WITH THE SO-CALLED summer behind us, our heads turn to business again as we prepare for one of the busiest quarters of the year. There is a buzz at the moment regarding the effectiveness of travel policies: does unmanaged travel in fact produce higher cost savings than managed travel? The ancillary fee conversation continues as buyers look to understand what makes up the total cost of an air fare and ensure no stone is left unturned where savings are concerned. And, of course, with the hotel request for proposal (RFP) season about to start, the question of “how effective is
2012/13 ITM update
Back to business
HOTEL RFP SOURCING WORKSHOP (September 11) This in-depth full day session, being run by Lanyon, HRG and Accor in partnership with ITM, will help buyers decide the best strategy for their hotel programme. It will cover topics such as data and how it can be used to gain the most value, and the latest tools and technology that could make your RFP process more efficient, plus usable insights on how to best implement your programme.
ITM BUYER FORUM (October 3)
A full-day forum where the business travel model of the future gets redesigned. We will investigate topics such as global distribution systems-versus-
There is a buzz at the moment regarding the effectiveness of travel policies
an RFP anyway?” rears its head as the industry looks to make continual improvements to this cumbersome (but maybe necessary) practice. So it is back to business as we gear ourselves up to ensure 2013 has a brighter outlook. It may seem that the road ahead is a challenging one, but ITM is ready to provide the support and information to tackle what lies ahead.
AIR & HOTEL BUYER-ONLY FOCUS GROUPS (check the ITM calendar for future dates) Together, our buyer members have the purchasing power and depth of knowledge to help each other achieve best-in-class travel programmes, therefore the agenda for these meetings has been set by our buyer members for our buyer members. The first focus group meeting was held in August for air and hotel programme management, with case studies being shared in both.
direct connect and controlling your programme in the mobile world, and look at issues the buyer faces today – for example, advocacy items such as taxation and credit card fees, and the differences between travel management company data, card data and other data sources.
To register for the above upcoming events, contact harriet.holmes@itm.org.uk ITM Business Buyer members go free, ITM Connect and non- member buyers pay to attend and receive an annual ITM Business membership. ■ View the ITM event calendar to see our other up-coming events, including Buyer & Supplier member networking, at www