blandry,

I didn't reveal all the information, but there is a bit more. My friend manages the customer relationship, there are 3 or 4 sales people involved and engineers, and there was a mismatch between what the client expected and what was presented for a new sale. It's a long term relationship, worth millions a year, and this was a large sale of a new product (not an upgrade). I can't reveal more details, but my friend was asked by the client to come that day for meetings the next day.

The CEO isn't, or wasn't involved in this sale. The company has revenue in the hundreds of millions a year, though this is a big sale for them. However the CEO does have to approve all travel taking place in less than seven days. It's a similar policy that I've seen in large corporations, though typically it's the CFO or COO doing it.

The company is a public company, not on the verge of bankruptcy, reporting decent results given the economy.