4-week sustainable business travel online course by the GSTC

Dates: June 1, 2023 – June 29, 2023
Time: Live sessions at a time suitable for those in US and Europe time zone
Where: Online
Language: English

Weekly live sessions scheduled for the following days, from 16:00 CEST (Central European Summer Time).

Introduction: Thursday, June 1^st (16:00 – 17:30 CEST)
Week 1: Monday, June 5^th (16:00 – 17:30 CEST), and Thursday, June 8^th (16:00 – 17:30 CEST)
Week 2: Monday, June 12^th (16:00 – 17:30 CEST), and Thursday, June 15^th (16:00 – 17:30 CEST)
Week 3: Monday, June 19^th (16:00 – 17:30 CEST), and Thursday, June 22^nd (16:00 – 17:30 CEST)
Week 4: Monday, June 26^th (16:00 – 17:30 CEST), and Thursday, June 29^th (16:00 – 17:30 CEST)

These live webinars will be recorded and participants will be able to watch the recordings any time during the course period. Although strongly encouraged, attending these sessions live is not mandatory.

For more information on course topics and schedule, see the course syllabus.

ABOUT THE COURSE

Sustainable Business Travel Online Course for Industry Professionals

The GSTC Sustainable Business Travel course provides the knowledge and tools needed to help improve sustainability practices in business travel. The training follows the GSTC Criteria, the global standards for sustainability in travel and tourism, and provides best practices for a business travel program.

Delivered as a 4-week-long facilitated and interactive training class, the sustainable business travel online course offers a convenient way to improve your sustainability skills in a flexible online learning environment, while at the same time learning alongside GSTC experts and fellow sustainable business travel practitioners.

The course will help you achieve tangible actions to follow globally recognized standards of sustainability best practices.

TESTIMONIALS

The course helped me become much better informed, learning about new reporting criteria, what official institutions there are for certification and how companies can best share their activities and reports. Interaction with other participants was useful, the speakers and presentations were very useful with great tips about books and articles. It definitely increased my awareness that sustainability is not just about the environment but also about people and culture. Taking the exam is a good opportunity to practice what you learn with a real case from your own company or clients.

Marijke Poppink, Owner, Poppink TRVL Projects

The GSTC program has a rich pedigree, evolving as it has from a United Nations sustainability initiative. This, coupled with an existing history of pursuing sustainability initiatives in tourism and leisure travel, has provided a rich foundation for the corporate travel course. The instructors likewise bring a history of expertise and passion in the area of corporate travel sustainability. This converges into a course that can dramatically impact the role that corporate travel takes in combatting climate change, inequity, and other sustainability shortfalls in the corporate travel industry.

Michael Hall, Senior Manager, Global Travel, llumina

While most often focus within sustainability is around CO2 reduction, however, this course really brings out the other pillars of sustainability (socio-economical, cultural, management). The use of the small group discussions opens up the communication, and allows you truly listen to other views and insights.

Howie Honeycutt, Senior VP, Global Operations and Shared Services, ATG Travel

This first GSTC Sustainable Business Travel training course has definitely exceeded my expectations. As the world has changed due to covid, this course provides practical steps for corporates around the globe on how to build a responsible and sustainable corporate travel program to make positive contributions to the destinations. I found the relevant and up-to-date teaching materials, interactive style of training by two industry experts Horst and Bernard, and live breakout sessions where industry participants share ideas and formulae solutions to today’s problems particularly helpful.

Benjamin Wong, Co-founder and CEO, Tricolage

If you ever want to expand your knowledge or organize your existing knowledge in the field of sustainability, gain a broader perspective on various sustainability topics from every possible angle, exchange experiences and best practices during live sessions in an international environment, get the knowledge from professional mentors, and additionally gain knowledge where to look for valuable content on the Internet concerning current news on sustainable tourism – I wholeheartedly recommend the GSTC Sustainable Business Travel training. There will be a lot of reading, a lot of watching, but the more time you spend working at home during the course the more you will get out of the live classes.

Monika Górnik, Customer Care Manager, Meetings & Incentives, Weco-Travel

Thank you for the opportunity and privilege to take GSTC Sustainable Business Travel Course. I cannot express how enjoyable I feel the course was and the passion Bernard and Horst feel for the material was contagious. I found the final exam both challenging and invaluable.

