Austin Business Travel Association

2010 Golf Tournament Sponsors!

Platinum Premier

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Beverage Cart

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"At the Turn Margaritas"

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ABTA Awards CTE Scholarships to Two Members

The results of the drawing for two scholarships for the CTE program are in…and the winners are: Erica Knapp & Stephen Nelson.

Congratulations to our winners!

The CTE Program will be held Tuesday, September 28th

Start time: 8am
End time: 630pm

We are still working out a few of the details on the location and registration process and will send those out soon!!

ABTA Member Blake Miller Blogs On Washington DC Trip

The purpose of the Annual Legislative Summit is to lobby Congress on matters affecting the travel and hospitality industry including any bills that might currently be under consideration. This year, our task was to lobby for the passage of the Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act and the FAA Reauthorization Bill (which will fund NextGen - Next Generation Air Transportation System and reduce delays caused by antiquated systems). We were also tasked with educating the members of Congress about the importance of managed travel programs while explaining the benefits (cost savings, budgeting, tracking, etc) and offering ourselves as professional resources to assist in getting all government agencies on board to create a travel program which would save millions of tax payer dollars annually! (read more here)

ABTA Donates $6,000 More in Higher Education Scholarships

Each year, ABTA donates a portion of their proceeds to various charitable causes, including the Educational and Professional Achievement Scholarship program, AngelHeart Children's Shelter, and member educational scholarships. Since the inception of the high school scholarship program, ABTA has contributed more than $50,000 in educational scholarships to graduating seniors.

This year, during the June monthly meeting, four distinguished Austin-area high school seniors were recognized as recipients for the Austin Business Travel Association's 2010 Educational and Professional Achievement Scholarship. Representing several local campuses, these seniors were chosen from nearly two dozen applicants for the $1,500 scholarships. In additional to scholastic achievement, factors such as athletics, leadership, volunteerism, community service, work ethic, involvement in other extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation were considered. In photo order (left to right) the four recipients were:

Madison McDaniel
Leander High School
Britt Brandon
Hyde Park Baptist High School
Brandon Moore
Crockett High School
Hailey Forde
Cedar Park High School

Read Note from one of our scholarship recipients

ABTA Awards Convention Scholarships

Each summer, ABTA awards two $1000 scholarships to a Direct and an Allied Member to attend the annual NBTA National Convention. This year, the convention will be held in Houston, 8 - 11 August. We are pleased to annonce the recipients of our annual awards:

The Direct member scholarship is awarded to Mike Odom, and the Allied to Christi Rein. Their commitment to ABTA and their active participation in our chapter has contributed to our growth and our success. ABTA is thrilled to provide these scholarship awards to two very deserving members and to invest in their professional development in the business travel industry.

Congratulations Mike and Christi!

ABTA Member Recognized By Charity

Irene Rapier, past ABTA board member, officer, and current Chairperson of the ABTA Annual Charity Golf Tournament, was recently recognized by AngelHeart Children's Shelter as their Volunteer of the Month.

The AngelHeart website states...

Irene joined Angelheart's Guardian Angels club in 2005 after reading about the shelter in Community Impact. Over the years she has become an integral part of the club and has done many things to better the lives of our kids. She is on the committee for our annual "A Toast to Awareness" wine tasting event which raised $35,000 for the shelter this year. She is also dedicated to making the community aware of Angelheart and, most notably, has involved Austin Business Travel Association in our cause. Irene acts as Community Outreach Chairperson for ABTA and over the past 3 years their annual charity golf tournament has raised money for our shelter.

Congratulations to Irene for her dedication, contributions, and representing ABTA in the community.

Austin Business Travel Association

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 affiliate 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.