Alexandria, VA - The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, today announced author, restaurateur and host of Spike TV's Bar Rescue Jon Taffer as a featured keynoter at GBTA Convention 2019, held August 3-7 in Chicago. Taffer will deliver a keynote during the Welcome Kick Off Session on Sunday, August 4. His appearance is made possible by Travel Leaders Corporate.

"We are very pleased to welcome Jon Taffer to help us kick off GBTA Convention 2019," said Christle Johnson, GBTA president. "Jon's impressive industry experience dates back nearly four decades and includes consulting for many of the hoteliers we routinely interact with. He is sure to provide attendees with actionable takeaways on how to effectively lead and manage organizations."

An international celebrity, New York Times Best Selling Author, highly sought-after hospitality industry guru, and creator, executive producer and star of Paramount Network's number-one show, Bar Rescue, most people know Jon Taffer as a larger-than-life television personality who takes a no-holds-barred approach to helping hotels, restaurants, bars and other businesses reach their full potential.

Taffer also worked for a hotel management company in Chicago. As part of this role, he consulted for 28 luxury-brand hotels and broke countless hospitality industry records. His most notable industry-changing contribution was the creation of Rooms Inventory Management Systems (RIMS), a formulaic approach to hotel-room pricing, which, to this day, is considered by experts to be one of the greatest contributions to the hospitality industry ever.

Held at the McCormick Place in Chicago, GBTA Convention 2019 will bring together over 7,000 business travel professionals from more than 50 countries across the globe. It will feature world-class keynote speakers, more than 175 industry-leading education sessions, the largest business travel expo floor, a wide selection of professional development opportunities and much more, providing attendees the opportunity for professional development and to get business done.

Attendee registration is open now. More info on programs and speakers will be unveiled throughout 2019. For the latest developments and more information, please visit gbta.org/convention.

Media registration is complimentary and available online. GBTA's fifth annual Media Day on August 4, 2019 will feature back-to-back news announcements throughout the morning from top travel companies around the world, giving media an exclusive pass to the latest travel industry news.