Austin Business Travel Association

2009 NBTA Legislative Summit

ABTA Members Christi Rein, Kevin Maguire, Irene Rapier and Bill Davidson with DFWBTA and TBTA members at the 2009 Legislative Summit recently held in Washington D.C. In addition to sharing ideas, concerns and possible solutions with fellow travel managers and travel suppliers, Legislative Day attendes were briefed by members of the U.S. Congress and by lobbyists on the status of pending and future travel-related issues. Here, the Texas contingent poses in front of the U.S. Capitol on their way to the U. S. Senate Offices in the Hart Building.

2009 NBTA Scholarship Award Recipients Announced!

ABTA chapter members showed great interest in attending the Annual NBTA Convention in San Diego this year with five applicants vying for one of the two scholarships. Selecting only two scholarship recipients proved to be a very difficult task. The Board determined that as a result of the High School Scholarship Program not receiving the anticipated number of applicants this year that some of the monies earmarked for that program could be redirected to provide additional scholarships for our members.

The ABTA Board of Directors is pleased to announce the recipients of the NBTA Convention 2009 Scholarships!

Allied Member $1000 Scholarship:

AnneRenee Lane

Emily Stewart

Direct Member $1000 Scholarship:

Bill Davidson

Allied Member $500 Scholarship:

Nicole Benson

Marianne Mellado

And of related note, The NBTA Chapter President's Council has awarded ABTA members Emily Stewart and Marianne Mellado an Annual NBTA Membership and a scholarship for NBTA Certification Education Sessions, respectively.

ATBA is proud to support our members and to invest in their growth as business travel professionals.

3rd Annual Toast to Awareness Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Event Raises $50K!

AngelHeart Children's Shelter is one of ABTA's designated charities and our Community Outreach Committee would like to propose a toast to our fellow members for all the generous contributions. Without the volunteers and the donations from our chapter, this event would not have been nearly as successful! Eight of the 10 wine pourers were ABTA members and the largest contributors for the silent auction were Continental Airlines, SEMATECH, and NH hotels. In fact, the largest auction bidder paid $1,400 for the CO and NH Hotels package! Also noteworthy were the fabulous car and hotel packages contributed by Avis, Hyatt Regency Austin, Omni Southpark, Embassy Suites Townlake and Central, as well as others.

All proceeds will benefit AngelHeart Children's Shelter. The event also promoted awareness of Child Abuse Prevention Month in order to help the community understand how they can help to "Break the Cycle" of child abuse.

link to more pictures

Texas Education Day 2009

Several members of ABTA attended Texas Education Day in Dallas at the Westin Galleria April 2-3. The theme of the meeting was “Mission Possible”. The day included training from Leadership Outfitters, as well as several excellent speakers including Kevin Coffey from Corporate Travel Safety and Garrett Boone from The Container Store. The Austin BTA chapter is looking forward to hosting Texas Education Day in 2010. We will be reaching out for volunteers for this committee in the not so distant future, so be ready!

Charity Recognizes ABTA

The First Tee Austin, one of two adopted charities of ABTA, recently dedicated their new driving range, and recognized ABTA for a contribution that provided them with yardage markers for the range. To reflect their appreciation, First Tee erected a "Welcome" sign that acknowledges ABTA for our part in the project.

Photo: members of the ABTA board of directors pose with the ABTA sign erected in our honor. From left to right (back row): Dianne Bradley, Alan Wooley - Executive Director of First Tee Austin, Emily Stewart, Irene Rapier, Christi Rein and Jennifer MacCurrach - past Executive Director of First Tee. Kneeling are Bill Davidson and Dianne Ciehoski.

Members Making News

The Austin Business Travel Association, founded in 1990, is the premier professional trade organization providing a forum for the exchange of ideas between managers of corporate travel, travel industry suppliers, and regulatory agencies. ABTA is committed to enhancing the travel profession by sponsoring educational and informational programs for its members, and by providing top-rated speakers to address travel-related issues, concerns and current "hot topic" items.

ABTA is an excellent venue for the sharing of travel-related information and professional expertise, and is an organization focused on perfecting the science of business travel management. We bring travel industry suppliers and buyers together for professional development and successful networking opportunities that produce results.

ABTA is an affiliation of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), whose members represent major corporations and travel suppliers throughout the United States. Along with ABTA, the national organization provides members with information on the latest technical and service advantages within the industry, as well as current legislative issues involving travel costs and safety matters affecting business travel.