HANDS-ON METHODS It doesn’t help that some airlines cannot be booked via the global distribution systems (GDSs) in Africa, and some credit card companies are not accepted by the GDSs either. Many global travel managers are surprised to learn that manual payment processes exist in many markets, with sup- pliers often having to wait well beyond their agreed payment terms to be paid. Additionally, there are many low-cost carriers operating in Africa that need to be booked via local travel agents or company travel co-ordinators in-country. These bookings are, therefore, being missed from any travel tracker reporting. “However, travel buyers and managers should expect reporting, even if some of it is manually extracted, resulting in delays and some quality issues,” says Pouney.


CASE STUDY “You need to be a little bit more prepared...”


Nick Easen shares his first-hand experience of working in Africa...


A TELEVISION SHOOT IN EGYPT for BBC World News and Bloomberg shouldn’t be that difficult to organise, right? Well, my experience as producer on this project was nail-biting and stressful, to say the very least. Yes, the trip went ahead, but the time, effort and investment needed to make it happen raised a lot of eyebrows. There were continual meetings on whether we should cancel, as well as many discussions over security issues. It didn’t help that our


reporter was flying from Lagos, Nigeria, but had to get a visa in person from the capital, Abuja, from a haphazard, under-funded Egyptian embassy. Then we had to organise our camera crew, who were flying in from the UK with an official


64 BBT JULY/AUGUST 2015


local detail. I believe it can make or break a trip. Here are the lessons


I’ve learnt. First, cost: you need contingency money. The strategic priority for managers may be cost control, but in Africa, ensuring traveller safety ends up trumping all other considerations. Second, take on someone


document registering the kit, and deposits for its safe return. We had to book at the very last minute, after receiving all the permissions – this saw prices rocket for both flights and hotels. Many people think travelling to Africa is cheaper than other regions, but I can categorically assure you it isn’t. We racked up costs


from having our reporter wait around the Egyptian embassy in Abuja for days with no real timetable


for acquiring a visa, or accountability from the authorities. We also had to hire security people in Egypt to accompany us on the shoot. A bomb went off in Cairo while our crew was out there.


The only thing that saved us was a local producer on the ground in the Egyptian capital. Our TMC assisted up to a point, but it’s the depth of local knowledge that really helped – not just for visas, but also for security and real


with direct on-the-ground experience to help you – it counts for a lot in Africa. Third, allow for the time things tend to take. As Stuart Lowman, senior editor at Bloomberg TV Africa, told me: “It’s Africa: everything takes a lot longer than you think. As long as everyone realises that, it’s totally fine.” Finally, there is also often a lack of preparation on the travellers’ behalf in advance of any trip to Africa. Each executive needs to be a little bit more prepared with documents, knowledge, lists and telephone numbers.


BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM


Johannesburg, South Africa


“The biggest success stories in Africa are where buyers partner with TMCs to develop a service operation”


“We need programme managers who are accountable both locally and globally. The biggest success stories in Africa are where buyers partner with TMCs to develop a service operation, which merges the best in local delivery, with globally recognised standards in service and process.” Yet, in some countries and economic sectors, travel buying has to be local.


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