Opinion DATA PROTECTION We must learn to future-proof ourselves in anticipation of new technology
DESPITE STRONGER PRIVACY protection laws in Europe, the free information age has irreversibly changed how data is sourced, and used, in social and working environments, ultimately revolutionising how we do business. Every time you ‘like’ a Facebook
page, you share your public information. While we may consider our profile details to be personal, not public, that is not necessarily the Facebook view. Your name, profile picture, location, gender, networks, connections, education, work, activities and interests can all become public property at the click of a button. Somewhere down the line our information may be used to sell us things. Trip Advisor, an early adopter of user-generated content, is a site many of us are familiar with, to create and read reviews that may be used to decide
where to take a well-earned holiday. Surprisingly, despite the fact this web company doesn’t appear to sell anything, and its contents are created by the people who use it, it still employs 1,250 people, has revenues of US$732 million and a net income of US$182 million. Spun from Expedia at the end of 2011 as, apparently (and unsurprisingly), the most profitable in a portfolio of travel-related entities, its core business is ultimately the acquisition and sale of data. Data is fast becoming a
greater revenue generator than sales of products and services. The data industry is now reportedly worth more than US$1 trillion dollars annually, with US$40 billion of that associated with the travel industry. Data is the engine oil of the modern business. It’s remarkable that every two days we create as much information as we did right
up to 2003. Fail to understand the relevance of data and how it's used in our cyber age, and you’re heading for extinction. Big brother is watching.
Today’s technology is already sophisticated enough to determine your social- demographic status depending on what device you use to connect to the web, which, combined with cookie trails, can ultimately affect the online price you pay. You can learn more about this at the ACTE/MS-UK partner forum on April 30. We must heed the need to gear our curriculum to the changing landscape – otherwise we will be educating our youth for a world of commerce that does not exist when they enter employment. It is already suggested that 40 per cent of the jobs that exist today did not exist when the current school intake started in education. Those with
LOOKING FORWARD The Davies Commission will offer a key to the industry's future
I HAVE BEEN IN THE POSITION of GTMC chief executive since the start of 2013. I took over from the inimitable Anne Godfrey who, during her three-year tenure, did a great job of moving the organisation forward – something I will continue to do. My career background includes 27 years with a travel management company (TMC), and 13 years with an airline; I have also been a GTMC member and partner, so I’ve sat on both sides of the fence. I want the GTMC to be seen as the leading voice in business travel – to be the representative of not just TMCs but also our partners and, of course, the business traveller. This year’s AGM and the Business Travel Show were an
opportunity for me to stress that business travel should be viewed as an investment and not a cost, with a true value to UK plc. Business travel is very much a
barometer of the economic heath of the nation, and our quarterly transaction survey has always been welcomed by the media. But we want to expand the
data we currently supply, and use it to support our opinions and strengthen our lobbying efforts. I have quickly embraced the GTMC lobbying campaign and been thrown into the political arena, with introductory meetings with key politicians and civil servants designed to broaden awareness of the GTMC as the voice of business travel. Now the Davies Commission guidance paper has been
published, we know they are openly seeking ideas about specific projects to add capacity in the south-east and offering to assist with testing them, all with a view to whittling down the viable options, to be published in the interim report due at the end of this year. That interim report will also detail how we can unlock capacity from current runways, which brings consideration of mixed mode and night flights at Heathrow into the equation. The GTMC has set to work on formulating a submission to be considered in the interim report. The full recommendations of the Davies Commission are not due until 2015 – and then, goodness knows how long it will take to act on the findings. In
The ACTE column
a gift for data analytics will be remunerated handsomely. Access Susan Hopley’s
presentation from the London ACTE forum held in November 2012 for some startling facts about the prolific growth of the data industry. Susan’s presentation, plus ACTE research and white papers that may influence your business strategy, are all freely available through ACTE Connect to ACTE members.
Caroline Allen is the Association of Corporate Travel Executives’ regional director. For more information visit
www.acte.org or contact
callen@acte.org
The GTMC column
the meantime, due to Heathrow being full and the slots so tight, we struggle coping with the massive delays even a few inches of snow brings, let alone the damage being caused by the hindrance lack of capacity is doing to economic growth. It just leaves me to say,
I am very excited about my role here at the GTMC, and see it as a natural step in my business travel career – and I will keep you informed of news through this column.
Paul Wait is chief executive of the Guild of Travel Management Companies
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