INFORM


WORDS MOLLY DYSON


TRAVELPORT AND IBM LAUNCH AI TRAVEL PLATFORM


TRAVEL COMMERCE COMPANY Travelport and IBM have partnered to launch IBM Travel Manager, an AI platform designed to help businesses manage corporate travel spend. Delivered via the IBM Cloud, the solution


uses IBM Watson’s AI capabilities to intelligently track, manage, predict and analyse travel costs. When combined with travel data from


the Travelport GDS, IBM Travel Manager gives users access to stored information, which is then used to create real-time predictive analytics recommending how adjustments in travel booking behaviour can impact a company’s budget. IBM Travel Manager is expected to be


commercially available to both IBM and Travelport customers.


EMPLOYEES ‘LENDING’ FIRMS £321M THROUGH EXPENSES


NEW RESEARCH HAS FOUND that UK employees are effectively “lending” their companies £321 million a month through expenses, and many are not happy about it. A survey of more than 1,000 employees


THE AVERAGE INDIVIDUAL CLAIM IS


across the UK by virtual payment technology provider Conferma revealed that 36 per cent of respondents use their own money to pay for work-related expenses at least once a month, with the average individual claim being £72.20. An alarming 33 per cent said they experience cash


37% £72.20


flow problems because of their company’s expenses process. This is especially true of younger employees, with half of those aged 18-34 saying they’d had less money to spend on personal items because of delayed reimbursement. Furthermore, 37 per cent of respondents said they


OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY OFTEN WAITED UP TO TWO WEEKS TO BE REIMBURSED FOR EXPENSES


often had to wait up to two weeks to be reimbursed for expenses after submitting a claim. As a result, 41 per cent of those surveyed said they would stop spending their own money on business expenses if they had to wait a long time to be paid back. ■ Expense technology trends, pages 96-100


Focus on learning at ACTE Global Summit


ACTE IS BRINGING ITS NEWEST EDUCATION offerings to Paris from 14-16 October. The continued focus on education and adult learning gives attendees the choice to attend sessions that are 30, 60, or 120 minutes in duration, offering something to suit everyone. New concepts include Learning Labs and Lunch and Learn, while the event incorporates


a Corporate Lodging Forum in association with HRS. There will be modified versions of previously introduced concepts such as the Tech Studios. “Feedback is the key to continuous improvement. We solicit input and ideas from our attendees after each event to determine what to keep,” says Greeley Koch, ACTE’s


executive director. ■ Opinion, p147


20


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER


2018


buyingbusinesstravel.com


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