IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. OR IS IT?

You must have read the recent brouhaha between Travelport and British Airways. It’s been all over the web. The companies are at loggerheads in negotiating a new partnership agreement. The latest move – from BA – was a threat to pull certain fares from Travelport’s GDS and stamp a surcharge on some short-haul tickets. Travelport reacted by calling British Airways “disruptive and unhelpful” and I believe the two are still in a stalemate. 

Now, on paper, it’s easy to assume the wrangling and wrestling is all about money. But I’m not so sure. I’ve been quietly wondering whether BA is testing the water ahead of the introduction of NDC in three to four years’ time. Is BA working out – based on its market position and power – how much muscle it can flex and deals it can leverage knowing what’s down the line?

Is this a sign of things to come from some airlines? It couldn’t be truer that, these days, content is certainly king and the GDSs must be worried about being pushed down the path of partial content. That’s not good for them, their customers or the corporate travel buyer. I’m just raising a glass of Christmas cheer in the hope they’ll work this one out, and the quicker the better.

This post was written by David Chapple, event director of Business Travel Show – www.businesstravelshow.com.

GUEST BLOG: Chasing status

I write this fresh from my North American Neo roadshow, where I met some great people and collaborated on some amazing ideas that could shape the future of T&E. But that's a different story... This story is about a personal experience - of the very impersonal kind - that has come to crystallise the modern problems facing travellers of all ages.

I was staring at my Priority AAcess boarding pass in Minneapolis airport bound for Chicago. 

"Ladies and gentlemen this is an announcement we have 155 mega premium platinum status travellers and so anyone in grades 1 through 5 will now need to check in their hand luggage. We do not have a valet so your bags will probably get crushed in the hold and you'll need to wait 45 minutes at baggage claim - even though you spent the whole week living out of a small bag to avoid this very situation... Have a nice day".

Luckily my good friend Phil was at hand to calm me down with those immortal words 'Man, we're going to have to get you status!'

So where else, other than travel, does 'priority' actually mean 'second last' and where else does chasing status affect so many?

The creation of seemingly endless grades of traveller means that Road warriors (and yes that includes Millenials) are being covertly downgraded in order to keep up the chase for this ever elusive ‘status’. Open booking is simply allowing this crazy parallel universe to spiral out of control. Without proactive policy controls how can we resist the urge to spend just a little bit more to get those points?

But most importantly how we make this situation better?

Well, Neo is a good start. Neo treats everyone with the ultimate CEO status, at least at the booking stage. You just tell Neo where you need to be and when, and then Neo does the rest, just as an executive assistant would.

What it could also do is provide status hungry road warriors with the ability to control their own destinies.

Imagine if corporates started setting trip level policy.

Neo could provide the door-to-door baseline cost for each trip (think reference fare in old school language), including automatically calculated 'on trip' expenses. As long as the business value meets that expected cost, the traveller gets the green light.

That green light could also be accompanied by a vPayment limit that is aligned with that trip budget, so there's no need for individually settled costs and the dreaded wait for cash reimbursement. The traveller can then work within their own budget and trade off flight status for hotel points, empowering travellers to be their own walking P&L and to drive both company and personal success.

Best of all - when they got back from their successful trip, they wouldn't need to complete an expense report at all...

Trust goes both ways and empowerment makes us grow.

Now get back to chasing status.

This post was written by Oliver Quayle, KDS senior vice president, products and partners. KDS is exhibiting at the Business Travel Show, 4-5 February 2014 on stand B920. Register now for free at www.businesstravelshow.com.

A BIG THANK YOU FROM THE BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW

We have been overwhelmed with the support the industry has shown to the Business Travel Show during our 20 year history and this year it seems to be even stronger than ever, so I wanted to say thank you to our partners. 

THANK YOU, to our headline sponsor Amadeus, conference sponsors Travelodge, Egencia, Amadeus and Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Omega - the official TMC for the show’s hosted buyer programme; CIPS - our procurement partner; GBTA and ITM - our association partners and GBTA Europe, Deplacement Pro, Smart Mobility Management, Check-in.dk and Zakenreis who are all playing a key role in bringing more European buyers to the event. Star Alliance is sponsoring the International Media Lounge and BBT, Travel Daily, Executive PA and Supply Management are our key media partners.Gatwick Airport, Sabre, redspottedhanky, Concur, GTMC and London Chamber of Commerce are also valuable partners of the show.

I hope you'll also join us at the show in February - registration is open now at www.businesstravelshow.com  

Thanks again

David Chapple. 

GUEST BLOG: Keeping standards high in the serviced apartment sector

As the years pass, the serviced apartment sector is becoming better understood in, and appreciated by, the travel industry and in the last couple of years in particular its popularity has soared among businesses and leisure travellers.

 

Susan Cully, managing director, Marlin Apartments

In Europe, London is the most mature serviced apartment market. However, with just 8,000 units in total, equating to 1.2 per thousand travellers (New York has 5.2) it is small in comparison globally. The good news is that demand is growing and new openings are more frequent. This is thanks in part to the Olympic Games, which led to a surge of building launches in 2012. The even better news is that expansion continued throughout 2013 and is not expected to dip any time soon. According to a recent report by Jones LangLasalle, further growth of 4 per cent is forecast by the end of 2015.

