BT Show
IN CONVERSATION… David Chapple
The Business Travel Show’s event director talks to Buying Business Travel about the feedback he's received this year, and what to expect in the upcoming 12 months
conference programme as good or excellent. It’s a big area of investment for us – we introduced an Advisory Board for the first time this year and we’ll be expanding it next year.
TMCS
‘NO WIN, NO FEE’ CONCEPT Click Travel is expecting to grow its sales by 67 per cent during its current financial year. The Birmingham-based travel management company (TMC) said at the show that sales were on course to reach £50 million for the financial year ending in March – up from £30 million during the previous 12 months. Managing director Simon McLean said: “We don’t see any sign of our business slowing down – we are doing well even though the economy isn’t strong and the ongoing problems in the eurozone.” Click has also launched a consulting division, being developed on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis. “The idea is that customers will come up with strategic objectives as to how they want to manage travel,” explained McLean. “We will then work with them to deliver that objective with a fixed fee which is only paid when the objective has been reached. A good example would be achieving an 80 per cent or higher rate of online adoption.”
100
ANCILLARIES PRIORITY PASS SHOWCASES THE AIRPORT LOUNGE OF THE FUTURE Lounge access provider Priority Pass showcased its vision of a ‘super lounge’ circa 2030 at the show, with features such as ‘work-life pods’ and ‘holographic gyms’. It said luxuries such as extensive spa facilities, usually found in a select few premium-class airline VIP lounges, would become the norm, while food and drink will become more self-service oriented, with touchscreen menu options. Priority Pass also forecasted increased use of NFC technology for transactions in airports and lounges, and frequent fliers using “certain types of approved luggage designs
What feedback from buyers
and clothing” for faster security checks and check-in. General manager Errol McGlothan
said: “As travel budgets come under intense pressure it will be increasingly important to consider how professionals can be more efficient with their travel time. Airport lounges in the future will better accommodate working and personal needs to offer enhanced value to business travellers.”
GROUND TRANSPORT REDFERN: NEW UK TAXI SERVICE Redfern Travel unveiled a new taxi booking service through its existing online booking tool, at the Business Travel Show. The Bradford-based TMC teamed up with taxi specialist Cabfind and technology firm Micros Travel to offer the new option to clients through its Trips tool. The new service allows travellers to book taxis across the UK, both from their homes to a station or airport, and also to their meeting or event at the other end of the journey. Mark Bowers, joint CEO of Redfern, said he believed the company was the first TMC to offer this type of service in the UK. “What we have created with Cabfind is essentially a GDS [global distribution system] for taxis by pulling together different providers across the UK,” he said. “It works from postcode-to-postcode and is designed as an end-to-end solution. We focused on the UK because we have the central government contract for employees who travel predominantly in the UK.” The new facility also searches for the best available train ticket and best value accommodation for the entire trip. ■
Next year’s Business Travel Show will take place on February 4-5, 2014, at Earls Court 2.
David Chapple
What’s been the response to the
changes you made for this year’s show? The biggest change we introduced to the show this year
was the extended hosted buyer programme, which included a pre-show conference attended by around 100 hosted buyers, many of whom travelled to the show from overseas. Education is key to our hosted buyers and the feedback was really positive. The content was created specifically for them – that is, buyers with a global or European remit – and they really appreciated its relevance and the quality of speakers.
How important is the education
element of the show? The hosted buyers place a lot of
importance on the
education sessions, particularly the buyer-only masterclasses, which I’ll go so far as to say they rave about. They really appreciate the closed format and limited delegate numbers. This confidentiality and intimacy means they really do get the opportunity to discuss crucial and relevant issues and challenges. In our post-show survey, over 80 per cent ranked the
and suppliers have you had to the hosted buyer programme? They’re telling us the programme is very well organised,
that it’s a great learning experience with a good mix of suppliers to meet, and that there are good networking opportunities at the show and in the evenings. The hosted buyer lounge was very useful for them to stay in touch with work. Suppliers have been very impressed with the visitor numbers and also the quality of the audience generally, and the hosted buyers specifically.
What do you think will be the
most significant trends for business travel in the coming year? We asked senior European buyers in our intelligence
report this very question: what they feel are the biggest challenges facing buyers over the next 12 months. The answers included duty of care and rising non-air costs, compliance, demand management, use of technology, becoming increasingly procurement- led, and hotel spend transparency. But according to GBTA [Global Business Travel Association] France president Yann Le Goff, one of the biggest trends is ROI [return on investment].
MARCH/APRIL 2013
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