Centre Stage
Day 1: 8th February
10.00-10.45: Opening Keynote Address
The New World Order of Business Travel - assessing the impact of new
economic structures, traveller preferences and emerging technologies for
the business travel industry
• How will shifting economic strengths in Europe effect the business
traveller? Will new business destinations entail a need for new travel
policies and programmes?
• Will economic recovery entail a need to revise existing travel
programmes both in Europe and further afield?
• Air VS ground transport – what does the future hold?
• Negotiations and procurement – what effect will the upturn have on the
future relationship between buyers and suppliers?
• How can the industry respond to the upturn to harness the potential
for growth and innovation?
12.00-12.45: Industry Round Table Discussion
Cost-Cutting VS Carbon Cutting - assessing the practical and economic
considerations for making greener travel choices
• To what extent can the business travel industry afford to be socially
responsible in the current economic climate?
• Assessing how cost cutting is effecting traveller behaviour and the
effect this is having on the utilisation of more untraditional
transport options
• What can the industry do to make, less expensive forms of business
transport more green?
• A European framework for ensuring greener transport options
• Has the recent cost-cutting climate prevented travel managers from
making green travel choices? What are companies doing to address this?
Niclas Svenningsen, Head, Sustainable United Nations (SUN) United
Nations Environment Programme
Jenny Southan, Environmental Journalist of the Year, Business
Traveller
14.15-15.00: Industry Round Table Discussion
Unlocking Savings in Unmanaged Direct Travel Costs
• Managing traditionally unmanaged travel costs – where, what and how
can you quantify them?
• Using total cost of trip metrics to identify potential savings
• Identifying potential management and reporting tools – does one size
fit all?
• Creating a programme to help manage different categories of unmanaged
spend – the pros and the cons
16.15-17.00: Closing Panel Debate
Socialising Travel Management – how will social media impact the future
of travel management
• How can social networking be used as a tool to source preferred
vendors and traveller services?
• Can social networking be used to unlock more competitive rates and
services?
• What impact will the array of new traveller-friendly tools have on the
corporate business traveller?
• What is the corporate travel industry doing to keep pace with the
latest consumer technologies in general (i.e. local, mobile and social
networking)
• Assessing the real effect of social networking on procurement
policies and practices
• Assessing the potential impact on managed business travel
• Compliance – where does it fit in?
Day 2: 9th February
10.00-10.45: Opening Keynote Address:
Inside the Mind of an Industry Entrepreneur – charting the success
of AirAsia
In this highly inspirational ‘keynote address’ hear, first-hand how one
of the leading entrepreneurs in the industry harnessed a personal
understanding of customer preferences, consumer branding and the airline
industry in general to become a leading low-cost carrier in Asia and
Europe! .
12.00-12.45: Industry Round Table Discussion
TMCs – assessing the pros and cons of using a ‘one-stop-shop’ approach
to booking business travel
• Assessing the Effects that Commissions, Overrides and Marketing
Agreements Have on Transparency in TMC-Client Relationships
• The commission payment mechanism VS the new "merchant model" – what’s
the difference?
• TMC price comparison – what you should be looking for and
understanding the pro's and cons of transaction fee versus
management fee
• What are TMCs doing to ensure cost-effective accommodation and
conference bookings, How does this compare to HBA service offerings?
• TMC VS HBA for cheaper and more efficient delivery of hotel and
accommodation services?
• . and the third way.
The thirld world - how TMCs and HBAs are working collaboratively to
provide seamless solutions and give buyers the best of both worlds
Senior Representative, KDS
Senior Travel Buyer
14.15-15.00: Industry Round Table Discussion
Overcoming the Challenges of Managing Unbundled Fees
• What is the industry doing to aid the management process (i.e. how
are expense management companies, GDSs, TMCs and airlines helping to
shape more transparent policy and procurement practices)
• Future trends and benchmarking tools
• How are travel managers and TMCs responding to the airlines
withholding highly-valued ‘rebundled’ services from established TMC and
corporate workflows?
• What are airlines and Global Distribution Service providers doing to
ensure that systems provide accurate comparative fare data?
• Assessing the impact that APD is having on the airline industry
16.15-17.00: Industry Round Table Discussion
Controlling Business Travel Costs in the Aftermath of an Economic
Downturn - from no spend to smarter spend!
• What steps can travel mangers take to help alleviate spending
pressures?
• Will economic buoyancy be paralleled by a revision in current travel
programmes – possible scenarios and constraints to change
• Will new travel alternatives adopted during the downturn evolve,
disappear or co-exist with post-downturn travel programmes and traveller
preferences?
• What effect will the global economic complexion have on business
travel destinations and future spending constraints and pressures?