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Publicity Committee

The mission of this committee is to communicate the opportunities, programs and achievements of the Chicago BTA to the membership and travel community. The committee strives to maintain visibility and to encourage growth of the chapter through local and national involvement. One of the most important responsibilities of the Publicity Committee is the publication of the quarterly Chicago BTA Newsletter that provides a communication vehicle for:

For more information, on any of our committees, please contact the committee chairperson.

Education & Programs Committee

The primary focus of this committee is to continually identify educational topics that will further the professional knowledge of the entire membership base. Responsibilities include:

For more information, on any of our committees, please contact the committee chairperson.

Membership Committee

The role of the membership committee is to maintain communication between the Chicago BTA and its current and prospective members. Although the responsibilities are multifaceted, the primary goals are as follows:

For more information, on any of our committees, please contact the committee chairperson.

Technology Committee

Mission

To review, develop, and distribute information and to educate association members regarding business travel management and related technology issues, trends, and developments affecting the travel management industry.

Goals

• Assist with identification of the technology needs and expectations of the membership.

• Provide input on content and support to Chicago BTA's web site on the Internet.

• Support training on technology issues and the Internet in the association's education forums, and chapter seminars as needed.

• Support association membership technology related questions via forums, e-meetings, instant messenger and e-mails.

For more information, on any of our committees, please contact the committee chairperson.

Sponsorship Committee

The role of the sponsorship committee is to develop plans for sponsorship to off-set the costs of the associations events and functions.

For more information, on any of our committees, please contact the committee chairperson.

Ambassador Committee

Mission :

To make each new member feel as if he or she has joined the most effective organization possible in the world of business travel.

Goals:

• Contact each new member by telephone as the first welcome
• Familiarize each new member with the website
• Assist each new member in choosing a committee to join based on interest
• Provide separate registration at events
• Provide reserve seating for new members attending their first event
• Personal introductions to the group
• Introduce new members to Board Members and other members who share similar interests

For more information, please contact the Committee Chairperson.

Charity Committee

The Chicago BTA has partnered with the Fairygodmother Foundation in 2005 for all of its fundraising efforts. After our 2004 chapter meeting we felt that this was the perfect organization to work with. For those who may have missed the last meeting, Fairygodmother Foundation is a unique volunteer-driven grassroots 501(c)(3) charity granting wishes nationally to loved ones facing terminal illness (having a year or less to live).  More than a third of wishes fulfilled are for families in the greater Chicagoland area and in the Chicago.  Fairygodmother’s wish granting program brings joy to the lives of adults (18 and older) and families in their time of greatest need by turning dreams into reality.  In the process of fulfilling wishes, the charity creates an opportunity for peace, closure, and a sense of belonging, helping families celebrate precious moments together while they still have time.  

Fairygodmother’s average wish recipient is a mid-forties mother of two battling breast cancer, bankrupted by her medical illness, wanting to make lasting memories for her young children before she dies.  75% of the wishes involve children about to lose a parent, often a single parent.  More than two-thirds of the wishes fulfilled involve travel – family trips and family reunions, helping recipients go home to die in the arms of family, and bringing family members to recipients’ bedsides to say goodbye.

And travel is where the charity most needs help.   To make important end-of-life wishes come true, Fairygodmother gratefully seeks donations or discounts of airline travel, rental cars/ vans/RVs, limo and shuttle rides, hotel stays, gas cards, phone cards, and more. Become involved with Fairygodmother Foundation and become part of a dedicated pool of volunteers who truly believe, in the words of noted anthropologist Margaret Mead, “that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.”  For more information, please contact Ash Kolodziej, Senior Wish Granting Coordinator, at 773/388-1160 ext. 10, or visit www.fairygodmother.org.  You may also contact Cindy Gillen at the Chicago BTA who heads up our Fairygodmother Committee.

Ad-Hoc Committees

Special and sub-committees shall be appointed by the President to fill a special purpose and shall be discharged upon submission of a final report.

Allied Council

This group includes one representative from the airline, hotel, ground transportation company and travel management company sector. The purpose of the Allied Counsel is to provide the Board of Directors with a supplier perspective and consult on educational opportunities for each of their specialties. This counsel also assists greatly with logistical assistance for key speakers that participate in the chapter meetings.  Representatives are elected each year.  Please contact the Chapter President if you are interested in running.