In spite of turmoil in the global economy, a record 360 business travel managers attended the third annual Canada Education Conference last month in Toronto, according to its organizer, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE).Attendance at this year's conference, which took place Nov. 17 and 18, was nearly 40 percent higher than last year's, ACTE officials report. The reason, they suggest, is that many corporate travel executives are actively seeking education in order to help them cope with and respond to the down economy."While this is a tremendous vote of confidence for the industry, it also shows two other forces at play," ACTA President Richard Crum said in a statement. "The first is that ACTE is offering definitive strategies for operating in what appears to be a long-term global economic challenge. Our educational focus, 'Strategize to save money, travel to make money,' is having an immediate effect for a number of companies. The second is that our events are serving as a rallying point for the business travel industry during these uncertain times."During this year's ACTE Canada Education Conference, leading economists—including Professor Louis Gialloreto of Canada's McGill University and Pedro Antunes of Conference Board of Canada—delivered presentations that included economic outlooks as well as prescriptions."It's one thing to be presented with a set of numbers and told this is the future, deal with it," said ACTE Canada Regional Director Monica Hailstone. "But it's quite another thing to be told, 'This is very likely to happen, and here is the best way to manage it.' This is the approach that ACTE takes. Our members know the difference."