Wagner Bringing The Internet, Partnering Into The ACTE

<B>Wagner Bringing The Internet, Partnering Into The ACTE</B>

By Megan Hjermstad

After merely a month in office as president of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (<I>BTN,</I> April 24), Ron Wagner is poised to move the organization forward by focusing on the Internet as part of an overall strategy to satisfy the needs of its membership.

"My number-one priority is figuring out what we need to do with the Internet," said Wagner. "We need to be much more interactive. We have a Web site, which is just an informational place you can go, but we would like to have educational offerings, data resource capabilities and networking capabilities. We want to be able to allow people to go to the Internet, particularly since not everyone can go to a conference because of time or cost constraints. We are asking, 'what can we find that we can make available on the Web?' "

Wagner said that the Internet will help to manage the global growth of the organization by providing people with access to what they need in countries throughout the world. He also hopes that more people will turn to an enhanced Web site for coverage of ACTE seminars and conferences, so conferences might become a more manageable size and offer more value to the attendees. "As you get bigger and bigger, the more people you have at these things," Wagner said. "People are saying they don't feel they can get their arms around everyone they want to talk to."

Wagner said he will be looking at larger membership issues as well, such as whether the organization has the right number of people and the right level of executives. He considers membership so important that he created a new position--vice president of membership--assumed by Julie Hylton from American Express Consulting Services. Hylton and her committee will prepare a report for the board meeting in July.

"It's up to me to present with my officer group the right kinds of proposals that the board feels good about voting on," said Wagner.

Outgoing president Earl Foster, who passed the reins to Wagner April 5, will serve as chairman of the board. "Earl has a huge role and he's very much still involved. He will continue to bring great value to the organization," Wagner said.

In today's environment of partnerships and alliances, Wagner said, it is particularly important for ACTE to remain an equal opportunity organization for players on both sides of the industry. As president of the Western Division for WorldTravel Partners-BTI, he understands firsthand that it is necessary for ACTE to treat people equally, but he also sees an opportunity to separate the membership for educational purposes. "Maybe we need to put our focus on differences in the education, so that maybe there are educational seminars or offerings that are focused just on the corporate travel people, or focused just on the industry people," said Wagner. He will have help in this area from Greeley Koch, manager of corporate travel at Bank of America, who will serve as vice president of education. "We've done a great job with education, we just need to raise the bar again," Wagner said. "Greeley has some great new ideas."

Wagner also is interested in building an alliance strategy and working with other organizations. He expressed interest in fostering a relationship between ACTE and the National Business Travel Association and doing away with bad blood from the past.

"Not only am I new to the presidency, I'm new to all the politics and issues. Frankly, I don't have time for that; that's not my focus," said Wagner. "Building professionalism in the industry is what both organizations need to be committed to. So we have to look at how both organizations can serve the industry.