Greetings Fellow LABTAers...
 
What a great meeting last week!  Our organization continues to grow and evolve, offering educational and informative programs.  We've got our Casino Night coming up, and I know many people are volunteering an enormous amount of time to make it a really special event - so mark your calendars!  

Our CSR committee continues to amaze, with volunteerism in the community at the forefront!  Thanks Kjarsten and team for all your efforts!  As Charles Franklin pointed out last week, we can all participate in making the world a better place.  If you have a special story please let us know, as we'd love to share your experiences and learnings!  Our TMEF was a great success, with loads of interaction between the direct members in attendance.  Given the numerous challenges we're all facing this year, some camaraderie and dialogue was extremely valuable! 

Thanks to all the committees for their activities and participation.  If you're not part of a committee......please join!  We're all in this together!
 
Thanks for being part of LABTA - the greatest NBTA Chapter in the country!   
 
Warm Regards,
Craig Banikowski

News from LAWA

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners recently awarded contracts for major infrastructure upgrades at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

KONE Inc., of Lisle, Illinois, was awarded a $23,749,000 contract for elevator, escalator and moving walkway upgrades at all LAX terminals.  Los Angeles-based HNTB was awarded a $9,150,531 contract for airport pavement design and management at all three LAWA operated airports - LAX, LA/Ontario and Van Nuys.  Corradini Corporation of Fountain Valley, California, was awarded a $1,547,586 contract for the installation of terrazzo flooring in the baggage claim area at Terminal One.  Read more...

NextGen - FAA's Air Traffic Control Moderniziation Project

NextGen, FAA's Air Traffic Control modernization project, incorporates satellite technology providing efficiencies that ease economic burdens that chronic flight delays cause and more responsibly manages the impact on our environment by greatly reducing unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions and wasteful fuel consumption.

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has an important initiative that seeks a long-term, multi-year commitment from Congress and the Administration to fully fund NextGen. We request you join the more than 200 organizations, including many BTAs, to advance NextGen. NBTA is a cosignatory of this effort, but for this initiative, we are not using the NBTA legislative call to action web site. Please log onto www.panynj.gov/NextGenNow to register your organization's support for the National Alliance to Advance NextGen.

July 16: Save the Date for

"Casino Royale"

Date:  Thursday,  July 16, 2009

Location:  The Lot
                 1041 Formosa Ave.
                 West Hollywood, CA 90045

Tradeshow/Casino Hours:  5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
  
LABTA has traded in its trade show for "Casino Royale."   This is a new take on our annual tradeshow.  We are combining it with a casino night to give attendees a chance to mingle and get to know one another on a more personal level.  Mark your calendar, Thursday, July 16 at The Lot in West Hollywood.   There will be Gaming, Cocktails, Hors d'oeuvres and FUN.
 
Attention Exhibitors: Register for your space today and put your company's best foot forward this July!  There are different participation levels to allow allied members to participate within their budget.  There is a limit on the various levels, so make sure you complete the application and fax it to the LABTA office as soon as possible.

Click here to download Exhibitor Application.

May Program Features Exchange and "Ask a Travel Manager" Segment

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., hosted the May 13 meeting of the LABTA - at its U.S. headquarters in Torrance. In this unique and fascinating venue, we began our day with the travel manager exchange forum. Facilitated by Will Tate of Management Alternatives, 18 travel managers attended a spirited and informative exchange of ideas and opinions. I'm sure our allied members would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for the afternoon! Rest assured my allied colleagues that the directs were very appreciative, supportive and understanding of the challenges we all face in this unique time in our history. Topics included vendor negotiations, TSA Secure Flight, online booking tools, travel policies, and a panoply of travel arcana that would have made the NBTA Foundation proud. Our travel manager base in the LABTA is very knowledgeable and professional and our organization is truly fortunate to have such a distinguished base of travel managers as a resource to help us in our business.
 
