Academy for Travel Launches to Take FACTS Conference Expertise 365 Days a Year

New online learning platform from the founders of FACTS gives corporate travel professionals self-paced, practitioner-led courses. Enterprise licences available

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, October 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Academy for Travel (AFT), a new online learning platform for the corporate travel industry, has launched ahead of FACTS 2026, the region's leading business travel and events expo, taking place at ICC Sydney on 25–26 November. The platform turns the knowledge shared at a two-day live event into courses that travel managers, buyers, suppliers and people new to the industry can take throughout the year.

The Academy was founded by Peter Harbison and Derek Sadubin, co-founders of FACTS, together with Jamie Harbison. Its courses are authored by experienced industry practitioners, and FACTS speakers are being invited to create further courses on the platform, so the conversations that start on the conference floor carry on online.

"We're here to launch the Academy, which is very exciting because it's a great new initiative to give people who are new to travel, or who have been in travel for a long time, access to really good short-course training and professional development that they can do in their own time, at their own pace," said Derek Sadubin, co-founder of Academy for Travel.

Built for an industry that changes fast
Corporate travel is being reshaped by new technology, including agentic AI, alongside changing procurement practices and traveller expectations. Rather than relying on a fixed syllabus, AFT updates its courses as the industry moves.

"The genesis of Academy for Travel was actually FACTS," said Peter Harbison, co-founder and Lead Faculty of Academy for Travel. "We came to the realisation that there's such a thirst for knowledge, and there's no product out there that describes the whole travel industry, all its really complex parts and how they're changing so fast. Because we've got dynamic courses, we can keep up with that change online."

"It's hard to keep up because it's changing so quickly," said one university travel program manager at the launch. "If you really want up-to-date information, an organisation such as Academy for Travel can prepare people to be work-ready, so they can join an organisation and hit the ground running." Another added: "FACTS is only two days, but there are 365 days in a year. Our industry loves getting together, but we can't do it every day. Having a digital platform is a great way to keep it going."

Flagship course: Mini-MBA: Corporate Travel in Australia
AFT's flagship programme, Mini-MBA: Corporate Travel in Australia, explains how corporate travel actually operates, economically, operationally and strategically, in the Australian and Asia-Pacific context. Across 10 modules and more than 13 hours of learning, it covers TMC operations, procurement, airline revenue management, distribution technology, duty of care, sustainability, data and the future of corporate travel to 2035.
The programme is taught by Peter Harbison, Derek Sadubin and Virginia Fitzpatrick, Managing Director of Partnership Travel Consulting and a FACTS advisory board member, who brings more than 25 years in corporate travel.

"Academy for Travel is a much-needed source of professional training for anyone working in corporate travel," said Fitzpatrick. "For too long, our industry has lacked a dedicated, structured development pathway, even as more talented people enter and progress through corporate travel and the need for ongoing education grows."

Editions tailored to New Zealand, the UK and the USA are also available, alongside a buyer-focused Mini-MBA for Australian procurement teams. The catalogue also includes Scaling AI in Corporate Travel for TMCs and specialist courses on Formula 1 and international yacht race logistics. More courses, including GDS distribution and NDC for travel managers, are in development. Learners are supported by Sofia, AFT's AI learning assistant.

Special offer for FACTS 2026 delegates
All Academy for Travel courses are 50 per cent off for FACTS 2026 delegates until the conference closes at midnight (AEDT) on 26 November 2026. That includes the Mini-MBA: Corporate Travel in Australia at A$497.50, down from A$995.

About FACTS 2026
FACTS is the region's leading business travel conference and trade show, bringing together travel buyers, travel management companies, suppliers, technology providers and destinations. FACTS 2026 takes place on 25–26 November at ICC Sydney and is expected to draw more than 2,000 attendees, 150 exhibitors and 200 speakers across eight stages, with all stages free of sponsored content. More information is available at factsevent.com.

About Academy for Travel
Academy for Travel is an online learning platform for the corporate travel industry, offering self-paced courses written by experienced practitioners and kept current as the industry changes. It extends the expertise of the FACTS conference into year-round professional development for buyers, suppliers, travel management companies and newcomers to travel. Learn more at academyfortravel.com.

Jamie Harbison
Academy For Travel Pty Ltd
+61 433 816 847
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