Registration opened this week for the Global Business Travel Association convention in August, and GBTA is requiring what appears to be more data than ever before from would-be attendees when they register. Here's a partial list of questions you'll be expected to answer if you plan to attend.
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"Social Media Usage." Registrants are asked to select services they use from a list including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others.
"Electronic Device Usage." Registrants are asked to select devices they use from a list including iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, Nook and others (no Android).
Those should produce some interesting data to help at least with the
convention app, if not other areas.
Required to answer such traditional demographic info as company travel spend, industry, department and title, registrants also are asked when they last attended a GBTA convention and to input emergency contact information. The latter sounds smart. And it's also nice that users can decline to receive convention text messages and emails from exhibitors. The form also asks, "Are you currently searching for a new vendor/product?" and provides a list to check, presumably allowing sellers to contact those who indicate as such, but I'm guessing.
Even though I'm nearly certain, I asked a GBTA spokesperson to confirm that the registration survey is new and asked why the group added the new questions. Haven't heard back.
Meanwhile, GBTA also created a new "VIP" level for $200 that gets attendees "VIP registration desk, special welcome gift, VIP seating at all the general sessions and CEO panel sessions, and VIP area and bar in the opening and closing events," according to the registration site.