I write to you from the beautiful and diverse city of San Diego, California. The Global Business Travel Association celebrates its 50th anniversary, and part of the Global Traveler team is here to celebrate and be part of this amazing event. It’s not only my first time in California but also my first of many GBTAs.

Most of us arrived mid-morning Sunday and were able to attend the welcome reception at Hilton Bayfront Park held that evening. Although the humidity is close to what we have experienced in New York and Yardley these past couple of weeks, the weather allowed the event to take place outdoors. Complete with a live mariachi band, Korean dragon dancers, amazing finger food and killer views, the night was a success!

We were able to see familiar faces and reconnect with some of our clients. It was truly a great night. The GT team got together after for a delicious dinner at Lou & Mickey’s.

On Monday we had a full day at the San Diego Convention Center, where the rest of the event is held. A formidable group of women got together for a very interesting Center Stage panel discussing the impact of women in business travel. It was empowering, motivational and informative. It’s truly amazing to witness female leadership recognized with the same respect and standards businessmen are met with. It made me realize how lucky I am to be part of such a great organization as GT, where we have women in key and vital positions for the growth of the company.

We enjoyed lunch at the Convention Arena with the rest of the 7,000 attendees and were also joined by activist and sports icon Billie Jean King. She shared some insights on what it takes to be prepared and overcome any obstacles in sports and life in general. She said, “Pressure is privilege and champions adjust,” and I think we all can agree. Doing what’s easy brings temporary and unsatisfactory results. The panel closed with King inviting us to keep learning and learning how to learn, to be problem solvers and to develop crucial relationships.

What I have loved most about this event so far is the great diversity of attendees and the female empowerment being instilled in all of us. People of all backgrounds are here, and it shows there are endless opportunities for all of us as long as we are passionate about what we do and are willing to work hard for it. As one of the panelists said, “Failure is crucial in the process of growth and development,” and we should not allow this to be a discouragement but rather a motivation.

— Yasser Ogando, sales planner