Cary Aiken |

I recently attended the NBTA 2009 International Convention & Exposition in San Diego. It was a huge success with more than 5,600 travel and meeting professionals from over 30 countries attending rich, content-laden educational sessions and hearing from some of the world’s top keynote speakers.

The welcome session was kicked-off by Captain Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III, whose heroic landing of US Airways Flight 1549 saved the lives of 155 people on the Hudson River.

And that was only the beginning. Silver medal winner Dara Torres shared her Olympic experiences and read from her memoir, Age is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams at Any State in Your Life. Jay Leno amused us on Day Two of the conference while Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States, wrapped things up as the final keynote of the event.

The 65 educational sessions featured included a SSMP (Strategic Meetings Management) track to supplement corporate, government and certification tracks. The trade show featured a cornucopia of top global travel providers: over 400 airlines, hotels, TMCs, destinations, technology companies, ground transportation and regulatory agencies all rolling out their latest innovations.

The next NBTA International Convention and Exposition will to be held in Houston, Texas, August 8-11, 2010.

Cary Aiken is the City Partner for WTTC Atlanta. He can be reached at caiken@wttc.com.

WTTC.com’s newest city partner, Cary Aiken, welcomes you to WTTC Atlanta.

Cary’s involvement in the arts, historic preservation, civic affairs, travel and hospitality make him a “go to” contact for meetings and business travel to this area. Interested in both the past and future of the city of Atlanta, he is an active member of the Atlanta Preservation Center and sits on the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board.

A former sales executive with National Car Rental and a longtime member of the Georgia Business Travel Association, Cary recently received Corporate Travel Expert certification from the National Business Travel Association. He is a graduate of the University of Vermont, with additional studies at Exeter University and graduate work at Colgate University.

Cary can be contacted at caiken@wttc.com or by phone at 404-408-6136.