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Better than policy results in business travel

Advito-sponsored white paper explores innovative ways to achieve ‘better than policy’ results

ATLANTA, Jan. 12, 2011 – As complexities mount in the managed travel space, progressive companies are transforming travel program paradigms to achieve better-than-policy results, according to a newly released white paper exploring innovations in corporate travel management. Underwritten by Advito and published by Business Travel Media Group, the paper includes extensive commentary and analysis from Advito and BCD Travel thought leaders.

Leading the Way: Corporate Travel Management Goes Next-gen makes the case for using innovative approaches to business travel management to garner results. It uses case studies taken from six wellknown corporations – Coca Cola, EADS, DuPont, Microsoft, Salesforce.com and U.S. Foodservice – to show how companies might implement such strategies. The white paper also offers a framework for measuring the results of innovative travel management strategies.

“Corporations have adopted many of the best practices required to control travel costs, but there are still areas that have gone relatively untapped,” says April Bridgeman, senior vice president of strategic marketing and technology planning for BCD Travel. Next-generation strategies for reducing travel costs hinge upon relinquishing some control to travelers, the white paper concludes.

“Our industry looks at what is happening at the traveler level as far as it relates to the booking process,” says Bridgeman. “But we have not thoroughly explored traveler decision-making and spending patterns during their trips and how to influence those patterns. That represents a huge area of opportunity for travel managers—but the tools to accomplish it have been missing.”

Leading the Way sets forth five urgent challenges travel managers must address to meet emerging demands and achieve better-than-policy results:

• Content fragmentation – The disaggregation of travel content across multiple distribution platforms is testing the travel manager’s ability to provide the most relevant, policy-compliant travel choices and services to their travelers at the best possible rates.

• Pricing complexities – Changing pricing and/or business models, including dynamic pricing and Best Available Rate methods in the hotel sector and unbundling/ancillary fees in the airline sector, are contributing to additional complexity and a lack of spend transparency for travel managers.

• Ubiquity of information – The rise of the smartphone—and the aggressive adoption of these devices by business travelers—has put access to vast stores of travel content and related information in the palms of their hands.

• Rising traveler service expectations – Precipitated by technology, advances in the consumer travel space around just-in-time travel services and instant access to trusted advisors (e.g., via social networks), business travelers are demanding more from their travel programs.

• Business travel behaviors changes – Business travelers are constantly connected to their social networks and stay current with personal and business interests via real-time information channels. Travel managers must determine how to mold their communications, content and services to fit within these new behavior patterns.

As the corporate travel industry moves toward a post-recessionary business travel environment, sophisticated alternatives to travel, innovative consumer technologies, and changing traveler behaviors are all challenging traditional travel management techniques. Rather than viewing new technologies and behaviors as a threat to their programs, smart travel managers are looking for ways to leverage them in a way that will simultaneously address corporate management and traveler needs.

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About Advito

Advito provides travel-management advisory, procurement and outsourcing services that guide clients through a complex travel environment. Advito’s focus on consulting delivers proven value, unbiased counsel and a customized approach for every client and every engagement, together with industry expertise and access to data to drive quantifiable decision-making. Advito is headquartered in Atlanta, and operates in key business markets around the world. Advito is an independent operating unit of BCD Travel, the world’s third-largest travel management company, owned by BCD Holdings N.V. For more information, visit www.advito.com.

About The Business Travel Media Group

The Business Travel Media Group is a collection of integrated media properties that operate under parent company Northstar Travel Media and serve the information needs of the managed travel and meetings marketplace. The Business Travel Media Group publishes Business Travel News, TheBeat.travel, Management.travel, procurement.travel and TheTransnational. The Business Travel Media Content Solutions department effectively delivers sponsored content to targeted communities of travel professionals. For more information, visit www.BusinessTravelMedia.com.