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Erik Dahlerbruch, LABTA's Director of Outreach Programs, was recently named
General Manager for Pacific Edge Hotel on Laguna Beach.
Do you have news you'd like to share with your fellow LABTA members? A
new job? A promotion? An award or recognition? Please send your news and photo
to
Frank Dolce at
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|
 Welcome to LABTA's first
newsletter in our new format. Our goal is to bring you LABTA and industry news
in a quick, easy-to-browse format. We invite you to contact us with your ideas,
news and suggestions.
My goal this year for LABTA and its members is adaptation. Learning how to
do more with less, ensuring that your membership and participation in the
association is rewarded with timely information, training and leadership as
issues continue to "rock our boat," so to speak.
The association is in a good place, from both a financial perspective,
as well as from a resource perspective. We have in place a dynamic board ready
and willing to provide their leadership to their respective positions, as well
as share in the overall guidance an organization as varied as ours requires.
I'm looking forward to a great 2009.
Sincerely,
Craig Banikowski
LABTA President
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March 18:
2009 Education Day
Don't miss this year's annual Education Day at the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on March 18 from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Dr.
Christopher Thornberg, founding partner of Beacon Economics, will give his
annual economic outlook. As one of the economists who predicted the current
recession, everyone is anxious to here what he has to say about the next 12
months.
This program has been approved by the National Business Travel
Association (NBTA) for Certified Corporate Travel Executive (CCTE)
credit.
Click here to learn more about the event
and to register. | |
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Call To
Action!
By Frank Dolce
LABTA Director of Legislative Affairs As you may know, recent
negative media reports about a few over-the-top incentive trips and other
corporate events have resulted in legislative efforts to ban TARP companies from
holding meetings unless they have been granted a waiver by the Treasury
Department. These efforts have had an unintended spillover effect and are viewed
by many in the industry as excessive as the incidents that inspired them. Many
hotels and resorts are seeing mass cancellations by companies and associations
with no connection to the affected industries. In fact
(and I have personally verified this), one Southern California resort has seen
the cancellation of over 16,000 room nights representing nearly $6
million by clients wishing to avoid negative perceptions with their
shareholders and the public. We all know meetings are crucial to a company's
success and that the industry generates hundreds of thousands of jobs and
billions in revenue... we need to let Congress know. If you believe legislative
efforts are a blunt instrument and could actually increase
unemployment, especially in the ranks of hourly workers and mid level
employees (such as us) please take action by clicking this link. It will take you to the
relevant NBTA page so you may add your voice to the growing chorus asking
Congress to reconsider and/or refine its actions. We are the
middle class our new administration wishes to help and yet we would
disproportionately bear the brunt of these misguided efforts. Take
action today! Please join me in petitioning our government for redress of
grievances by clicking this link - it only takes a
minute. For a recent article on the issue, please click here. |
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Spotlight
on
Board Committees
Communications and Legislative Affairs & Government Affairs
Liaison
Your Communications Committee is designed to facilitate
communications between the board of the LABTA and its membership as well as
enhancing our role as the voice of business travel in Los Angeles County and
Southern California. The new LABTA News Bytes e-mail newsletter is its first
initiative. Your Legislative Affairs Committee exists as a fulcrum
amplifying the legislative efforts of NBTA while keeping an eye on local and
state issues affecting our membership. The Government Affairs Liaison position
dovetails with the Legislative Affairs Committee and serves as the liaison
between NBTA and the board for governmental affairs. If any member would like to
raise industry political issues for research and consideration by the board
please contact Frank Dolce at fdolce@osi-systems.com. Frank Dolce is your 2009
Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs and is proud to have accepted
the position as LABTA's first Government Relations Liaison. Frank's
twenty plus years of travel experience encompass agency operations, sales and
marketing, corporate, leisure, entertainment and student travel,  airline sales and venue
marketing and he is now Global Corporate Travel Manager for OSI Systems, a
multinational technology firm with operations in 19 countries. Prior to joining
OSI Systems Frank enjoyed five fruitful and educational years as VP Business
Development and Venue Marketing with his good friends at Corniche Travel.
Starting his travel career with Cardillo Travel he is proud to have worked for
such companies as Gulf Air, Ask Mr. Foster, American Express, Sundance Travel,
The Travel Store and ASUCLA Travel on campus at UCLA.... even though he went to
USC! |
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Name Our
eNewsletter and Win a Prize
We could live with calling this publication LABTA News Bytes, but we
thought it would be more fun to ask our members for their ideas. So, if you
have an idea for a catchy name for our new eNewsletter, send it our way. The
creative mind that wins will receive a special prize.
Send submissions to Frank Dolce at
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March
23-24:
CCTE Accredited Green Travel Summit
The first annual Green Travel Summit will focus on exploring green travel
strategies and their impact on business travel and corporate meetings. Join
thought leaders, industry peers and progressive travel service providers who
will converge under one roof to share information on the risks and rewards of
building a sustainable travel and meetings strategy.
This conference is two full days, and CCTE candidates and graduates can get
a special discount - $349 conference registration for attending one day plus
$125 for one elective credit, or $499 conference registration for both days plus
$250 for two elective credits. Please send an e-mail to education@nbta.org for the
discount code.SPECIAL
NOTE: If you would like to register without CCTE credits, you can
still save 10% off the prevailing regular rate with Promo code: NBTALA
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