Atlas Advisory Board Met in September to Help Steer the Ship,
Great Insights Emerge

Each quarter, the Atlas Advisory Board meets to dialogue on industry issues, opportunities and operations at Atlas Travel International. Currently comprised of 18 members including six clients, five members of the Atlas Travel team and seven industry advisors, the group works with Atlas Travel CEO Elaine Osgood to give honest feedback on Atlas products, services and activities.

During the September 11th meeting at the Residence Inn in Framingham, there was lively discussion about the recent NBTA national conference, Atlas' plans to launch an industry education series, new technology developments and areas needing greater focus at Atlas and in the travel industry as a whole.

Jan Behrer of Avid Technology shared that ground transportation is about to become the focus of many travel managers who are continuing to get pressure to bring costs under greater control. Madia Sergent of US Food Service said she has seen a greater emphasis not only on ground transportation cost containment, but also expense systems and meeting management. She shared that meeting management costs in her company (and many others) are going to be a focus in the next few years, as companies are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on meeting spend.

According to Sergent, who flew in from Chicago to attend the Atlas Advisory Board Meeting, "This was a great meeting. It's a great forum to learn from your peers in the industry. I'm going back with several important pieces of information from Atlas clients here that you can't possibly learn inside your own company."

If you are interested in becoming part of the Atlas Travel International Advisory Board, please contact Elaine Osgood at elaine.osgood@atlastravel.com.