THE GTMC COLUMN PAUL WAIT, GTMC CHIEF EXECUTIVE
LESS TALK, MORE ACTION T
IT’S TIME TO RESOLVE THE DEBATE OVER AIRLINE CAPACITY
he recent Guild of Travel Management Companies’ overseas conference in Marrakech devoted a lot of
focus to what was on the horizon for the next generation of business travellers. However, it was a subject with slightly more immediacy that had delegates enraptured – the need for greater airline capacity in London and the south east, with Heathrow and Gatwick representatives making rival pitches for their own airport’s expansion. One year from now, Sir Howard Davies’ Airports Commission will have published its final report. While there currently seems to be cross- party consensus on the process and
THE ACTE COLUMN CAROLINE ALLEN, ACTE REGIONAL DIRECTOR
THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT I
THE DIVERSITY OF OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY BENEFITS EVERYONE
love my job and feel the need to shout about it. In the course of my work over the past six years, I have learned about some of the key challenges that the Association of Corporate Travel Executives’ (ACTE) buyer and supplier members face throughout EMEA, and have tried to help find solutions by creating educational content around those themes. I am on a never-ending loop of event-planning cycles and conference calls, fortunately involving some of the smartest and sharpest brains in the industry. I work collaboratively with partners, host venues and sponsors to ensure we deliver return
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
on investment for their support, and to help them achieve their goals. I supplement ACTE’s own educational activities with third-party events, and nurture partnerships with European business travel associations to help the industry advance together.
Our forums in Paris, Milan, Madrid, Moscow, London, Brussels, Stuttgart, Zurich, Amsterdam and Dubai have each been very different. The content has shared similarities, but the dialogue has been rich and diverse.
ACTE is constantly innovating. After listening to our members, we know budgets are tight for travel buyers, yet they keep telling us that attending our
BBT JULY/AUGUST 2014 87
educational events is the way to stay abreast of industry trends and at the top of their game – so we have worked diligently with our partners to lower our cost base. As a result, we can offer an unrivalled member benefit: ACTE Buyer members can now attend the industry education event of the year, ACTE’s Global education conference in Copenhagen (October 19-21), as a member benefit. Now, that really is something to shout about.
economic imperative to implement Davies’ final recommendations, it’s impossible to predict whether the final solution will be delayed or watered down by politicking. Nigel Milton, director of policy and political relations at Heathrow, argued that there are 40 further destinations Heathrow could fly to if it had more capacity. Gatwick’s chief commercial officer, Guy Stephenson, countered by stating that his airport already serves 46 of the top 50 European business routes, including 11 domestic UK destinations which Heathrow does not. Delegates agreed that neither had overwhelmingly persuaded them to back their plans outright, but something
that Heathrow’s Milton said perked ears and focused minds: “Since 1650, London has had the world’s most trafficked port or airport until earlier this year, when Dubai overtook it.” As an island nation and one that depends wholly on trade for a good proportion of our GDP, if ever there was phrase to use as a call to arms for our next government to get shovels into the ground, then this was it. Debate rather than action will inevitably mean that London and the UK economy risks continuing to lose out.
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