President's Report

President's Message
Written by Jan Shoemaker

Welcome to 2020. I am thrilled to be your President and leading our chapter for the next two years along with 11 other outstanding board members. First, I would like to thank to outgoing President, Sarah Hill. Sarah provided the association with good sound leadership. She will continue as Chairman of the Board.
Let me introduce your 2020 Board of Directors, Sarah Hill, Chairman; Heather Marigold, Treasurer; new board member Kathi Hedstrom, Secretary; Bonnie Parlin, Direct Vice President; Mike Kresbach, Direct Representative; Valerie Barnes, Direct Representative; new board member Sandy Swenson, Allied Vice President; Robb Collodora, Allied Representative; and new board member Andy Chaussee, Allied Representative. Please join me in welcoming your 2020 Board of Directors. I would also like to recognize the board members who have served our chapter and whose terms have ended on the board, Ryan Comstock, Brad Jenson, and Nina Steiner.
We have a great lineup to kick-off our 2020 association season. In January, we hosted Mark Williams, Partner and CFO, Dots & Lines LLC who shared Travel Trends and Forecast 2020. February 13^th Marg Penn, PH.D. will share ideas on why it may matter to invest in professional development at the InterContinental St. Paul Riverfront. On March 12^th the Cambria Hotel, Bloomington will host, John Ayo will present Inside Secrets to Staying Energized, Health and Balance when you Travel.
Mark your calendars for the April and May program dates are altered from our traditional 2^nd Thursday. The April meeting will be held at The Double Tree by Hilton Minneapolis-Park Place on Wednesday, April 15^th; this will also be a breakfast meeting starting at 8:00am and the program from 8:30am to 10:00am. Our Education Summit has moved to Thursday May 28^th. With these events in their planning phase, watch your email for the full details.
We have a great year planned and want to thank you for trusting me to lead your organization. If you have questions or want information on how you can become more involved, please reach out to me.

Jan

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Meeting Recap

January Meeting
Written by Jennifer Vogt
Pictured left to right: Mark Willams and Jan Shoemaker

 
With the start of a new decade already behind us, it was great to get some insight from Mark Williams on a handful of the events and trends that will affect world travel in 2020. We're realizing more than ever that the world does not stand still and gone are the days of yore. More than ever, we must evolve in order to keep up with all of these changes. Some of the events that will define the decade include:

• The 2020 US Election

• Brexit

• The Tokyo Olympics (Possibly the last Summer Olympics due to costs and environmental impact.)

• Expo 2020 in Dubai UAE

• NASA Mars Exploration Program

• Libra, Facebook's New Cryptocurrency

• COP26 Glasgow, the UN Climate Change Conference to take place in November 2020

• Orion Span, privatized travel into outer space that goes way beyond Global Travel

• Tesla's dominance of the non-fossil fuel transportation industry

These events are approaching very quickly, some of them this year. Mark's list of Cultural Trends shows us some of the tactics people are using to process these changes as we approach these events. We're seeing more and more people focusing on their mindfulness and retreating within to calm themselves. On the flip side of the coin, we're also seeing some hurdles such as FOBO (Fear of Better Offer) in which our decision making is paralyzed by the amount of options that are available to us. This was just a few of his topics. All of his lists are below. For now, I'm trying to figure out how to save up $8.5M in Libra to afford a weekend trip to the Moon!

Six Cities to Watch in 2020

• Helsinki, Finland

• Tokyo, Japan

• Lausanne, Switzerland

• Budapest, Hungary

• Boulder, Colorado

• Bogota, Colombia

2020 Cultural Trends

• Inner Retreat

• Unicorns Echo Chambers

• FOBO - Fear of Better Offer

• Fatalism

2020 Business Trends

• Access to all areas

• The war on data

• Sustainable economies

• Money for nothing

2020 Data Trends

• New measures - "We need new KPIs"

• Data trading

• Personal assets

• He's left the bottle

2020 Business Travel Trends

• Sustainable business

• Integrated technology

• Ecosystem warriors

• Platforms, not processes

• Open architecture

• Profile management

• Distribution - Intelligent Retail

• Marketing

• Companies

• Property

• Channel

• Payment - Dynamic & Continuous (2 words that will be the biggest in this decade)

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Committee Updates

Marketing & Communications (PR, Social Media & Newsletter) Committee
Written By Valerie Barnes

If you would like to join a committee and enjoy social media, look no further than with our Social Media team.  You will help research content for weekly posts as well as create posts for monthly meetings and chapter special events.  Time commitment is as little or as much as you have to share with us!
The best way to keep in touch with the Chapter is to follow us on social media.  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter@gbtancc and LinkedIn.  Stay connected with our posts on upcoming meeting information and events and reposts of industry trends and member company news.

Technology Commitee

Written By Andy Chaussee

If any committee members have questions about StarChapter we can help – [email protected]

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Membership Information

Chapter Development – Membership

Is it time to renew your GBTA membership? Below is a list of our membership options that can be found on our website at http://gbta-northcentral.org/join.php

Community Direct Membership, $175, this membership requires a $75 fee to attend any meeting.

Community Allied Membership, $175, this membership requires a $75 fee to attend any meeting.

Direct All Inclusive Membership, $395, this membership includes regularly scheduled monthly meetings including the Scholarship Fundraising Event, but excludes Education Summit.

Allied All Inclusive Membership, $395, this membership includes regularly scheduled monthly meetings including the Scholarship Fundraising Event, but excludes Education Summit.

