ARC staff participated in the 55^th annual Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.

The event brought together 5,400 attendees from across the world and industry to discuss the trends shaping the future of corporate travel where the importance of actionable, high-quality data is paramount.

From corporate travel growth to NDC and sustainability, the ARC team in attendance had plenty to share from its time onsite.

Moving beyond 2019…Finally

The conference kicked off with the release of the latest GBTA Business Travel Index Report. GBTA projects corporate travel spending to top $1.48 trillion in 2024. This would be the highest total ever recorded, surpassing $1.40 trillion in 2019, and representing a full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This full recovery was further emphasized in the main stage session with Delta’s Glen Hauenstein. Glen joked with GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang that by the time of the next GBTA Convention, they won’t be looking at comparisons with 2019 anymore.

Keeping Pace with NDC Adoption

A GBTA Convention agenda wouldn’t be complete without a session track dedicated to New Distribution Capability (NDC). Given its accelerated adoption from a year ago—NDC transactions made up 21.5% of ARC-settled transactions in June 2024, up from 11% in June 2023—there was plenty to discuss around the modern distribution schema.

A common theme from each session was that no stakeholder should approach NDC in a silo. Travel buyers have their wish list regarding NDC, which includes TMC servicing, more data in an omnichannel travel program, and an emphasis on payments, but it’s their responsibility to let their suppliers and technology providers know about their challenges to ensure their needs are addressed.

NDC has demonstrated its value in providing richer content to travel agencies and travel buyers, which is why ARC is helping organizations unlock its true potential by bringing together stakeholders to create the ideal modern distribution ecosystem.

ARC at GBTA

ARC President and CEO Lauri Reishus sat down with industry veteran Monisa Kline in the GBTA Broadcast Studio to share the latest ARC data on channel shift and the growth of corporate travel. ARC is paying close attention to these shifts and will continue to monitor for the rest of the year and beyond.

When ARC attendees weren’t attendees panel sessions covering pressing industry topics, our team was meeting with customers and stakeholders in the exhibit hall to discuss the latest news and data from ARC.

Greener Skies Ahead

One of the popular topics in the education sessions was sustainability. These sessions focused on answering the question of how travel managers track sustainability efforts, as well as practical guidance related to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and creating sustainable travel policies.

ARC Chief Commercial Officer Steve Solomon gave an overview of regulations across the globe and moderated a panel discussion with IGT’s Maryellen Yeager, NetApp’s Mark Ziegler, and Vanderbilt University’s Sabrina Kronk. The panelists were all travel managers who provided insight on their corporate travel policies, what data they use and what they would like to see from the industry when it comes to best practices.

The group discussed the need to simplify how sustainability information is shared with travelers and why travel managers need to be aware of generational and regional differences that impact their work.

ARC recognizes the growing importance of sustainability among travelers and is working with its partners to increase the visibility of sustainability-driven data.

#GBTA2025

Once again, GBTA Convention proved its value in bringing together corporate travel’s brightest minds for in-depth discussions and valuable connections.

As the industry continues to grow and change, ARC will ensure the needs of its customers and partners are met by engaging them where they do business.

See you in Denver, Colorado, for GBTA Convention 2025!