While strategic meetings management programs typically roll out in corporations to improve procurement and savings, often they operate outside marketing. A recent study conducted by Cvent on SMM program and marketing best practices found that while 80 percent of travel managers/SMM program leaders said it’s "very valuable" to collaborate with marketing, less than 50 percent said they often work with marketing. A closer look at the goals of SMM and marketing can reveal more commonality than differences. Whether such teams should operate under the same umbrella, or simply align processes and practices, there are benefits to gain, as highlighted in this white paper. But stakeholders must understand the goals, language and overall objectives of both functions.

Leveraging supplier relationships for travel and meetings—whether for hotel, air, ground transportation or other combined needs--can result in more favorable contracts for both travel and at least some meetings, buyers and consultants report. And, claim some industry veterans who are enjoying such benefits, the process can be attained—with the right processes and executive support—more quickly than ever before. This paper will highlight the potential benefits of combining meetings and transient travel volume, the approaches that some have taken and provide a few warnings of the road hazards to avoid along the way. While some initially began attempts to leverage meetings with business travel spending a decade or more ago, they are encouraged by the speed with which newer efforts have achieved success.

Data is the key to consulting firm ZS Associates’ bold experiment to shift its managed travel program to an omnichannel approach that allows travelers the choice to book directly with their preferred airline supplier, wherever they can find the best hotel rates, or through the company’s designated travel management company.

For a new research report, The Beat surveyed travel managers to untangle the inner workings of one of the most critical, and perhaps complicated, relationships in corporate travel: that between travel buyers and their travel management companies. TMCs take on various roles for organizations: transaction enabler, policy developer, compliance enforcer, savings optimizer, technology implementer and data provider, among many others. Explore the findings to learn how TMCs and buyers structure their commercial relationships, how frequently buyers source TMC partners and just how satisfied buyers are with TMCs.... Download Now!

Executive-level stakeholders in managed travel programs are grappling with multiple concerns about their internal company programs while keeping a watchful eye on a wide variety of outside developments that could impede domestic and international business travel in the next 12 months.
Among four key stakeholder groups—including C-suite, finance, procurement and HR executives—the majority are receiving all the reports and data sets they need to fulfill their responsibilities, and most are fully satisfied with their involvement in, and impact on, their managed travel programs.
Those are highlights of an online survey of more than 200 company executives conducted in October 2019 by BTN Group Content Solutions as part of an Executive Stakeholder View of Corporate Travel study, sponsored by SAP Concur.

While CEOs and COOs have a varied array of concerns as key stakeholders in their managed travel programs, they are first and foremost focused on taking care of their travelers.

In an online survey of 57 CEOs and COOs, a majority cited traveler safety and well-being as one of their top three concerns, followed by a strong minority who cited traveler satisfaction. Traveler concerns, for CEOs/COOs surveyed, topped cost considerations that finance, procurement and even human resources ranked as more important in this Executive Stakeholder View of Corporate Travel study of more than 200 company executives conducted by BTN Group Content Solutions and sponsored by SAP Concur.

Controlling travel costs internally and the prospect of a significant downturn in domestic and global economic markets impeding business travel are among the top concerns of a majority of financial executives who are key stakeholders in their managed travel programs.

In an online survey of 50 Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) or financial executives conducted by BTN Group Content Solutions, controlling costs to align with budgets was identified by the largest segment of respondents (44%) as one of their top three concerns.

Just over one-third (34%) of respondents said travel policy compliance, and accurate and timely reporting on travel spend, were also among top concerns directly related to their managed travel program. Defining and quantifying ROI from managed travel was cited by 30% of CEOs and financial executives surveyed as one of three top concerns.