p23 itm apr3 31/3/09 17:59 Page 23
ttglive.com
conference report news
ITM 2009 • March 25-27 • Liverpool
EMPLOYEE CARE. COST-CUTTING.
‘Staff wellbeing
should be TMCs’
PwC reaps savings by
responsibility’
imposing travel rules
TRAVEL managements companies should play
a bigger role in looking after the wellbeing of PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS has made Avery said it demonstrated what employees
business travellers, according to Ajay Sodha, “substantial savings” since introducing travel were willing to do for the good of the business in
managing director of Key Travel Management. restrictions at the turn of the year. the downturn.
He said TMCs must look beyond simply And the accountancy giant’s head of business “People are doing things now that they
booking flights and hotels. services, Mark Avery, said he had been wouldn’t have done six months ago,” he said.
“We have the means to educate travellers “stunned” at how well staff had complied with Avery, the immediate past chairman of the
about wellbeing in line with their company’s the amended policy. Institute of Travel Management, was speaking
travel policy,” Sodha told
ttgbusiness.com at the At the beginning of January, PwC informed its to first-time attendees at the organisation’s
Institute of Travel Management conference in employees that they could not book flexible tick- conference in Liverpool.
Liverpool. ets for journeys lasting less than three hours. Sharing a long list of top tips with the new
“We will be asking buyers to look at what parts “Like most companies we were looking to travel managers, Avery advocated the use of
of the policy are causing travellers stress. reduce the cost of travelling without affecting travel management companies as essential to a
“If you save £30 staying in a hotel out of the ability to travel. It’s good business sense,” travel management programme.
town because of your commercial deal, yet the he said. “When you are starting out as a travel manager
traveller still has a distance to travel to a “But I have been stunned at the silence from you must get your data in one place – and the
meeting, is that really a saving? And is it making our travellers. I didn’t expect the change to be best place to do that is with your TMC. It is im-
life unnecessarily difficult for travellers?” so smooth.” portant to develop a good working relationship.”
Sodha said TMCs were, to a large extent, imple-
menting only the “bare bones” of a travel policy.
“Frontline agents talk to travellers about
KEYNOTE SPEECH.
which class they may or may not travel and ask
for the appropriate booking code, but we don’t
Livingstone says
yet think about the next level,” he said.
“We should be looking at booking patterns. climate will spur
Are travellers taking two long-haul trips back to
back? The business may say it is necessary but
video meetings
we should still be flagging it up. We need to get
involved on a level above just flights and hotels.” VIDEOCONFERENCING will revolutionise the busi-
ness community’s attitude to travel, according to
former London mayor Ken Livingstone.
2010 CONFERENCE.
In a keynote speech at the ITM conference in
ITM lines up next year’s
Liverpool, the Labour politician predicted that
fixture at Chelsea FC
making business trips in the future may be
ditched after initial face-to-face contact has been
made, in favour of virtual alternatives.
THE INSTITUTE of Travel and Meetings will hold “Videoconferencing will grow massively,” he
its 2010 conference at Chelsea Football Club’s said. “You’ll need the initial human contact to see
Stamford Bridge stadium in London. who you're dealing with. Only then will you be areas of the world will become uninhabitable.”
The organisation’s outgoing chairman said able to pick it up with VC.” Livingstone also told ITM delegates that he
holding the conference in the cap- He suggested that as the quality of video supported the prime minister’s borrowing strat-
ital would enable it to invite technology improves and the cost reduces there egy to help the economy break out of recession.
innovative speakers from would be a massive corporate uptake. But he also While admitting he did not often see eye-to-
around the world. cited growing concerns about the environment eye with Gordon Brown, Livingstone said: “China
The annual gathering as a catalyst for a switch to videoconferencing. is investing nearly 40% of its GDP in its economy,
– to be held next April – “Within five or six years we’ll see a huge drive and some others are not far behind.
will be the first under to reduce carbon emissions,” he predicted. “If we don’t invest we could limp on in
the chairmanship of BBC “Climate change is happening faster than recession for the next three years. If we match
chng
.x
head of sourcing Jamie scientists initially thought. Average tempera- US president Obama’s strategy we could come
Stock Hindhaugh. tures could rise to such an extent that some strongly out of this by 2010.”
03.04.2009 23
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