Cortas is a dynamic association with pro-active, enthusiastic and engaged members and the voice of the business travel industry in The Netherlands.

Purpose

The goal of CORTAS (Corporate Travel Association) is to provide an independent and trusted platform for corporations to bundle and share knowledge on business travel, while increasing their field of expertise by providing education in the broadest sense.

Founded in 1997, CORTAS was born out of the need for corporate travel professionals to exchange knowledge, share best practices and present a united voice in response to the evolving corporate travel landscape.

Representing a breadth of industries e.g. retail, fashion, banking, technology and government, CORTAS has continued to grow in terms of membership and reputation. Today, we are recognised as an authority within the business travel industry; providing guidance and expertise to our members and partners alike. CORTAS focuses on the medium-sized to large enterprises with a strategically managed travel program.

CORTAS was created by and for its members and is based on a give-and-take principle. It is a dynamic association with pro-active, enthusiastic and engaged members who represent the corporate travel industry in The Netherlands.

Our vision is to continue offering education and insight to our members, whilst articulating the needs of the corporate traveller. With increased complexity, innovation and opportunity in the business travel market, CORTAS is more relevant now than ever before.

Benefits

Knowledge

CORTAS is uniquely positioned to provide a broad spectrum of perspectives. We leverage each other’s knowledge and share best practices in a trusted, buyer only environment. In addition to our regular member meetings, we facilitate collaboration across multiple platforms. Quick questions over WhatsApp, articles shared via the closed LinkedIn community or benchmarking posted via our members only webpages – we help travel managers get the information they need.

“ We joined CORTAS to discuss hot topics with peers in the industry and to learn from each other by sharing our knowledge. Topics come to the table which didn’t cross our minds before. The constantly new insights will help us to further develop our travel programme within Rituals Cosmetics. Now that we are a member of CORTAS we are able to further improve our assistance to our business travellers and make their trip more valuable. ”

Laura Snijder

Rituals Cosmetics

Expertise

The role of the travel manager is unique within most organisations. Procurement manager, supplier manager, operations manager and innovator – corporate travel management is complex and requires a breath of skills.

CORTAS provides the perfect platform for education and training.

Our Executive Leadership Program (ELP) is designed to give travel managers leadership skills that enable them to grow as an individual whilst delivering tangible benefits to their organisation.

CORTAS members are automatically members of ACTE, Association of Corporate Travel Executives, the global association for corporate travel executive worldwide, and have access to all ACTE (re)sources and events.

The ACTE events and education grants CORTAS members access to an extensive international business travel community, including year-round education sessions, industry events, whitepapers and networking opportunities.

Independence

As an independent guild of travel buyers CORTAS provides a unique opportunity for travel managers to benchmark and exchange best practises in a trusted environment.

Our combined knowledge and experience ensures we are a valued advisor within the business travel industry.

Whether it’s discussing new technology, legislation or innovations, our voice helps to shape the business travel landscape.

“ Apart from being the unique platform for corporations only, to share knowledge and expertise in the area of corporate travel management, CORTAS is the single voice on behalf of the corporations and its business travelers, ensuring that CUSTOMER requirements are being heard and acted upon by all parties in the business travel industry. Too many strategic decisions in the business travel industry that have a direct effect on business travelers and the companies they work for, are made without the involvement of this important group of stakeholders. This should change, in the best interest of all parties involved. ”

Herman Mensink

Former Chairman and Honorary Member CORTAS
Professor Aviation and Business Travel Management, Breda University of Applied Sciences.

Value

Two for one: Each membership provides full content to two employees from a corporate. This includes: regular member meetings, access to the peer network, benchmarking and education.

ACTE: As an affiliate of ACTE, CORTAS members receive two complimentary memberships to ACTE. Membership includes access to all worldwide events, whitepapers/research, webinars and zero registration fee to the European and Global Summits. The conferences are an excellent opportunity to network, gain industry insights and understand the next wave in travel innovation.

One voice: Make your voice heard. In an increasingly complex industry, CORTAS’s combined buying power ensures our voice is heard by suppliers.

Cost savings: In leveraging each other’s expertise, CORTAS members have the ability to deliver incremental cost saving to their organisation. No matter your industry, or where your travel program is in terms of maturity, there will be someone who can help you deliver increased value to your travellers and stakeholders.

“ When starting in the business travel industry, it occurred to me there are not many opportunities for travel professionals to expand their knowledge and expertise. In addition, being a corporate travel manager is usually pretty much a one (wo)man show in a company with limited options to share knowledge and best practices with peers. To further grow within my job, I had the option to join an association or attend seminars and conferences. For CORTAS members this is nicely combined within a membership and can be the nudge to get the internal approval for a membership. After all, attending one or two trainings or seminars would result in the same expenses. A CORTAS membership gives me cross references, views from peers on available solutions in the market, benchmarking, meeting other key decision makers, influence the business, and so much more. ”

Marga Plukker

TomTom

Traveller Centricity

Ensuring traveller wellbeing is core to the evolving role of the travel manager. Whether it’s leveraging new technologies, introducing employee incentives, ensuring duty-of-care or simply making sure your 2-metre-tall traveller gets that extra legroom seat; we’re all faced with the challenge of delivering more to our employees whilst maintaining cost control.

