GBTA Announces Legendary Baseball Great Cal Ripken, Jr. at New Sports Conference

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)—the voice of the global business travel industry—today announced Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. will be a featured keynote speaker at the GBTA Sports Conference 2011 being held July 21-22, at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, Ind.  The GBTA Sports Conference will focus on the unique needs of the sports business travel sector.

Ripken retired from baseball in October 2001 after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.  His name appears in record books repeatedly, most notably as one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits.  He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2007.  In 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played and voluntarily ended his streak on September 20, 1998 after playing 2,632 consecutive games.  Although he began and finished his career at third base, Cal is still best known for redefining the position of shortstop.

“GBTA is thrilled to have the legendary Cal Ripken, Jr. as our featured luncheon keynote speaker. He has received numerous accolades both on and off the field and is both an author and a philanthropist,” said Michael W. McCormick, executive director and COO, GBTA.  “After decades playing for the Orioles, Ripken will share some of his personal experiences and understanding about the unique challenges and opportunities presented to sports team travel management.”

“I am excited to speak at the GBTA Sports Conference and I thank them for asking me to be a part of it,” said Ripken.  “In this phase of my life I am very involved in the sports business industry through our company, Ripken Baseball, so this seems like a wonderful fit.  I hope that my experiences allow me to deliver a positive and helpful message to the attendees.”

 

Now Ripken is using the platform that baseball has provided him to help grow the game he loves at the grassroots level.  After his playing career ended he started this effort with the construction of a one-of-a-kind baseball complex in his hometown of Aberdeen, MD.  The Aberdeen Project consists of Ripken Stadium and the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy.  The Ripken Youth Baseball Academy hosts ballplayers and teams from across the country for camps and tournaments during the spring, summer and fall.

 

Sports business travel is a distinctive segment of travel management that represents a significant impact on the hospitality industry.  Because of this special industry segment, GBTA created the GBTA Sports Conference, a day-and-a-half conference designed to provide attendees, representing both professional and collegiate markets, with the tools and resources needed for success.  The conference attendees will be able to network, discuss best practices and access the current state of their travel programs.  The educational sessions will bring new light to the challenges, such as, ancillary fees and managing risk faced by team travel managers in both transient and group travel.

With registration for the GBTA Sports Conference 2011, attendees will receive a complimentary six-month GBTA membership and complimentary registration for GBTA’s Fundamentals of Sports Business Travel Management course. 

Online registration and a full agenda for the GBTA Sports Conference 2011 can be found on the GBTA Website. Click here to register.