The evening event, held in Studio 540, featured a fine dinner with excellent complimentary wine and tasty hand passed hors d'oeuvres. Studio 540 is a working studio where Honda produces and edits many of its advertisements seen on TV screens across the land. Chaired by President elect Therese Jacobsen of The Parking Spot, the meeting got underway and after a CSR report on the Revlon Walk by Kjarsten Philipsen of Egencia, a Legislative Affairs update by Frank Dolce of OSI Systems and dinner; the "Ask a Travel Manager" segment of the evening began. Again facilitated by Will Tate, the segment, in a TV talk show format, featured questions sent in prior to the evening's event and included many timely topics relevant to these challenging times.
 
One question posed to the panel was "What can suppliers do better?" Craig Banikowski of Hilton and LABTA president answered, "Contact and strategic thinking....I want to be able to connect with my suppliers, much the way that my management expects me to be available to answer urgent questions, address situations and generally be available when critically needed - especially given my global responsibilities.  For a supplier not to have a Blackberry/iPhone in today's world is, in my opinion, a real negative to doing business with them and their company!  Additionally, being a strategic thinker helps me provide greater value through our relationship!"
 
LABTA wishes to express its gratitude to Charles Franklin and Barbara Ford for going the extra mile to host and produce such a successful event and of course to Will Tate for his time, expertise and skill at facilitating our forums.
 
- Submitted by Frank Dolce

Spotlight on Board Committees 

Programs and Venues Committee

Sarah Best is LABTA's 2008-2009 Director of Programs and Venues.  This committee works to find the venue for our monthly meeting as well as the topic and speaker.  With a city as large as Los Angeles, this committee works hard to find locations in different areas of the city to showcase all the great venues that LA has to offer.  When choosing the topic and speaker, they work to touch on the hot topics that are current and on everyone's mind.  The Programs and Venues Committee is dedicated to the education of our members and making sure we are the organization that people turn to for the latest information about business travel.
 
Sarah has been in the hotel industry for eight years and knows that hospitality is where she wants to stay.   She is currently the director of corporate and leisure travel sales at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.  Sarah has been with Loews for 5 1/2 years and loves being a part of the Loews family.  She is married to her best friend and has one furry child, her dog Preston.  She was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky and graduated from the University of Kentucky.  One of her passions is raising money to fight breast cancer.  This year will be the fourth consecutive year that Sarah will participate in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, 60-Mile, Breast Cancer Walk.  Sarah enjoys traveling, working out, kayaking in the marina, and spending time with her family.

Attention LABTA Members:

San Diego BTA has just opened volunteer registration to everyone.  Use the following steps to register for a NBTA volunteer position:

1.      Go to the web site www.sdbta.org  
2.      Click on the Events tab
3.      Click on Upcoming Events
4.      Change the 'Select a Month' to Aug 2009
5.      Choose which day and which duty you would like 

         to sign up for and register
6.      Be sure to include your cell phone number when you

         register

If there are positions open it will show 'Seats Available.'  If there is no availability on the day you would like to volunteer, you may sign up for the wait list and you will be contacted if a spot should open up.  Volunteer benefits and Job descriptions are available on the NBTA Volunteer Info http://www.sdbta.org/index.cfm?scid=1880  tab on the web site.

Congratulations LABTA and

Team Belinda

Corporate Social Responsibilities' (CSR) first charity event for LABTA benefited EIF Revlon/Run Walk for Women in the fight against women's cancer.  Our team of 42 LABTA members, friends and family participated in the 5K event on Saturday, May 9, and it was a huge success!  

We set a goal of $2,500 and to date have raised $3,330 with money still coming in.  LABTA is donating $25 for each LABTA member who participated.  

Stay tuned for more information regarding future charity events -- September at the LA Food Bank in support of Hunger Awareness Month.  If anyone is interested in future CSR activities, please contact Kathy Pratt (949)798-7955 or kpratt@edisonmission.com.