CORTAS provides a great forum for borrowing best practices; so that we can all deliver best-in-class solutions for our travellers and internal stakeholders.

Membership

Requirements

  • Corporate with strategically managed travel programme
  • Minimum annual travel spend of €3 million
  • Owner of data
  • Willingness to share knowledge and expertise
  • Give-and-take principle
  • Active participation
  • Payment of contribution

How to apply for membership

For inquiries and applications please send an email to the managing director.

Activities

Member Meetings

CORTAS meets five times per year for a general member meeting at a central location (one full day). During these meetings the members give input on current developments that will be discussed or studied, and information is shared on projects that members are currently working on. Also, partners from within the travel sector (airlines, travel management companies, online booking tool providers, hotel, rail or car vendors, etc.) are invited to present and share their perspective on the evolving industry. Followed by an open discussion with all attendees.

Events

One of the main pillars of CORTAS is continuous improvement and exchange of knowledge. Each year an Educational Event is organized. In 2018 we have initiated for the second time (previously in 2015) an Executive Leadership Programme. A full 3-day programme, exclusively for CORTAS members, developed and customized together with the Breda Business School. Members have access to all content on the ACTE Global website and the option to attend ACTE events globally (admission fees covered by CORTAS membership).

Other

CORTAS also represent the voice of its members towards the government and European Commission, if requested, as well as the press.

Upcoming Events

29 November 2019
> Member meeting
06 February 2020
> ACTE Education Forum – Brussels

Recent events

23-25 October 2019
> ACTE European Summit - Amsterdam
27 September 2019
> NDC Industry Debate & Member meeting
21 June 2019
> Member meeting
09-10 May 2019
> Educational event
22 March 2019
> Member meeting
31 January 2019
> ACTE Education Forum - Brussels
25 January 2019
> Member meeting
23 November 2018
> Member meeting
14-16 October 2018
> ACTE Global Summit - Paris
14 September 2018
> Member meeting
28 June 2018
> ACTE/CORTAS Education Forum - Amsterdam
18-20 April 2018
> Executive Leadership Program
09 March 2018
> Member meeting
01 February 2018
> ACTE Education Forum - Brussels
26 January 2018
> Member meeting

Partners

ACTE Global (Association of Corporate Travel Executives) has a 30-year reputation for leading the way corporate travel is conducted. As a global association comprised of executive-level members in more than 100 countries, ACTE Global pioneers educational and technological advances that make business travel productive, cost-effective and straightforward. ACTE Global advocacy and initiatives continue to support impactful changes in safety and security, privacy, duty of care and compliance along with traveller productivity that supports global commerce. www.acte.org

TESTIMONIAL GREELEY KOCH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
“CORTAS and ACTE Global have had a very long relationship that is focused on making corporate travel programs stronger for the company and their travellers. We have worked closely to develop education forums that bring the CORTAS members together with the industry suppliers so that all sides can be heard, understood and then work in conjunction for a better corporate travel experience. We have always counted on CORTAS members to bring their strong thoughts from the Netherlands to the planning committees of our ACTE Global events. By working together, we can make sure the voice of the business traveller is heard loud and clear.”

European Network of Associations for Corporate Travel
CORTAS is a member of ENACT – a partnership with the travel associations in several countries in Europe and ACTE Global, to jointly work on accreditation/certification, education, a voice to the European Union, benchmarking and best practices.

La Asociacion de los Decisores en Viajes de Empresa (Spain)

Association Française des Travel Managers (France)

Belgian Association of Travel Management (Belgium)

Press

> CORTAS vaart nieuwe koers - 01/12/2018
> Exclusief interview met Rijksoverheid over aanbesteding TMC - 10/10/2018
> CORTAS onthult nieuwe huisstijl - 03/07/2018
> Alles voor het welzijn van de zakenreiziger - 01/02/2018
> 50 jaar Zakenreis - 08/11/2017
> Reactie bedrijfsleven op distributietoeslag KLM - 08/11/2017
> TomTom navigeert net ietsje anders - 12/09/2017
> Laatste kans inschrijving voor forum van ACTE en CORTAS - 20/06/2017
> Exclusief zakenreisonderzoek - 02/02/2017
> CORTAS kennisclub onder de radar - 04/10/2016
> Mega evenement van ACTE en CAPA Amsterdam - 20/09/2016
> Gezamenlijk congres CORTAS ACTE en CAPA in Amsterdam - 15/10/2015
> CORTAS bundelt krachten om stem te laten horen in Brussel - 04/03/2014

The media partner of CORTAS in The Netherlands is “Zakenreis”