Rick Wakida

Fuel your morning with a stimulating mindshare exercise designed to engage, enlighten, and evolve. We’re not just setting the tone but pioneering conversations that matter. We're rolling out a dynamic platform where brainstorming meets expertise. Get ready to reimagine your travel strategy by unveiling the game-changing Do's and Don’ts pivotal for driving unparalleled success. 

Best Practices & Benchmarks Breakouts: You’ll be diving into focused discussions, steered by our illustrious Advisory Board members. In these micro-think tanks, you will: 

• Exchange best practices 
• Delve into industry benchmarks 
• Co-create solutions 

The topics are pivotal, contemporary, and specially curated: 

• Technology - Rick Wakida, Global Travel Manager, Informatica 
• Sustainability - Teddy Oberts, Senior Procurement Manager, Corporate Travel M&E Salesforce 
• The Social Traveler- Makiko Barrett, Sr. Global Strategic Sourcing Manager - Corporate Travel, Sandisk 
• Safety, Secruity and Risk- Kevin Coffey, Travel Skills & Meeting Risk Trusted Advisor | People Risk Management Evangelizer   
• Health and Wellness - Darlene Fitzsimmons, Travel Manager, Stagwell Global 
• Purposeful Travel - Michelle Amos, Associate Director of Travel, Qualtrics 

Every corporate travel program encounters moments where things don’t go as planned. Whether it’s a failed policy implementation, a misaligned vendor partnership, or unexpected travel disruptions, the key to success is in how you respond and recover. This panel brings together seasoned travel management professionals to share real-world stories of when their programs faced significant challenges—and how they turned it around. You’ll hear lessons learned, strategies for course correction, and advice for building resilience into your travel program.

Key Takeaways:

• Learning from Failure: Gain insights into how to recognize early warning signs when a travel initiative isn’t working and how to pivot quickly.
• Strategic Recovery: Discover strategies for managing vendor relationships, mitigating traveler dissatisfaction, and resolving operational hiccups when things go wrong.
• Building Resilience: Learn how to future-proof your travel program by creating contingency plans, improving risk management, and enhancing communication across teams