THE GTMC COLUMN PAUL WAIT
Paul Wait is chief executive of the Guild of Travel Management Companies (
gtmc.org)
THE ACTE COLUMN CAROLINE ALLEN
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOULD GET THE RECOGNITION IT DESERVES
T
he general election is looming ever closer, and at last month’s Business Travel Show we launched our manifesto to an audience of government policy advisors, researchers and public affairs
directors. Our aim was clear – to ensure that the voice of the business traveller is recognised by campaigning MPs, both out on the streets and seated in Westminster. In recent months I have fought my own campaign to ensure that business travel receives the relevant government recognition. Airport capacity, high-speed rail and taxation – all of which, if properly reviewed and implemented with due consideration paid to connectivity and infrastructure, have the potential to offer a great deal of opportunity for both business travellers and the UK economy.We all know this is a favourite election topic, regardless what side of the political fence you’re on. Focusing government attention on the need for decisive action on increased airport capacity and support for routes for growth will be key in promoting international trade. In turn it is up to businesses to respond to this and invest in travelling abroad. Our own research tells us that over three quarters of business travellers (79 per cent) believes that business travel delivers new revenue opportunities that easily cover and offset the cost of travel. Greater investment in the regions and recognition of the value of regional economies must also be paid due diligence by the next government. Consideration for the infrastructure and connectivity of regional airports to Heathrow along with the completion, of High Speed 2, HS3 and Crossrail will all have a key role to play in supporting regional economic growth. Tax is an age-old election issue, and our focus has been on not just reducing but eliminating APD and potential hotel taxes to ensure the future economic competitiveness of the UK. Likewise, increased competition on the rail network with the development of open access will ensure business travellers can reap the benefits of better ticket pricing structures and improved facilities onboard. While I don’t quite feel the call of Westminster and I’m not (yet) inspired to start the GTMC Party, our manifesto does address key themes that I hope will see business travel confirm its place on the election agenda. Next stop, Prime Minister’s questions – you never know.
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
MAKING IT ALL ADD UP
WE LIVE IN A DIGITAL AGE, SO MAKE SURE YOU CAN DO THE MATHS
our ability to access archived personal and professional information will be lost. Cerf promotes the concept of a ‘digital vellum’: a transferrable, cloud-stored copy of the content, application and operating system of every piece of data. This mind-boggling information illustrates that mathematical data underpins the modern world, just as it helped ancient philosophers find the key to the many vexing questions of the universe. Maths makes the world go round. In 1989 Tim Berners-Lee wrote a proposal for what would eventually become the World Wide Web – and the way we operate and do business changed beyond all recognition within a decade. We don’t see it, but binary numbers lurk in the
A
background of everything we do, everywhere we go. The ability to create code and to analyse data must surely be two of the most in-demand basic skillsets in the world today. A major UK bank even offers a ‘code playground’ and free workshops for 7-to-17-year-olds, to teach the next generation how to write code. In 2012, LA police found that predictive analytics
were better than seasoned police analysts at predicting when and where burglaries and car break-ins might happen. They re-allocated police resources to the predicted hotspots, and crime dropped in those areas by 25 per cent. Data and predictive analytics are undoubtedly being used by counter terrorism units around the world to predict where and when the next attack is likely to take place. We know for certain that risk is increasingly important on the corporate agenda, so upcoming ACTE education forums put risk management in the spotlight. The ACTE London forum on March 26 at the Grange Tower Bridge hotel will take delegates on a deep-dive into legal-versus-professional responsibilities, and management of risk in the corporate travel programme. Then the BBT Forum, supported by ACTE, on May 15 at the Grange City hotel, will focus on striking a balance between managing risk and offering a more flexible booking environment. Come and join us.
BBT MARCH/APRIL 2015 121
ccording to Vint Cerf, Google’s vice-president, we may be entering a digital dark age. As hardware and software becomes obsolete with the acceleration of the digital revolution,
Caroline Allen is the regional director of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (
acte.org)
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