ITM Annual Conference 2014
THE GREAT AND GOOD GATHERED IN WALES THIS YEAR TO DISCUSS EVERYTHING FROM AIRPORT EXPANSION AND HS2, TO TMCs AND ‘TOTAL HOSPITALITY’. PAUL REVEL REPORTS
MORE THAN 300 DELEGATES, including 142 senior travel buyers, headed to the Celtic Manor resort in Newport, Wales, for Intelligent Futures, the Institute of Travel & Meetings’ (ITM) Annual Conference 2014, hosted by BBC news anchorman Huw Edwards.
Speakers included former transport secretary Lord Adonis, who said a new consensus among the main political parties on infrastructure projects made him optimistic about Britain’s future. The Labour peer said there “has been a growing realisation that serious investment in infrastructure is needed”, citing the government establishing the independent Airports Commission, under Sir Howard Davies, on airport expansion in 2012, and the overwhelming vote (in April) in favour of the High Speed Rail Bill – 452 for versus 41 against. An important catalyst for this change, he argued, was the success of the 2012 Olympics.
Huw Edwards, host of the ITM Annual Conference 2014
“There was a huge onus to deliver, on time and within reasonable budgets and to high quality specifications. And somewhat to our surprise, we did deliver – beyond expectations.”
TOTAL HOSPITALITY Companies should consider ‘total hospitality’ programmes to optimise their meetings, long- stay and transient room spend, delegates heard during a panel session on integrating travel buying. The discussion covered how integration brings benefits – including savings through
more spend leverage, and better management information and visibility – but challenges, too. These included getting buy-in from both suppliers and senior management, and overcoming resistance from those emotionally attached to organising events.
FAST FORWARD Huw Edwards chaired a session with industry experts looking at the future of business travel. The newsreader quizzed panellists on how they would adapt to future challenges and changes in the sector. BCD sales director
GTMC conference EXAMINING THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS TRAVEL
THE GUILD OF TRAVEL MANAGEMENT COMPANIES’ (GTMC) annual overseas conference took place at the Four Seasons in Marrakech at the end of May. Guest speakers included neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield and former NBA basketball star, John Amaechi. Travelport director Simon Ferguson and Statesman Travel’s operations manager Veronica Skvorova hosted a seminar discussing the future of business travel, and what it might look like in 2035. The speakers pointed to the rise of businesses such as Airbnb, Zipcar, Netflix and Spotify, and said that collaborative consumption start-ups have attracted
16 BBT JULY/AUGUST 2014
US$2 billion in funding in the last two years. Skvorova said the hybrid TMC of the future could combine a sophisticated automated transaction booking service with a personalised concierge advisory service and business consultancy. The pair predicted a new, expanded role for TMCs beyond travel, as they morph into resource management companies and business consultancies.
MORE DIRECT LONG-HAUL The majority of regional business travellers want more direct long-haul flights and greater capacity from their local airports, according to the latest GTMC survey, which polled more
Tony McGetrick said travel management companies (TMCs) had to “adapt to survive” but there were opportunities for them to offer “greater scope for creativity”. He said TMCs can use traveller profiles and community management to drive successful policies for their clients, as effective performance will be more about traveller behaviour than supplier deals. International Air Transport Association consultant Stephanne Pinguard said future distribution would be increasingly driven by product segment specialists, citing the rise of Airbnb and
Getyourguide.com – he said businesses wanting to aggregate and distribute multiple travel products will have to partner with these specialists. • See p90 for chief executive Simone Buckley’s analysis of the results of the recent ITM travel buyer opinion poll. • The 2015 ITM conference will be held in St Andrews, Scotland, on April 20-22, at the Fairmont hotel.
than 1,000 frequent business travellers living outside of London and the south east. It found more than four out of five respondents (84 per cent) called for more long-haul options out of regional airports, with 60 per cent saying these should be direct flights. The importance of aviation capacity in
the regions was highest in Northern Ireland, with 97 per cent calling for an increase, while only 50 per cent of regional travellers want capacity growth in London and the south east. The study found Air Passenger Duty (APD) was shown to affect traveller behaviour, with 43 per cent either regularly or occasionally flying non-direct via foreign hubs to avoid the tax. However, 56 per cent said a reduction in APD would have “no affect on their travel frequency”. • The conference also saw airport bosses from Heathrow and Gatwick make rival pitches for London’s new runway – see Interview (p24), and GTMC CEO Paul Wait’s column (p87).
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