Rate debate

Donna Fitzgerald, Chief Growth Officer for Clarity Travel Management, and Jonathan Read, Head of National Account, Leonardo Hotels, shared an honest and lively debate about accommodation RFPs, re-shopping and payment complexities. Fitzgerald said while corporate clients are still preferring fixed rates, hotels are leaning more towards dynamic pricing, which often results in a hybrid programme. She said a recent GBTA survey found 55% of corporates still want fixed rates but 42% are happy to consider dynamic rates but with more information. While many clients remain concerned that switching to dynamic pricing might see them going over budget, the experience of one big Clarity client is showing this might not be the case. The panel also discussed the impact of re-shopping technology, with Leonardo’s Reed warning that if more clients use the technology to cancel at the last minute and then rebook at a cheaper rate, this might force hoteliers to rethink their cancellation terms in order to avoid having empty rooms. Something for corporates to consider.

Work hard, play hard

A workshop on the growing trend for travellers to add leisure travel on to work trips concluded that there is a need for guidelines to help corporates make sure their travel policies are clear with regards to duty of care, the impact on costs and other potentially grey areas. While some sectors, such as tech, are adopting a relaxed attitude to ‘bleisure’ in order to attract and retain talent, other industries, such as banking and law, are not being as flexible. According to Saad Hamaad, Group CEO Key Travel, even organisations involved in charity and humanitarian work are enabling their people to add on leisure time after stints overseas, recognising that this gives them the chance to wind down and de-stress. Meanwhile, suppliers are increasingly accommodating ‘bleisure’ trips by extending corporate negotiated rates and being flexible with payment options.

Beam me up, Scotty

Alda Egurrola-Wienke, Regional Director Third Party Partnerships, Cvent, showed delegates the future of meetings and events where robots will be manning exhibition stands and giving out lanyards, and virtual reality headsets will allow delegates to attend without actually leaving their homes or offices. By using an app on a Smart phone, organisers simply scan the venue and move it from the real world into a VR world where delegates can move around and interact as if they are actually there. Meanwhile,  organisers are building huge and elaborate temporary floating structures  – giant art installations – to create unusual and memorable venues which are used for a number of days or weeks and then pulled apart and recycled. Lots to consider for next year’s conference?!

Stay grounded

Roya Soleimanifar, Travel Agency Sales Manager, UK and Ireland, Enterprise, shared some positive ground transport forecasts predicting we will be moving around in more sustainable ways in the future, switching to electric vehicles, walking and taking the train. She said the modal split in passenger transport worldwide in 2022 compared to 2030 shows the use of ICE vehicles (petrol or diesel) will drop from 53% to 28%, while the use of EVs will rise from 5% to 15%, rail will grow from 15% to 21% and walking from 11%-13%. Good to know we’re moving in the right direction.

The future is AI

In a session on AI, Jo Greenfield, Senior Vice President Europe BCD Travel, said she doesn’t believe AI poses major risks for the future of TMCs but believes entry level jobs in business travel – and also in every other industry – will be different in the future. The challenge now is to work out what these jobs will be and to ensure the future workforce has the right skills. At the end of the discussion, BTA CEO Clive Wratten pointed to the growing number of AI-related solutions available in the TMC space but advised members to take time to decide how AI is going to work for them and what they need it to do, rather than adapting what’s already out there. But don’t ignore it.

Image problem

Georgia Suttie, Chair of Generation BTA and Product Development Manager Clarity, was inspired by a session on how the industry needs to work to change misconceptions of business travel in order to attract new talent and to raise awareness of its importance to the economy. During the session, Elisabeth Field, CEO of Eulogy, the BA’s PR agency, said TMCs need to rethink the images they are portraying through their own websites, with the majority using photos of men in suits pulling trolley bags through airports and pictures of the New York skyline. Through the Generation Board, Suttie hopes to encourage members to share stories about the work they do on Youtube or other social media. Watch this space.

Trend watch

Simon French, Chief Economist and Head of Research, Panmure Liberum, identified five megatrends that could potentially impact the business travel industry: forms of payments, the AI revolution, energy transition, people flows and platform ‘utilities’ where the likes of Meta and Amazon have been allowed to grow to such an extent in the private world that they now look like an energy or grid but will eventually have to be nationalised in order. Mega mind blowing.

Clear messaging

BTA CEO Clive Wratten unveiled five key policy areas where the association is actively engaged with government and advocating for the business travel sector. These are: rail industry reform, hotel visitor tax, air passenger duty, airport expansion and regional transport infrastructure. It also wants to keep drumming home the message that “TMCs don’t just book travel – they enable success, save lives and remove barriers”. In later sessions, Louise Davies, VP Operations EMEA TAG, David Bishop, MD Europe Gray Dawes Group, Saad Hammad, CEO Key Travel, Stuart Clow, Regional Director, International Association of Drilling Contractors, and Murray Burnett, MD Munro’s Travel, shared stories that supported this message.

The Chair in the chair

Douglas O’Neill, CEO Inntel, was introduced as the new BTA Chair and shared his personal story. He took over Inntel, which was set up by his father James in 1984, more than 20 years ago and has grown the business into one of the UK’s largest independently owned meetings, events, and employing more than 120 people. Its ethical business practices have been verified with B Corp certification. O’Neill likes cycling, running and swimming, but not in the sea due to a dislike of seagulls since an incident in his childhood when a seagull stole his ice cream. He holds the Guinness World Record for bring the fastest marathon runner “dressed as a sweet food” after running the London Marathon in 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 16 seconds on April 21 2024, dressed as an ice cream (perhaps being chased by a runner dressed as a seagull?!).

To the rescue

Having sponsors for an overseas conference is crucial, of course, but in the case of this year’s BTA Conference, it wasn’t just for financial reasons. At the hotel buffet breakfast on the first morning, one of the delegates choked on a baked bean, shocking fellow diners. Luckily, seated a few tables away was Francesca Kerridge, one of two Virgin Atlantic Senior Cabin Crew who had been flown to Munich to represent the airline, a headline sponsor. Hearing cries for help from the corner of the restaurant, Kerridge jumped into action and went to the man’s rescue, doing the heimlich maneuver to clear the bean from his upper airway. All in a day’s work.