Katie Romanko, Travel & Events Sourcing, Dropbox

It was a great course, especially for a tour company like ours that is thinking of expanding to Business Travel. For us, it is important to start working with the pillars of GSTC as a lighthouse. Have the opportunity to share with colleagues from all over the world and enjoy the leadership during the course of two great sustainability professionals and speakers was indeed the best scenario!

Raffaele Di Biase, Co-Founder, BirdsChile

The enthusiasm of the trainers – Horst and Bernard – made a difference. The course was one of the best learning experiences I had in my career.

Sesilia Kalss, Senior Consulting Manager, American Express Global Business Travel

This is the definitive go-to guide for sustainable business travel and was incredible opportunity to learn about the future of travel at a global scale.

Daniel Nettuno, Consulting Engagement Manager, American Express Global Business Travel

This was an eye opening course! I thought I knew what will be taught, but there is much more to sustainability than I expected. The trainers and guest speakers clearly know what they’re doing and the wisdom they can instill is inspiring.

Matt Lewis, Sales Representative, Alta Group

The GSTC Business Travel course is very well geared towards the needs of travel managers. The content of the course is very helpful and entertaining. At the end of the course, everyone is able to realistically classify themselves and their company in terms of sustainability.

Albert James Küng, Head of Global Travel Management, Siemens

I decided to attend the course to better understand the post-pandemic scenario in the business travel industry. The course was far beyond my expectations, it has been a great occasion for networking with professionals from all over the world but most of all I must say that the knowledge and inputs shared by the GSTC trainers will surely be of great help to improve not only my professional skills but also to engage colleagues in exploring the sustainable and responsible best practices for the industry.

Enrico Presicci, Event Manager, Indigenus Experiences

…I have enjoyed the course very much and look upon it as very educative enriching the knowledge and insights which are currently developing in the global market on this topic. In case there are plans to develop and provide a follow-up course or any other type of follow-up I’m happy to participate again….

Gert van Spijk, Senior Specialist Travel Technology, MSD

The GSTC Sustainable Business Travel course is a great way to get an overall view of the tasks that lie ahead, when turning Business Travel green. Highly recommendable.

Peter Skieller, CEO, Nordic NDC

I am now more aware of what needs to be done within the travel space with applicable knowledge of where to start. The team was very knowledgeable, with prominent speakers and elaborated discussions.

Bindu Dominic, Global Travel Operations Manager, Cisco Systems

EXAM & CERTIFICATE

GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Business Travel

By completing this 4-week online course, you will meet the training requirement towards earning the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Business Travel.

Once you complete the course, you will have the option to take the GSTC Sustainable Business Travel Exam. The exam takes place online, and you will have 4 weeks after the course to submit it. If you pass the exam (75% and above passing mark is required), you will receive a Professional Certificate in Sustainable Business Travel by the GSTC.

The certificate demonstrates your knowledge of sustainable business travel best practices.

>> Learn more about GSTC Certificate in Sustainable Business Travel

TRAINERS

Bernard Harrop

Bernard is an independent consultant with over 25 years sales and marketing experience in the business travel industry. He was formerly a European Executive Board Member with American Express and Head of Global Sales with British Airways. In addition to managing his own corporate consulting company, he was a founder member of the sustainability advisory board at the Institute of Travel and Meetings, and Head of Sustainability for Project ICARUS – a GBTA Foundation initiative to integrate sustainability into the way organizations manage, run and supply travel and meetings programs. Bernard is a recognized sustainability commentator and regularly seen speaking and facilitating at leading industry events across Europe and North America. He currently lectures in sustainability at Marbella University Business School and Cranfield University, and has previously been voted one of the ‘top 25 most influential executives in global corporate travel’ by Business Travel News.

Horst Bayer

Horst Bayer managed Corporate Travel Programs for Siemens USA between 1999 and 2008, and Hitachi Data Systems in EMEA between 2009 and 2015. In 2016 he founded TravelHorst – Sustainable Business Travel Consulting. A firm that is dedicated in helping multinational corporations transforming their Corporate Travel Program to sustainability. TravelHorst is a member of BAUM eV, a Federal German Working Group for Environmentally-Conscious Management. Horst is also Chair of the Business Travel Working Group at the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) that establishes and manages global sustainable standards in the MICE and Corporate Travel area with the aim of increasing sustainable travel knowledge and practices among public and private stakeholders. Horst earned a bachelor’s in global business from the University of Phoenix and holds a certificate for sustainable tourism. Horst is a trained Climate Reality Leader devoted to solving the global climate crisis.

