01 April 2009

ITM members approve name change

Members of the Institute of Travel Management UK & Ireland have voted in favour to change the association’s name to the Institute of Travel and Meetings.

The association said the change, approved by over 85% of members, will allow the association to retain its "ITM" moniker to take advantage of the brand investment over the last few years, but demonstrates a new direction for the association.

The name change was proposed by the ITM board to recognise the convergence of the business travel and meetings sectors across both purchasing and supply.

It is also designed to illustrate the intention of the association to take a broader look at all things travel and meetings related across educational content and services.

The new name has been coupled with a new looking ITM brand and a new tag line "Thinking Differently. Acting Positively".

By Bev Fearis

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Your Comments (1)

ITM name change important move for the sector

As Group Managing Director for BSI, this is a really important move for the sector, as we see changing trends in the way businesses are structuring their decisions and spend when it comes to meetings and events. Historically, training and meeting budgets were fragmented, being allocated to each department separately. We have seen a move away from this over the last two years and I believe this is a very positive step forward for the institute to recognise this new trend by changing its name. Around two thirds of UK travel managers also have responsibility for their organisation's meetings and events spend. On average, that spend equates to between 12% and 35% of an organisation's total T&E costs depending upon industry sector. With 60% of all meetings held in hotels, consolidating transient accommodation and meetings expenditure, or '˜convergence', is an increasingly compelling proposition for the corporate buyer. I am pleased that this has been reflected in this name change.

By Trevor Elswood, Friday, April 3, 2009