THE REVIEW ›› THE LOWDOWN Decentralised booking ahead
EUROPEAN companies will follow in the footsteps of their North American counterparts by moving to a more decentralised travel booking model, according to a new report from Egencia. Launched at The Business Travel
Conference in June, the report shows that in Europe two out of three companies currently centralise their reservations through travel arrangers or internal travel services, but only one in three do so in North America. The report reveals that the more
a company is geographically spread out, the more it is likely to decentralise its bookings, with a greater proportion of employees booking travel for themselves. Furthermore, it claims that the
latest economic, generational and technological trends will lead European companies down the path of decentralised booking
TBTC'14 GOES GREEN WITH FCm
FCm Travel Solutions took the unprecedented step of offsetting the entire carbon footprint of delegates and exhibitors attending The Business Travel Conference (TBTC). The decision ensured that the event, held 17th-18th June and involving over 200 delegates, was carbon-neutral for the first time.
models as seen across the Atlantic. It reasons that a combination
of companies developing their overseas business, a greater proportion of Gen Y or 'millennial' employees entering the workplace, and the rise of mobile booking technology will all contribute to decentralisation. The report concludes that “TMCs
must prepare for the future by offering multi-platform services that provide contextualised, personalised solutions that are available to travellers whether they are on the road or at their desk. These tools must also be fast, flexible and give bookers easy access to a full range of global travel content.”
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
ONE workshop at The Business Travel Conference highlighted the large knowledge gap among buyers when communicating with key internal stakeholders. Responding to a pre-event survey, speakers John Dickens of Discovery and Karen McKenna of Calista were surprised at the 93 per cent of delegates who said they use email to engage with travellers and stakeholders. “That’s one of the most inefficient
ways of communicating. You can’t engage with key stakeholders that
way,” says McKenna. She advised text messaging as a preferred method as the technology is there all the way through the trip, from before the traveller leaves the office, on the way to the airport, once they’ve arrived at the airport, when they arrive at the next airport, and so on. Dickens adds, “Email is fine for
communicating externally but internal communication should be by text, social media, Yammer and your company intranet.”
GILES ACADEMY GETS RESULTS
STUDENTS of the Giles Business Travel Academy graduated in June following six months of intensive learning and training. They become not only the first to graduate from The Academy, but also the first in the UK to receive the new qualification of a Diploma in Business Travel, endorsed by the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality. A graduation ceremony
took place at The Langham, London, with guests including active supporters of the The Academy such as the GTMC’s Paul Wait, Steve Murray of Advantage and representa- tives from Sabre, Emirates, United, British Airways, Eurostar and Air Canada. “The idea of creating The
Academy came from the need to inject fresh, new talent into the business travel industry,” says David Giles, Chairman of The Giles Group. “Despite the number of
Travel & Tourism courses available in higher education, business travel is barely even recognised either as a study sector or career opportunity.” The Academy is currently
processing admissions for the next Diploma course, beginning in September 2014. See
www.gilesBTA.com
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