GBTA + VDR Europe Conference 2025 in Hamburg Spotlights Advocacy, Innovation and Resilience in European Business Travel

One of Europe's Largest Gatherings of Industry Professionals Focuses on Growth & Sustainability as Business Travel Spending Advances Toward €389.9 Billion

Business travel's evolving landscape and the drive toward a more sustainable future took center stage this week at the GBTA + VDR Europe Conference 2025 in Hamburg. From 10-12 November, the CCH - Congress Center Hamburg hosted one of Europe's largest gatherings of business travel and meetings professionals, where industry leaders, practitioners and innovators came together to share insights, tackle emerging challenges and chart a course for what's next in corporate travel.

This year's event welcomed more than 1,200 attendees, including 326 travel buyers and 65 exhibitors representing 40 countries. The 2025 Conference also celebrated 11 years of collaboration between the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and the German Business Travel Association (VDR), underscoring a continued commitment to advancing knowledge, connections and progress across the European business travel industry.

"This year's Conference once again demonstrated the strength and momentum of Europe's business travel community. Together with our partners at VDR, we created a forum that inspired collaboration, fostered learning and highlighted innovations driving our industry forward. Especially during times of economic uncertainty, the optimism and engagement we've seen here acknowledges the critical nature of business travel across this region and beyond," said Catherine Logan, GBTA Senior Vice President, EMEA and APAC.

Jens Schließmann, Executive Director of the VDR, added: "We are facing turbulent times, both geopolitically and economically, as well as ecologically. Business mobility is not becoming easier; it is becoming increasingly complex. This is why professional business travel management is more important than ever. We must actively take responsibility for this by being careful, gathering information, creating transparency and showing what business mobility truly means today. This year's event has shown that the industry is ready to embrace change, take responsibility and create a better future."

European Business Travel Spending Poised for Robust Growth

Despite persistent economic and political challenges, European business travel is set for substantial spending growth, forecasted to reach 389.9 billion euros in 2026 - a notable 8.2% increase over 2025. GBTA released European regional analysis from the 2025 GBTA Business Travel Index Outlook (GBTA BTI) at the Conference. The data, derived from the 2025 BTI originally unveiled at GBTA Convention in Denver in July, highlights Europe's pivotal role in the global recovery of business travel and accounting for over a quarter of worldwide business travel expenditures. Projections indicate ongoing momentum, with spending expected to rise to 414.5 billion euros in 2027 and 441.6 billion euros by 2028. Western Europe represents 88% of the region's business travel spend, led by powerhouse markets including Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

Second Annual GBTA Sustainability Challenge Reveals Progress with Need for Better Solutions

The GBTA Foundation, the cause-led arm of GBTA, unveiled the 2025 results of its Sustainability Acceleration Challenge, highlighting both momentum and challenges in decarbonising business travel. The 2025 global benchmark, developed with Accenture, drew participation from 285 companies, a 20% increase over last year, representing a combined annual travel spend of $22 billion USD. Despite incremental gains in overall program maturity, the global average score rose only slightly from 1.3 to 1.4, showing limited improvement. Notably, smaller travel programs advanced their sustainability efforts, while larger ones regressed, possibly due to changing political stances. The financial, banking and insurance sector continues to lead in sustainable travel practices, followed by professional services and consulting, underscoring sector-specific progress and the critical need for accelerated collective action. Click here for information on the first GBTA Foundation Sustainability Challenge in 2024.

GBTA Hosts Inaugural European VentureConnect Event

At the Conference, GBTA brought VentureConnect to Europe for the first time, following its initial launch at the GBTA Convention in Denver last July. The European session brought together 11 innovative travel startups, eight corporate travel managers, and four industry investors for a series of structured and engaging pitch presentations.

The event concluded with the presentation of the Europe VentureConnect Award, which was determined based on six criteria evaluated by participating investors and travel managers. The award was presented to Centuro Global, a startup that provides AI-powered solutions for immigration, business visas, tax and compliance management to support cross-border workforce mobility.

Big Ideas, Bold Discussions and Industry Expertise Define Conference Programming

More than 100 speakers at the Conference's five Main Stage and 20 Education Sessions (with live captions and translations for a multilingual audience) shared their expertise across the topics of leadership, economics, sustainability, mobility, travel management and procurement. Stand-out presenters included economist Nenad Pacek, who opened the Conference with a forecast of industry demand and geopolitical shifts, and a panel discussion with industry leaders who conversed about how the EU's push for seamless travel and regional interoperability is shaping smarter travel initiatives.

The Conference also brought back The Big Idea - in a dynamic courtroom-style debate where industry leaders tackled the most divisive issues shaping the future of business travel, from the evolution of booking technologies and travel policies to biometrics and secure identification, with the audience serving as the final jury. The session challenged assumptions and sparked conversations about tradition versus transformation in the industry.

Day one included four workshops, one of which was delivered by WERC and the others facilitated by GBTA leadership, prominent companies in the industry and government representatives - including Portugal Member of the European Parliament Sergio Gonçalves - addressing advocacy, compliance, sustainability and leadership in business travel. Sessions explored how to strengthen industry influence in Europe, manage tax and immigration risks for business travellers, position sustainability as a driver of innovation and long-term value and how to connect new and established professionals with their strengths and lead with purpose.

Other GBTA + VDR Europe Conference 2025 Highlights included:

• The Global Leaders Reception, an exclusive event to thank the region's volunteer leaders for their continued support, which took place on Sunday, 9 November at the 25hours Hotel Hamburg Altes Hafenamt.
• The Connection Zone, located on the expo floor, where GBTA and VDR volunteer leaders met with attendees to discuss how the associations can serve members and the international business travel community. In addition to the GBTA Foundation's Ladders (younger professionals) and WINiT (women in business travel) programs, the Connection Zone featured information on ways to become involved, such as serving on a committee or joining a board.
• Braindate sessions - small group, peer-to-peer discussions where attendees set the topics with a goal of meaningful connections between business travel buyers and suppliers through collaboration and engagement.
• Broadcast Studio - where nearly 30 industry leaders shared their perspectives over the course of the Conference's three days - and the Media Cocktail Party on 11 November, which provided an opportunity for journalists to engage with executives from 12 companies and learn about breaking organisational news and industry developments.
• The Big Night Out, held at Hamburg's legendary Mojo Club on 11 November, which provided Conference attendees with food, refreshments and live music from the ever-popular King Kamehameha Club Band.

The 2025 conference activities were made possible through the generous support of the GBTA + VDR Europe Conference Sponsors and Exhibitors.

Event information for 2026 was also announced. Next year's GBTA + VDR Europe Conference in partnership with ABTA (Austrian Business Travel Association) will be held 2-4 November in Vienna, a first for the association partners.

Photos from the GBTA + VDR Europe Conference will be available here in the upcoming days.