Supported by
BBT Forum Dublin
Travel buyers headed to the historic Gresham hotel in Dublin to debate current challenges, and share knowledge and experiences
A RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY NEEDS GOOD COMMUNICATION with travellers to be effective, delegates heard. Alan Bermingham, travel buyer for Defence Forces Ireland, was speaking during a panel session on risk. He said: “At the Irish Defence Forces we developed a policy from top down – then it’s important you don’t put it in a drawer but communicate it throughout your organisation.” He added by doing this
effectively, it gives your travellers confidence that they know what to do if an incident occurs. “There is so much ambiguity around what to do in an incident with so many people, media outlets and business leaders giving their opinions – this can confuse travellers, so ensure each of them knows exactly what your policy states when a crisis hits.” Bermingham was speaking on a panel that included Lufthansa key account manager Helen Fyfe and BCD Travel vice-president Bepi Gaidoni. They discussed managing travel disruption and how best to handle traveller communications in a variety of situations.
Leading the discussion was
International SOS director Nicola Lomas, who cited research which found that 46 per cent of buyers didn’t know their companies’ travel risk policy or what action to take when an incident occurred. She asked buyers at the
Supported by: The Gresham
forum to offer advice on effectively communicating the policy. One, from a multinational firm, said one of the most important issues is ensuring all your traveller profiles are always up-to-date. “I will hold my traveller’s hand throughout the process to ensure it’s all complete, as it’s pointless having traveller profiles if all the information is out of date.”
Another buyer, who works for a global organisation, said simplicity is the key to an effective plan. “Create a communication plan with simple processes, such as having your phone charged. Think about simple and practical advice.” Lufthansa’s Fyfe said technology has improved communication when disruption occurs and urged buyers to “learn how effective certain tools can be in a crisis”. She said: “Technology
has really helped in the past few years so, when there’s a
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cancellation or gate change, mobile technology allows us to get that information as quickly as possible to the traveller.” BCD’s Gaidoni spoke about one of the most recent health scares, the Zika virus. “It will have a profound impact. It’s scary and it’s hitting our shores; there are areas that will become no-go zones for our travellers.”
‘MIND BOGGLING’ The amount of technology available in the travel sector is “mind boggling” and buyers need to “fully understand” how their travellers are using it in their roles, according to Alex Gibson, senior lecturer in marketing at Dublin Institute of Technology. In a keynote address, he said the changes taking place in technology are “truly of a disruptive nature”. “The world of technology is a fascinating one, especially in the context of business travel,” he said. “For example, look at augmented and virtual reality
– a year ago I’d have said it will be a long time before it’s launched, but now you have Sony launching its new Playstation VR [virtual reality] product this year. And we’ve seen how quickly adoption rates can be for products into the business market. “So technology is evolving all the time. I’d like to see travel managers spend time with their executives and discuss how they’re using devices in terms of a direct business context in their roles.”
Gibson also spoke about advances in technology for meetings with the introduction of hologram devices such as Microsoft’s Hololens, which some hotels have started to introduce. Also in the hotel sector, he spoke about the “rapid rise” in apps that allow travellers to personalise their experience within a hotel, citing brands, such as Citizen M, which are “leading the way”. “A big issue for the tourism industry now is a ‘personalisation paradox’,” he said. “This is where the hotel sector wants to highly standardise the process to drive their cost down, but guests want more and more personalisation.” The next BBT Forum takes place in London on May 19. Limited complimentary places are available for travel buyers. For more information visit
buyingbusinesstravel.com/ bbtforum
Event location sponsor:
18
BBT MARCH/APRIL 2016
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
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