ALEXANDRIA — The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has announced its annual convention, originally scheduled to take place in July, has been rescheduled for Nov. 7-11, 2020.

“This is the first time in GBTA’s 52-year history of Convention that we have had to reschedule our signature event,” says GBTA Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director Scott Solombrino. “This unprecedented move comes in unprecedented times. We are all working to ensure the safety of business travelers and their

families. We are hopeful that the pandemic will subside on a global level and that we will be able to help travel managers and sponsors determine how best to revive the industry when we meet in November.”

The November event, which will be held in Denver, will bring together over 7,000 business travel professionals from more than 50 countries across the globe.

“We rescheduled the event after several weeks discussing options with officials at the Denver Convention Center, “ Solombrino adds. “We all agreed that there was no way to hold a safe, healthy, and successful conference in July, so we agreed to push the dates out as far as possible in 2020. We will continue to work with the State of Colorado, City of Denver, the Convention Center and health officials to ensure we

can have our Convention in November. Our hope is that the pandemic will pass within the next few months and we will be able to resume our normal activities. But if that is not the case, we may need to push Convention back further. I will continue to keep you informed on the status of Convention.”

The GBTA’s latest research shows that, not surprisingly given the all but complete halt to travel just about around the world, current and forward business travel has plummeted in just a few short weeks.

The latest survey polling GBTA members was conducted April 1 – 4 and garnered responses from close to 1,000 member companies worldwide.

GBTA members vary in terms of when they expect business travel to resume. Slightly more than half expect travel to resume within the next two (32%) or three (19%) months, while 16% are unsure.

The poll results can be seen here.