CTM 2023 Management Meeting and All Star Awards

 

After years of eagerly anticipating the return to a pre-covid reality, the Corporate Travel Management (CTM) 2023 Management Meeting and All Star Awards conference was welcomed with a whole new level of excitement.  

The conference brought together CTM employees from all over Australia and New Zealand to reconnect, learn, be inspired, and GROW THE FUTURE. Across three days, delegates participated in a range of presentations, workshops and team building activities, while reuniting with new and old peers across the business and our supplier network. Speaking to many at the event, it was the first event of its size and scope that they had attended since the pandemic, contributing to the sense of optimism in the air.  

Day 1

The conference was held at the stunning Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach. To kick off, our team had a fantastic morning reconnecting and celebrating the resilience of both our business and the travel industry. We heard from leaders in our team including Greg McCarthy, Laura Ruffles, Chris Rose, Tracey Edwards, Tom Clark, John Nicholls, Alexandra Dowton and Cherie Drummond.  

Among the day’s highlights was Ultramarathon runner Samantha Gash’s motivational presentation. She came armed with the philosophy, ‘if you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done before.’ Previously working as an accomplished lawyer, Samantha traded her heels for running shoes with aspirations to use her new passion to change the world through highly collaborative social campaigns. Her story was truly inspiring, with much of the team motivated to either lace up their shoes to run again or set their sights on other personal ambitions. 

Day 2

The second day of the conference kicked off with a range of breakout sessions led by CTM’s General Managers, with some special guest presentations, including from our Scout AI project team, a client case study on customer service excellence, and a friendly “Bula!” from our team in Fiji.  

Next, our ANZ staff got a chance to get to know one another and practice their strategic thinking with a team building activity led by Be Challenged. Operating from iPads, the team navigated through Broadbeach on a scavenger hunt to help support a range of charitable causes. Once each group arrived at their checkpoint destinations, a GPS triggered challenges in the form of questions, clues, and pictures to work through together to complete. Updates, feedback, and scores were kept in real-time as teams progressed through their scavenger hunt adventure, revealing the group’s most creative and competitive members. Along with receiving a medal, the winning team received a donation to a charity of their choice – Digital Training to Aboriginal Communities. 

To wrap up the day, the team enjoyed an evening of delicious food and drinks at Burleigh Pavilion in the great company of our preferred suppliers. Beachfront views, cold drinks, delicious food, and in-depth conversations made this dinner an unforgettable experience. 

Day 3

The last day of the CTM 2023 Management Meeting and All Star Awards began with workshops covering technology, human resources, government, and even laughing yoga. Workshop sessions were led by leaders across the business, allowing them to learn more about areas of CTM they had yet to encounter. 

Next up was our Supplier Exhibition, where the team reconnected with our preferred suppliers whilst winning prizes such as return flights, frequent flyer points and hotel reservations. It was an excellent opportunity for our team to explore new products and services from our suppliers while networking with others in the industry.   

To wrap up the event in true CTM style, the team let their creativity shine and donned their finest ‘enchanted forest’ attire to celebrate the All Stars Awards ceremony and celebration. From beekeepers to butterflies and even Groot – the team did not disappoint when it came to creative dress-up. 

CTM’s All Star Awards is an opportunity for employees who have gone above and beyond to be recognised and rewarded. Peer nominations and GM finalist reviews determine which candidates receive the awards for positively contributing to the team whilst living and breathing our values. The 2023 All Stars are now looking forward to taking their spot on the CTM All Stars incentive trip to Dubai that will take place in June 2023. Former award recipients from 2020 will also join this year’s award winners, acknowledging their well-deserved recognition just before the pandemic. 

“To be a finalist was a privilege, and it was special,” an All Stars finalist said. “The award presentation and seeing my name on the screen was something I will never forget. I was proud of my achievement.”

CTM team members enjoyed many networking opportunities at the event, allowing them to grow their understanding of the business and build new and strengthened existing relationships. It was a clear reminder of why face-to-face interactions are so important. Likewise, it was great to expose some of the exciting platforms and opportunities CTM has in place to grow our business through the fast paced travel recovery with items like Scout, CTM Assist and our Government Services and Show Travel teams on full display. This three-day event was an excellent way to kick off the year and this new era of travel.

We owe the success of this year’s event to our supplier partners and Event Travel Management (ETM), who showed us once again their talent for creating events that engage, excite and inspire. To find out more about ETM, head to traveletm.com.au.