IT&CMA and CTW 2011 kicks off today with pre-business education and networking activities as event organisers prepare to welcome a record high number of attending delegates this year. Over today and tomorrow, the registration desk expects to see some 2,457 delegates, comprising of exhibitors, buyers, corporate travel managers, conference delegates and media, hailing from 60 countries across the globe. 

Today’s highlights include:

• The Corporate Travel Expert (CTE^SM) Course: Designed for corporate travel managers and executives, the CTE course is being held at IT&CMA and CTW for the last time in its current form. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has conducted this course at IT&CMA and CTW every year since 2008. Going forward in 2012, GBTA will introduce a new course on Global Travel Procurement (GTP) under the umbrella of their GBTA Academy. While the GTP course has already been launched earlier this year outside Asia, the version that will be introduced at IT&CMA and CTW 2012 is being developed to specially suit the Asian market. 

This year’s CTE course covers the Fundamentals of Business Travel and culminates in the CTE Certification for participants. Course facilitator, Mr. Dean Fowles, Principal, Global Sourcing – Services, T&E Management at Rio Tinto is enthusiastic about the course, commenting, “While the core material is retained, the course this year is far more comprehensive and touches on global trends. Earlier, the course was largely tweaked from the American course material, but it is now tailor made for the Asian market. We have developed reference materials that will be invaluable for participants. This has grown into a really great forum to network and share global best practices.” 

Participant Mr. Niranjan S. Pathak, Manager – Travel and Immigration Service at HSBC Software Development India shared his objectives of attending the course, “I am interested in understanding the key consideration factors to improve business, with special focus on minimizing hotel and airline cost while growing the travel business. I want to achieve this without compromising on quality.” 

• Association Professionals Competencies PAE 103 and 104 Course: This certification course returns for the third consecutive year to IT&CMA and CTW. Open to association professionals, it is conducted by Mr. Michael Anderson, CAE, President and CEO of CSAE - Canada and Mr. Simon Pryor, FSAE, President of AuSAE Australia.  

Explaining the course structure this year, Simon Pryor remarked, “Based on feedback and evaluation, we have tweaked the course to help Asia-based associations focus on growing their membership and also attracting and retaining staff and volunteers.” 

Supporting this assessment, Michal Anderson said, “We want to equip participants with critical tools with high utility value, which will help them focus on membership, human resources and marketing. A challenge for associations is to strike a balance between the role of staff and that of volunteers, and we hope to share practices that will help participants achieve this balance.” 

Participant, Ms. Joyce Kwok of SACEOS Singapore feels the takeaways from this one and a half-day course is immediately beneficial to her job, “I am supporting the membership drive SACEOS is currently undertaking and we believe this course is the best platform to learn about retention and attraction of members.” Commenting on the course speakers Joyce said, “I am very keen to learn from these experts.” 

The course is held as a day-long intensive workshop with an assessment and examination on 4^th October 2011. It is available in Asia only through the IT&CMA and CTW platform. 

• Friendly Golf Game: Jointly sponsored by Rose Garden Riverside Golf Course and Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), the Friendly Golf Game continues to be a popular networking event. Open only to invited guests, this game sees some 25 delegate players this year.

 Pre-Show City Tours: IT&CMA and CTW 2011 buyers and media get a chance to experience Bangkok with four pre-show city tours. All tours have been sold out through pre-registration over the months leading up to the event. The tours extend from the afternoon to late evening today and are a popular event amongst delegates to get acquainted with destination Bangkok.  

Tomorrow marks the start of the Business days of IT&CMA and CTW 2011. Highlights include:

• ICCA Association Database Workshop (only for ICCA members)
• AACVB Meeting (only for Invited Guests)
• IMEX- MPI- IT&CMA Future Leaders Forum 2011
• Keynote Address and Panel Discussion
• Sellers-Meet-Buyers Appointment Scheduling Session
• Buyers-Meet-Sellers Appointment Scheduling Session
• Opening Ceremony and Welcome Cocktail

 About IT&CMA and CTW 2011 

Asia’s Only Doublebill Event in MICE and Corporate will be held from 4 to 6 October 2011 at Bangkok Convention Center, CentralWorld, Bangkok. Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) will bring together MICE suppliers and buyers in a 3-day exhibition showcase coupled with intensive business appointments. Exhibition features include products, services and solutions relating to meetings, incentives, conventions and events. The Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia Pacific is a conference driven by Corporate Travel & Entertainment (T&E) content. Influencers, planners and decision-makers of Corporate Travel functions in their organisation attend the annual conference to keep themselves abreast of the latest trends and knowledge that can enable them to get the most out of their (T&E) decisions. Sessions are led by prolific industry veterans. This 2011 will see the 19^th and 14^th instalment of IT&CMA and CTW respectively.