NBTA Signs Int'l Assn. Pact

Salt Lake City - At the National Business Travel Association's 34th annual convention and trade show here yesterday, the association announced the formation of a new international alliance, consisting of NBTA, the Institute of Travel Management, the Business Travel Association of the United Kingdom and Ireland, the Canadian BTA, VDR, the German BTA, and the Australasian BTA.

The Paragon Agreement will serve to broaden the associations' educational resources, promote cross-attendance at association events and provide a central voice to represent corporate travel buyers to government organizations and suppliers. Kevin Iwamoto, NBTA president, said, "Our goal with the Paragon Agreement is to enhance collaboration between business travel associations based around the world."

Iwamoto said the Paragon Agreement's member organizations would finalize the structure of the alliance over the next several months. The formation of the group formalizes relationships that already had been developing between NBTA and CBTA, ABTA and ITM and creates a new bond with the German VDR, which dissolved its ties with the International Business Travel Association several years ago.