People tell me I think in bullet points and they’re right. I do. So, after checking out the show floor at the recent Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) 2015 Convention in Orlando, here are my punctuated thoughts.
NB: This is a guest article by Sophie Krishnan, vice-president of global product and marketing for Egencia.
Mobile remains “hot” and shows no signs of fading
Much like the temperatures in Orlando, mobile remained a hot topic at GBTA 2015. Suppliers and travel management companies exhibited mobile apps, from booking itinerary aggregation to expenses.
Here are some observations (more bullet points!) that struck me about mobile as I walked around the show floor.
- Presentation, presentation, presentation
As Apple proved, design is important and I’m not sure it gets the deserved credit. In a world where business travel providers increasingly compete with the best in leisure travel (aka ‘rogue’ travel), we - the business travel providers - should be all over incorporating the best practices from B2C, leisure experiences into our own offerings.
- Integration, integration, integration
Many players are focusing their tech investments on mobile only and failing to integrate into other channels. But my take is that travellers and travel arrangers want to be able to search, book and change any itinerary in all channels. So, mobile needs to be integrated to the core of the engine as a component rather than be kept in isolation as the-end-all-be-all.
- Location, location, location
Very few travel management providers incorporate location into the mobile experience. Mobile inherently means travellers are on the go. Building geo-location and context into the mobile experience, makes them more relevant, personal and timely.
Open booking remains polarizing
Open booking is now a part of business travel vernacular, but my take is that not enough attention is paid to some of its inefficiencies and costs.
Little visible progress has been made since last year, although a few more suppliers have joined the bandwagon. Despite gathering slightly more supply support, most travel managers I talked with consider open booking more foe than friend and this comes as little surprise.
They would ideally like to capture rogue travel in their reporting, yet don’t want this to be misinterpreted by the out-of-policy bookers as legitimising their behaviour, inadvertently encouraging the trend.
Open booking also creates a cumbersome experience for the traveller and travel arranger. Research by several industry players shows that travellers spend between 30 and 45 minutes searching for a hotel. This is time focused away from their core job. Choice is important, but travel managers strive for savings.
The cost of fragmentation and unproductive time searching seems very high for companies.
The main new buzz was the ‘sharing economy’
I believe ‘sharing’ will remain marginal, for now. According to reports, Uber outpaced taxis in volume and I believe it’s here to stay.
That said, there wasn’t much buzz on other product sharing, such as hotels. I found no evidence at GBTA of folks taking part in the sharing economy by sharing someone’s apartment. I think thus far these remain too inefficient for the business traveller.
I do think the likes of Airbnb will find ways to make some of their inventory more palatable to business travellers. That said, it might take a while. Until then, travel managers are wondering whether they should allow travellers to use this new kind of inventory, with more questions than answers.
Big data will be big
Of all the themes discussed, ‘big data’ is the one most likely to transform this industry. It will enable personal, relevant experiences for business travellers. Not just for VIPs, but for everyone.
But the debate on big data at GBTA was disappointing, given the possibilities. I think conversations around how big data can save companies money misses the mark.
I believe the biggest potential is how we, as travel management companies, can leverage scores of data and make the travel experience more relevant, personal and easier (dare we say delightful?) for the travellers we serve.
Your own personal travel companion in any channel, at any time - ready, willing and able to serve. Now wouldn’t that get some attention?
Soundbite of an Apple
What’s the one piece of advice I enjoyed the most?
“Rethink your industry, from the ground-up, very differently” said by Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple.
Given the chatter at GBTA, I think this is a great takeaway for all of us that serve the business traveller and work hard to make their experience better. So, I intend to take Steve’s advice to heart, and start my list…bulleted, of course.
NB: This is a viewpoint by Sophie Krishnan, vice-president of global product and marketing for Egencia.
NB2 Image from GBTA's official Flickr account