A pivotal moment is dawning for the corporate travel sector as decision-makers, strategists, and innovators gather under one roof at the inaugural Business Travel Show Asia Pacific, which will take place at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, from 16 to 17 April 2025.
While the world races towards automation and sustainability, BTS Asia Pacific arrives not just as another conference but also as a much-needed reckoning for a corporate travel sector seeking fresh direction. The industry’s traditional playbook is no longer enough with technology evolving, climate obligations tightening, and global volatility increasing. This event aims to rewrite it.
💡 A Programme Built for What Matters Now
The conference agenda doesn’t shy away from the hard questions. Instead, it places them front and centre.
On the table: How should businesses integrate AI into their travel operations without losing the human touch? What does sustainable travel look like beyond carbon offsets? And how do organisations protect their people in a world of shifting geopolitical sands and increasing travel risk?
These aren’t theoretical musings—they’re live issues affecting budgets, boardrooms, and travellers alike. BTS APAC has carefully curated sessions, workshops and panels to give leaders inspiration and actionable frameworks for building future-ready programmes.
🧠 Thought Leadership with Substance
Expect meaningful dialogue, not promotional noise. Speakers include a who’s who of regional and international experts, among them:
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Stas Melnikov, Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, will explore the practical deployment of AI within corporate mobility strategies.
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Richard Hancock, APAC Director at Crisis24, brings a grounded, no-nonsense approach to managing travel in high-risk environments.
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Priyanka Jahkmola, Global Travel Lead at Accenture, will examine ESG integration from the inside out.
“Technology should serve people—not the other way around,” Melnikov is set to emphasise. “When used wisely, AI can sharpen performance without stripping away empathy.”
Sessions will span a wide range of strategic areas, from policy automation and real-time traveller tracking to carbon-conscious procurement, duty-of-care legal shifts, and small programme scalability.
🚀 Innovation Faceoff: The Future Takes the Stage
A highlight of the event is the Business Travel Innovation Faceoff—a pitch-style showcase for rising disruptors in the corporate travel tech space. The final lineup includes Acai, Travog, Trip.biz, Zenmer, and WegoPro.
Each contender will present to a panel of senior buyers and analysts, revealing how their solutions reshape the industry. This isn’t just a tech parade—it’s a direct look at how more intelligent systems emerge from the region.
“The APAC market has its own nuances,” says Elvin Lee, Regional Travel Manager at ServiceNow. “Innovation here isn’t about mimicking the West—it’s about solving problems in context.”
🌏 Environmental Sustainability: From Talk to Accountability
The sustainability conversation is finally growing teeth. At BTS APAC, it won’t be a sideshow. Corporate travel buyers are pressured to demonstrate ESG results—not just intent.
Speakers from MSD International, Perenti Group, and IKEA’s Ingka Group will share candid insights on aligning travel goals with broader climate commitments.
“Every journey has a footprint,” said Adeline Kang, Director of Travel Operations at MSD. “But not every footprint has to be negative. Data, visibility, and supplier collaboration are the real tools.”
Expect tactical discussions on scope 3 emissions tracking, low-impact hotel contracting, green aviation trends, and the role of internal policy in changing travel behaviours.
⚠️ Risk Management in a Fractured World
Where there’s opportunity, there’s also exposure. Risk management, once considered a back-end compliance function, is now front and centre in every conversation around travel planning. From cyber threats to natural disasters and civil unrest, traveller safety is no longer negotiable.
Alex Giles, Travel Risk Officer at UNSW, will present a session on building resilient travel ecosystems in the academic and NGO sectors, where mobility is high but so is exposure.
Crisis24’s Hancock, meanwhile, will delve into the importance of anticipatory planning and real-time incident response, stressing that “reactive policies are a luxury no one can afford anymore.”
🎓 BTN Academy and Buyer-Only Insights
Education also plays a leading role. The BTN Academy, known for its practical and content-rich sessions, will equip travel managers with tools for negotiating smarter contracts, rethinking TMC relationships, and building better internal reporting models.
In parallel, exclusive buyer-only communities will convene in closed-door settings to workshop challenges, compare strategies, and share peer advice in a space built on trust and confidentiality.
“You can’t always say what needs to be said in public,” noted one returning buyer from the London show. “These small, off-record chats? That’s where the real learning happens.”
🤝 Beyond Panels: Connections That Drive Real Progress
Networking has always been at the heart of BTS events, and the APAC edition is no different. But here, connection isn’t reduced to speed-dating-style introductions. The event design allows time for honest conversations, meals with meaning, and meetings that matter.
Senior stakeholders from across procurement, finance, operations, and HR will be walking the halls, eager to exchange perspectives and perhaps find their next transformative partnership.
🏢 Hosted at Asia’s Most Iconic Venue
There could hardly be a better backdrop than Marina Bay Sands. Home to over 2,200 rooms, award-winning conference spaces, and a skyline-defining infinity pool, it represents the ideal setting for a summit focused on forward momentum. It’s where vision meets execution.
BTS APAC runs concurrently with The Meetings Show Asia Pacific, bringing together the corporate travel and meetings sectors in one comprehensive, interwoven programme.
🎟️ Attendance: Who’s Welcome, Who’s Watching
Corporate travel buyers, programme managers, and MICE professionals can attend free of charge, subject to qualification. Non-exhibiting suppliers can join via a paid pass. All registration and hosted buyer applications are available at:
🔗 www.businesstravelshowapac.com.
✍️ Closing Thoughts
In a time when the only constant is change, BTS APAC 2025 doesn’t simply respond to the moment—it reshapes it. With its bold blend of AI, accountability, and agility, this inaugural event is more than a regional launch. It’s a declaration that the Asia Pacific corporate travel community is ready—not just to catch up with global standards but to lead them.
Written by Christine Nguyen
