Text by Kimberly Huth, Director of Public Relations, NDTA

Photo by Cherie Cullen

More than 500 professionals and 150 organizations representing the federal and state government travel sector gathered at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia, March 5-7, 2018, for the third annual GovTravels symposium.

GovTravels provides a unique opportunity for stakeholders in both government and the private sector to meet and collaborate on regulations, technology, challenges and best practices in government travel. For the second year in a row, NDTA’s GovTravels Symposium was co-sponsored by the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO), which oversees commercial travel for the Department of Defense.

“We look forward to continuing our co-sponsorship of this important symposium and further expanding our presence in the years to come,” said William Mansell, Director of DTMO. “At $9 billion, we are responsible for about 60 percent of the federal government’s travel spend. With an enterprise that large, it is easy to appreciate the value in a forum where government and the travel industry are actively engaged and able to exchange ideas, explore new technology solutions, learn about the latest trends, and study best practices.”

The 2018 symposium incorporated contributions and feedback from NDTA members, DTMO, the General Services Administration (GSA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and private industry. Additionally, GovTravels offered access to presentations by prominent speakers, discussions with travel decision makers, educational breakouts, and a full-fledged expo space with 54 exhibitors.

Mansell provided his expertise onstage during GovTravels. Other distinguished government speakers and panelists included John Bergin, Business Technology Officer for the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer; Tony D’Astolfo, Travel Technology Expert; LTG Russel L. Honoré, USA (Ret.), former Commander Joint Task Force Katrina; Mike Premo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC); and Sean Schwinn, Vice President of International Strategy and Market Development, Boeing.

“This year’s GovTravels Symposium, co-sponsored with the Defense Travel Management Office, turned out to be an outstanding event—with a 25 percent increase in attendance. The speakers and educational sessions received many accolades for content and applicability to both government and industry,” said VADM Andy Brown USN (Ret.), NDTA’s President and CEO. “Mr. Bill Mansell and the DTMO team were instrumental in building bridges with industry as DTMO looks to the future of travel services in DOD and the government. Planning for next year will start immediately. We are reinvigorating the Passenger Travel Services Committee of NDTA under the leadership of Ms. Tina Grace of SAP Concur as the Committee Chair. The committee, working with DTMO, will focus on bringing forward the relevant issues facing DOD (and government writ large) and industry partners. We look forward to building on our current positive trajectory!”