THE
INTERMEDIARY
JO GREENFIELD, UK general manager, FCM Travel Solutions
THE TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
CATHERINE McGAVOCK, regional director EMEA for the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)
UNDERSTAND YOUR REQUIREMENTS by analys- ing historical data and consulting with the business to identify future needs. Under- stand the market, the changes occurring and what the competition is doing. Don’t over-egg the likely size of the contract. Be explicit about the level and type of support and reporting you require. Don’t just focus on price – consider ways your supplier can tailor their offer to deliver value that will enhance your travellers’ experience or save you cost. Stay focused on what represents value
to your organisation and travellers. Agree a pricing strategy that is appropriate for your business’s needs and that drives the right behaviour on both sides. Ensure you are not exposed to unexpected costs or paying for things you don’t need or want. Manage your supplier – make sure you get the service and reporting that has been
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
agreed. If there’s a problem, let them know as soon as possible to give them the chance to rectify the issues.
SIMONE BUCKLEY, chief executive of the Institute of Travel and Meetings (ITM)
FORMING A STRONG SUPPLIER PARTNERSHIP depends a lot on identifying mutual benefits and objectives at the start of your relation- ship. Select partners on their overall ability to meet your company’s multi-faceted needs – if you pick a supplier because they meet the pricing requirements but not the service requirements, you’re set to fail. Understand the business travel needs
and expectations of all stakeholders. Be clear: needs differ from expectations. If your travellers expect more than the company thinks they need, be aware of this and make sure your supplier partner is aware of this. Together you will need to tackle the gap through education and communication.
BBT MAY/JUNE 2014 39
IT’S IMPORTANT TO WORK in partnership and understand each other’s objectives. However, suppliers can’t do much without data. Even if a client has just started a new travel pro- gramme, it’s important to monitor flight frequencies, rates and routes from day one to create spend visibility. Suppliers look at a client’s profile and data in order to value what a corporate’s business is worth to them, before they come up with a proposition. Many people are talking about big data at the moment, and everyone is focused on data strategy. But the secret is what to do with that data. You must extract the right data to back up supplier negotiations. How many sectors did the client book with an airline on a particular route last year? What was the average fare paid? How many sectors were booked on other airlines on the same route? Work out the locations where you need
hotels, and calculate the volume of room nights you book at each hotel in each lo- cation. Once we are armed with the right data, we will be able to determine whether a client has sufficient volume to negotiate a worthwhile deal.
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