GTBA All Access Membership, $495 Direct and $545 Allied, the All Access membership does not include the meeting package. If you would like to prepay for your meetings you also need to purchase the meeting package for an additional $220.

Purchasing the pre-paid meeting package can save your company up to $415 if you plan on attending every meeting.

*** New 2020 Member Referral Promotion ***   Effective immediately if you refer a Direct Member to our organization and they purchase a membership – you will receive a $50 Target gift card. In order to qualify, you must submit an email to Sandy Swenson ([email protected]) board liaison for the Membership Committee in advance of the purchase of their membership. If you have any questions about membership types or pricing, please contact Sandy or Megan Boosalis ([email protected])

The North Central Chapter of GBTA is excited to welcome two new members in January:

Marlene Novak – Crown Plaza Minneapolis West

Mara Schei – Toppan Merrill

Thank you for joining and we look forward to getting to know both of you at future meetings!

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Member Profile - Allied

Teri Sigurdson

Experience:   I have spent most of my hotel career in sales and revenue management but I worked for a software company, supporting an automated revenue management tool too.
                                                                 
Work history:  My first hotel experience came in a national park and when we moved to Minneapolis, I got a job at the Radisson Plaza Hotel as a concierge.  I was given an opportunity to work in sales at that property, initially managing the Business Travel market and then moving to group sales.  Ultimately, I transitioned to Revenue Management, continuing my career with Radisson and Graves Hospitality.  When Graves 601 changed ownership, I moved to IDeaS – A SAS Company and worked in client services supporting their revenue management tools for 5 years.  In October of last year, I joined Marcus Corporation as Business Travel Sales Manager for the Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel. I am thrilled to be back working in hotels.
                                                                  .
Travel Industry / GBTA North Central Chapter Specific:
What made you decide to work in travel?  I stumbled into a hospitality career.  After graduating from college with a degree in Journalism and Marketing, I went out to Yellowstone National Park on a whim to have some fun before I got a “real” job. I loved working in a hotel environment and, as they say, the rest is history.
                                                                 
Why did you join the GBTA North Central Chapter? I love to learn and meet other people in the industry.
                                                                 
Are you currently on a committee/board within our chapter? No, but I am contemplating a couple of committees and plan to join one in the next coming months.

How long have you been a member of our organization?  Three months.

What are the biggest changes you’ve experienced in regard to working with travel?  Automated booking tools and revenue management technology has changed the hotel industry dramatically. 
 
What is the most rewarding aspect of working with travel? I love customer/client service and I enjoy working with and meeting people of varying backgrounds

Just for fun:
What is currently occupying your personal life?  My husband and I are part-time empty nesters and enjoying it far more than we anticipated.

If you had to live somewhere other than Minnesota, where would you move to?   Somewhere in close proximity of mountains and the ocean, like the Seattle or Vancouver areas.

Most memorable experience in your life: Experiencing mountains for the first time. 

Favorite trip you’ve taken:  Tough question as I have had a lot of wonderful vacations.  One of the most memorable days during a vacation was a bike trip outside of Vienna, visiting wineries.  It was a sunny, bright day and we biked along or near the Danube visiting a couple of little towns and a few wineries.  It was a family trip, the scenery was lovely, our group was in great spirits and the guides were hilarious.

Favorite food:   Soup

Where do you live / marital status:  I live in Burnsville, MN, with my husband, Jeff.  We have two young adult children.

Favorite pastime hobby or leisure activity:  I love to read and participate in two book groups. I also enjoy music, travel, old movies, & jigsaw puzzles.

Favorite sport:  Baseball, specifically, the Minnesota Twins.

Favorite color:   Blue

Favorite drink: Coffee.  I like other drinks equally well, but every morning, I look forward to my first cup of the day.

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Dates to Remember

Dates to Remember

The GBTA North Central Chapter typically meets on the second Thursday of every month. 

Here is the upcoming schedule of events:

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Special Mention

Written by: Kari Bigot

On October 1, 2020 people without a new type of driver’s license or other federal documents will be barred from boarding a commercial airline.  We need YOUR help – GBTA has a call-to-action email ready for you to simply add your name and press send. Please use this link to provide your feedback: https://p2a.co/nUqVn1A

The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005, enacted the 9/11 Commission's recommendation that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses.” The final phases of enforcement take effect on October 1, 2020.

The last phase requires Americans to present a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or another acceptable form of authenticated ID to go through airport security checkpoints. Click here to learn more GBTA Blog:REAL ID

Despite studies that show only 27% of the public has an acceptable form of identification, the overseeing federal agency Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to publicly say there will be no extensions and that people will simply not be allowed to board a commercial airline.

We are seeking Congress to push DHS to develop contingency plans for the deadline. Without contingency plans in place, denied boarding will cause a massive disruption to the air travel system and business travel in general.  

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Advertise with GBTA - North Central Chapter

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Advertise with Us   

Please consider advertising with GBTA North Central Chapter...

GBTA North Central Chapter is among the top business travel associations in the United States and is a chapter of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). GBTA - North Central Chapter members represent corporations that influence in excess of $200 million dollars in annual travel spend.

GBTA North Central Chapter's newsletter, The Travel Times, is published five times per year with distribution to over 200 of the most important contacts in the business travel industry. GBTA North Central Chapter provides the opportunity to reach these influential travel professionals by marketing your products and services through advertising in The Travel Times.

Purchase your advertising online (click here) --- once confirmed, be sure to e-mail your ad and/or logo to Brad Jensen.

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