SPOTLIGHT SERIES | REVIEW
Guy Snelgar, Advantage: Many TMCs continued investing through the pandemic, particularly in technology, and we are now seeing the fruits of that investment being launched for customers. Tools delivering sustainability information and calculation to the corporate traveller have been the most prominent. There has also been a lot of work behind the scenes by TMCs refining the operational processes – a combination of technology, recruitment and organi- sational change to support new booking patterns and service expectations that have emerged post-pandemic. Clive Wratten, BTA: On the whole, all TMCs continue to invest in technology, but I actually believe the biggest investment is in their staff. Recruiting, retaining and re- training employees is critical, especially as the industry is making a promising return to pre-pandemic levels. It is clear that people are at the heart of the business travel industry. What do you think is the TMC community’s biggest challenge now? Marcel Forns, GEBTA Sustainability and content. Both issues are without doubt major concerns for the TMC community. As we have seen a certain decrease in staffing problems in the last months, we believe that access to content will now become the main challenge for the vast majority of TMCs.
There was much talk of subscription fees during the pandemic but, for all the hype, has there been much change in the way corporates remunerate their TMC partners? Marcel Forns, GEBTA In general terms the Spanish market is based on a transactional model. However, we do see some shift to complementary and more balanced business models that seem to be more adequate in remunerating the added value offered by TMCs, namely when it comes to consultancy, for example. James Stevenson, GlobalStar: There’s no evidence of that change. I’ve seen the subscription model on a domestic level, pushed for by the TMC, but nothing more than that. The subscription model can be an expensive option for clients when their travellers’ volumes vary so much.
James Stevenson, GlobalStar: Staffing has to come high on this list because as we have seen, it is detrimental to meeting service level agreements. Probably followed by – and these are in no particular order – content fragmentation, supplier capacity and inflation. Clive Wratten, BTA: I believe that content fragmentation is a key issue that TMCs face in the future. There has never been a more important time for the industry supply chain to collaborate and respect each other. TMCs are the integral conduit, and they need to be recognised and appreciated. Collaboration across the industry is vital to tackling big and small challenges. We need to take a proactive stance on sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint. As a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, sectors across the industry must work together to develop innovative long-term solutions that are financially viable.
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businesstravelnewseurope.com | SPRING 2023
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