This year’s Business Travel Show featured presentations and panel discussions with experts from across the industry. We’ve collated our highlights for those who missed the event.
What does a future-proof travel allowance policy for your employees look like? And how do we create one that evolves with traveller trends and advances in technology? It’s an important question and one that Marine Gidee-Masters, account executive at Uber, discussed at this year’s Business Travel Show. Here are her top tips on how to develop a future-proof policy:
Build a Community
Peer groups are revolutionary. They’re great places to learn what other companies are doing and are a good way to implement fresh ideas into your travel allowance policy. Connect with peers online and keep on top of industry trends. Attend events and discover what other companies are doing that could help your business.
Don’t Ignore the Disruptors
Many startups fail within their first year, while others go on to become hugely successful. Egencia started out in 1996 when booking travel online was new. Now they’re one of the biggest business travel booking systems in the world. Consider disruptive B2C companies like Airbnb and Uber. There may be less friction in integrating them into policy because people are familiar with them.
Prioritise Employee Experience
What are your client’s needs and are you prioritising them? It’s important to treat your travellers well in order to retain them.
Gather Feedback
Have a method of effectively gathering feedback so you can plan for your future collectively. Listening to what your business travellers have to say is an important way of finding out what they like and what they don't like, so you can keep working to meet their requirements.
Partner with Like-Minded Companies
Think about your company as a whole. A policy change is really difficult, but it’s often easier when you’re aligning with the company’s strategic pillars. If your focus is cost saving, partner with a company that provides good deals. If you have a CSR agenda, partner with a company that has a green focus. This should cause less resistance when you’re seeking sign-off on policy changes.
Key Takeaways
- Explore what others are doing in their businesses. Don’t be afraid to share information.
- Look to the disruptors. Check out the new and exciting things happening in travel and learn from them.
- Always keep the needs of the traveller front of mind. Understanding what is important to them will help with retention.
