In advance of its upcoming Global Education Conference, taking place Oct. 5-7 in Rome, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) has reported the strongest influx of pre-conference registrations in its recent history. The surge in pre-event interest, it suggests, is a direct result of recent financial upset on Wall Street, which has business travel managers and meeting planners alike scrambling to demonstrate their value."Concern bordering fear is surging through the business travel management profession on several levels," ACTE President Richard Crum said in a statement. "There is fear among suppliers that a more pronounced economic downturn will curtail spending in 2009. There is fear that companies pressed for cash will simply slash travel across the board, reducing the need to manage this asset. And there is fear that the business travel industry will stall when it should be investing in new opportunities."Although ACTE has not reported specific registration numbers, it indicated that demand is higher than ever before for professional development opportunities that will make business travel professionals an indispensable corporate asset."ACTE is about education and, in challenging economic times, knowledge is indeed power," Crum said. "Travel management executives burdened with uncertainty and fear are coming to the right place."ACTE predicted a severe economic downturn in the United States more than a year ago, it says, and has been preparing for one ever since. At its Global Education Conference—which will be keynoted by renowned economist Dr. Nariman Behravesh—it will offer three educational sessions that focus on "demand management," "value management" and "strategic meetings management" in order to present business travel managers with cost-reduction strategies that will help them add value to their organizations in the midst of corporate downsizing."In tough times you want answers and options, and relevant topical keynote speakers, not entertainers," Crum concluded. "ACTE will continue to work on behalf of travel managers and suppliers alike to give them the tools they need to succeed—in good times and in bad."