Each year, thousands of travel industry professionals gather for the National Business Travel Association conference and trade show. This July, Global Traveler was out in force with eight staff members, including publisher and CEO Francis X. Gallagher, attending the Chicago event to mix, mingle and discuss business with representatives from top airlines and hotels.

NBTA membership is a key credential in the travel business, and many companies choose the annual conference as the venue for unveiling upgrades to their products and services. At an early morning press conference, for example, GT got a sneak peek at American Airlines’ redesigned, fully flat seat featuring multiple innovations including detachable personal video screens.

For Global Traveler, the excitement was two-fold. Beginning next month, we will increase our content by 16 pages, adding such new features as “Adventure Add-On,” adventure travel within three or four hours of a major business destination; and “Family Business,” extended-stay destinations perfect for combining business with family time. Global Traveler also reveled in the smashing success of our City Guide Book — an in-depth guide to international destinations which was paired with our July issue.

To celebrate, Global Traveler hosted an international-themed event at the InterContinental Chicago. Clients and friends mingled in the hotel’s “Living Room,” an elegant lounge perched above the main lobby at the top of a grand staircase. Guests and hosts alike sampled an around-the-world selection of foods, from Mediterranean tapas, to Bavarian beef with horseradish and a Latin-style fajita bar. Made-to-order guacamole, whipped up by the resident chef in a massive stoneware bowl, was a big hit with everyone. A soundtrack of vintage French favorites and lively Brazilian jazz enhanced the international appeal of the event.

Here’s a look at the friends, food and fun enjoyed by all at Global Traveler’s international event. Laissez les bon temps rouler!