ROGUE IS VOGUE - TALES FROM THE GBTA EUROPE CONFERENCE 2012

I’m in Budapest for the GBTA Europe Conference and, what appears to be this year’s recurring theme in corporate travel, has reared its head once more: Rogue is Vogue.

Max Keegan, a 17 year old ‘digital native’ took to the stage this morning to share his experiences of booking travel in a bid to help buyers understand how they will need to evolve to cater for future travellers. In short, it’s all about digital, and his message to corporate travel buyers is that they need to adapt now to deal with social hungry travellers like him. 

It seems the new generation of business travellers is feeling rebellious. They don’t want to be reined in by regimented booking policies and procedures. They want the freedom to be able to book corporate travel using the types of booking tools – and with the same level of ease – they experience when booking leisure travel.  

What’s behind this urge for rebellion? Technology. Technology has enabled business travellers to pick and choose rather than be directed. It allows them to be flexible. And, according to this morning’s speakers, flexibility is one of the most important messages that buyers should take away from this conference. Closed, structured, mandated and managed policies are dinosaurs. The future is about open travel booking. 

Instead of forcing travellers to stick to very strict procedures, buyers are now being encouraged to allow travellers to book whatever, however as long as they stay within more general parameters of policy, whether that’s financially set or otherwise. By giving travellers this freedom and access to the booking experiences they are used to, it’s more likely they will stay within set parameters and everyone’s a winner.

David Chapple is in Budapest for the GBTA Europe Conference 2012 (#gbtaeurope2012). If you’re there, too, say hi. If not, say hi on Twitter – www.twitter.com/btshowlondon

BUYERS ARE RELAXING THE RULES ON ROGUE TRAVELLERS

I’m at the ITM Intelligence Conference in Manchester this week and, so far, it’s been a really interesting event with some fascinating insight into the future of business travel.

Yesterday’s recurring theme was traveller empowerment. I even wrote a blog post along these lines last week. With the rise and rise of social media and mobile technology, travellers are exposed to so much choice while on the move and are frequently making bookings independently. 

You would think this would have travel managers running for the hills. How on earth are they supposed to mandate travellers to stay within policy when travellers have essentially flipped them the bird and are all doing their own thing?

But you’d be wrong. Leading travel buyers are actually relaxing policy and, instead of stamping down on rogue travellers as they would have done previously, they are giving them price parameters and more freedom than ever.

Why? It’s all thanks to new technology, that’s why. Rogue travellers can now book through public apps and websites and managers have still have visibility of all of these bookings, thanks to a number of new products (Amadeus/KDS’ Maverick) that feed all of the information back to their corporate data banks. So rogue travellers can still feel rebellious and managers can still keep them within policy.

Posted by David Chapple, event director of the Business Travel Show. Challenge him on Twitter @btshowlondon

TRAVELLERS PREFER TO TRAVEL OUT OF POLICY. NO SURPRISE THERE, THEN.

I’ve just finished reading a news story in the LA Times based on a survey by Concur Technologies. The survey found that business travellers believe the success of their trips is inversely proportional to the number of travel restrictions laid down by their employers.

Business travellers on trips with strict travel policies score them as 73 per cent successful in achieving all of their goals; when travellers are given only guidelines and recommendations, the score rises to 76 per cent; and when an employee travels with no policy at all, that score jumps another three per cent.

Surveys like this are undoubtedly useful and interesting, particularly for HR and senior management, even though I’m not 100 per cent sure you could call the results surprising. I mean, wouldn’t we all prefer to choose our own flights and hotels when travelling on business? I know I would.

But they must also be downright frustrating for travel departments, managers and bookers who put so much effort into creating travel policy, securing management buy in and support, and enforcing that policy to ensure they are getting the best for their business. 

Posted by David Chapple - david@businesstravelshow.com