Pana, one of the earliest partners to join BCD Travel’s SolutionSource® marketplace, was named 2019 Innovator of the Year at Business Travel News’ Innovate Conference in late November. The company, which applies a technology solution to the vexing problem of guest travel, also earned the People’s Choice Award by popular vote of the Innovate audience.
Pana transforms what is typically a manual, complex process into a “simple, elegant experience” for guest travelers, explained Yannis Karmis, BCD Travel’s senior vice president of Product Planning & Development. “By including Pana in SolutionSource, we are able to integrate this technology in a way that easily fits into our clients’ travel programs.”
Companies can use Pana to extend their negotiated rates and amenities to guest travelers, and their bookings stay within the BCD Travel environment. All booking data is available in BCD’s intelligence platform, DecisionSource®, giving travel managers a single place to manage their program.
The Innovate recognition caps off a year in which Pana has expanded its offerings and reach, as BTN reported. More than 150 companies worldwide use Pana.
During his Innovate pitch last month, Pana co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Devon Tivona said “all of this messy back and forth” in traditional guest travel arrangements—think long email chains, forgotten ground transportation connections and the like—can disappoint important visitors. That puts your corporate brand at risk.
“We’re here to help travelers and to make travel more about why you are going and less how you get there,” Tivona told BTN.
SolutionSource partner Tripbam received an honorable mention at BTN Innovate. Judges also applauded the evolutionary impact of SolutionSource’s open platform and ecosystem.
