjoyable event. We are looking forward to 2022 and everything it has to offer!