GUEST SPEAKERS & PRESENTERS

Randy Durband
CEO, GSTC

Randy Durband has had two careers in travel and tourism – twenty-plus years in senior leadership positions at some of the finest U.S. tour operators, having served as President for Travcoa, INTRAV, and Clipper Cruise Lines, (brands within TUI Travel plc), plus Executive Vice President of Tauck World Discovery. Following that, in his second travel and tourism career, Randy advanced the work of Sustainable Tourism as an advisor, consultant, and speaker. He brings his knowledge of the business of travel, his global network of travel professionals, and a passion for sustainability to support the GSTC and the general sustainable tourism movement. He has held several board positions and committee memberships in travel and tourism organizations, and is a frequent speaker on sustainable tourism issues.

Scott Gillespie
Industry Advisor, tClara LLC

Scott has been nudging the travel industry forward for more than 25 years. He has advanced the concepts of justifiable travel; travel as a strategy; traveler friction; omnichannel booking; airline sourcing and airline CO2 modeling. He has provided advisory services to one-third of the Fortune 500, the U.S. government and all of the major airlines in North America. He speaks at travel industry conferences around the world. Scott founded Travel Analytics and tClara, and is a patented inventor. Scott holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, lives near Cleveland, and welcomes connections on LinkedIn.

Sarah Benarey
Co-founder, eco.mio

After working as a heavy traveling management consultant, Sarah joined the climate protection NGO atmosfair. Working closely with clients on offsetting strategies, Sarah decided to co-found eco.mio to support companies in the actual reduction of business travel emissions. eco.mio’s software integrates into the existing booking tools and nudges business travelers towards the greener travel option (e.g. deciding on a train instead of a flight, greener Airlines, economy class or more climate-friendly hotels).

Oliver Becherer
Chief Technology Officer, Convien

Oliver Becherer is co-founder and technical director of CONVIEN GmbH, an innovative software company focused on optimizing business travel in the meeting and event context. With his many years of experience as a software architect and as a passionate advocate for impact-driven digitalization and process optimization, he supports companies in their digital transformation through novel approaches to achieve climate goals in the mobility and travel sector in ecological and economic balance.

Sylvain Muller
Senior Director of Cross-Product Management-Sustainability, SAP

Passionate Product Management leader, with 16+ years’ experience in the Business Travel industry, Sylvain manages the « Sustainability » cross-product strategy for the leading global Corporate Travel & Expense Management solution provider: SAP Concur. Sylvain makes it his purpose to help companies abate their Business Travel greenhouse gas emissions, to create a better future. Beyond his day job, he is also an active member of the Global Business Travel Association Sustainability Committee, an opportunity he has seized to make extra impacts to transform the industry.

Charlotte Manthe
Head of Customer Success, Thrust Carbon

Charlotte is a travel industry professional with a proven track record of driving customer success and satisfaction. As the Head of Customer Success at Thrust Carbon, Charlotte plays a pivotal role in defining and executing the customer success strategy. She immerses herself in the detail of her client’s business goals and challenges and ensures that they have the tools and services to achieve success as it relates to carbon emissions reductions.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Course Registration Fees

The early-bird registration fees are available through April 20th, 2023:

US$ 455 per person (Regular)
US$ 395 per person (GSTC Member)

From April 21st, 2023, registration fees are:

US$ 495 per person (Regular)
US$ 445 per person (GSTC Member)

*For GSTC Organization members, the above member discount is available to all staff members and can be used for an unlimited number of times.

What’s Included

As part of your registration, you will receive training materials to be provided before the course; access to the online training platform; and a Certificate of Completion confirming your attendance in the class.

Please note: the Exam fee (US$ 75 per person) is NOT included in the above course registration fee. If you would like to take the exam after the course, you can select the add-on option “Exam & Certificate” when you register. You will also have the option to sign up for the exam during and after the course.

DISCOUNT OPTIONS

Group Discounts

You can sign up multiple people at the same time when registering online. Select the number of people you would like register, and you can enter contact details for each participant on the form.

For GSTC Members, we also offer a discount for each group purchase of more than 5 seats.

5-10 people: US$ 375 per person

If you would like to sign up as a group of 5 and more, please contact us (business.travel@gstcouncil.org) for more details.

Need-Based Discounts

We offer a limited number of need-based discounts to current students and professionals who demonstrate genuine needs. To apply, please submit this application form.

*Can’t make it to this class? GSTC STTP online training classes are offered on a regular basis throughout the year. See all upcoming GSTC Sustainable Business Travel courses here.