As the market matures, occupancy rates continue to rise and demand from bookers and travellers grows, it’s not surprising the sector has found itself under scrutiny to be accountable and transparent to its customers and in my opinion this can only be a good thing. As managing director of Marlin Apartments, I was very happy to be in the room when ASAP announced (at its recent AGM) that it will be launching a quality assurance programme early next year to provide a set of guidelines for the sector against which providers can benchmark themselves and ensure that standards for customers remain high.

I personally believe this is a really positive step forward for the serviced apartment sector in the UK and Ireland and, once established, will be a very valuable tool in securing even more confidence in this growing and much in demand industry.

This blog post was written by Susan Cully who is managing director of Marlin Apartments, London’s leading owner occupier of serviced apartments. Marlin Apartments is exhibiting at the Business Travel Show on stand B1400 and appointments can be made through sales@marlinapartments.com. For more information, please visit www.marlinapartments.com       

GUEST BLOG: HRG’s Three Cs : Consolidation, Compliance and Control

Challenges facings business today are numerous and well-documented. They include, but are not limited to, the impact of the global financial crisis, a demand for cost savings, corporate data security, traveller safety and satisfaction.

At the same time, at HRG, we see that businesses are growing in confidence and are looking to travel more – often to developing and emerging markets. As such, they are seeking to mitigate the risks while magnifying the rewards of business travel. HRG’s three Cs for implementing an effective, viable and successful travel programme are:

1 Consolidation:

First and foremost companies are looking to consolidate their travel programme with a single provider - this is essential for benchmarking and supplier negotiations, data management, tracking and controlling costs. The visibility of a company’s entire operation is crucial, especially as businesses become more connected and more mobile. The best results are achieved by addressing the entire spectrum of the traveller experience from booking right through to reimbursement.

2 Compliance:

Compliance has traditionally been about tightening travel polices – however this is another area where HRG is seeing significant change as a result of mobile technology and the unbundling of fares. Companies need to balance the desire to support travellers’ needs and preferences with the goals of the travel programme. A lack of compliance can lead to significant missed savings and an unsuccessful programme. It is important for businesses to look at improving traveller behaviour around the approval process, use of advance bookings and preferred suppliers, the hotel programme and the booking channel.

Control:

By consolidating their travel programme, businesses will see improved compliance, resulting in greater control and visibility over their travel related data. At the touch of a button, travel managers can see all of their travel related data in one place – making it significantly easier to fine-tune policies so that they better encourage traveller behaviour. At HRG we are seeing businesses increasingly working with us at a strategic level, calling on our expertise to initiate, shape and develop – rather than merely implement – best business travel policies.

 This post was written by Ian Windsor, Managing Director – Europe North, HRG, who are exhibiting at the Business Travel Show on 4-5 February 2014. For more information please visit www.hrgworldwide.com and www.businesstravelshow.com 

GUEST BLOG: Making compliance beautiful

Business travel management aims to provide a delightful, productive, safe travel experience to employees while driving company best practices and policies, and controlling costs. Reconciling employee satisfaction and company requirements is not a new challenge, but it is becoming more relevant as travellers are inundated with new solutions and choices for planning their trips. Travellers can access these not only from their own computers but increasingly from their mobile devices as well.

Egencia and its sister company, Expedia, recently conducted a study on the Future of Travel. 

Polling showed that:

• 75% of all interviewed use a mobile device for personal or business reasons,
• 77% of business travellers use their smartphones or tablets to book travel or monitor travel itineraries. In the UK this figure rises to 79%.

Thousands of mobile travel apps are now available, and new ones are being launched every day. In this context, the winning business travel app for the future needs to both support company goals, and instantly appeal to end users in order to maximise adoption. Although features and functions may vary, there are two essential things that successful mobile business travel solutions will do:

• Integrate with the entire TMC ecosystem
  As mobile booking expands, the app will promote the company’s preferred suppliers and policy, in a way that is consistent with its online and offline booking solutions. Centrally designed rules will be instantly reflected across channels. Data on trips booked from mobile will flow into the central reporting and monitoring solutions, providing Travel Managers and CFO’s with the insight they need to drive travel programmes and ensure that duty of care requirements are met.

• Delight end-users
  UX and UI design is key, and the app will leverage the most recent insight on what makes consumer apps appealing and successful. It will provide useful, relevant and timely information, based on a deep understanding of the overall travel experience. It will be simple and alluring, acknowledging that the first visual impression heavily influences which app will be downloaded (starting from the app store catalogues) and ultimately adopted as the essential travel companion.

Today, over 80% of mobile apps are used only once after download and eventually deleted by users, because of design or functionality that fail to immediately meet their expectations. The winning business travel app will seamlessly integrate with the overall TMC solution to provide companies with the control they need, and offer the most engaging experience to end-users. Compliance can be and should be beautiful!

This blog post was written by Vinh Giang Vovan, Director of Product for Egencia Europe. With a consumer-grade interface, Egencia TripNavigator incorporates technology from the Expedia brand’s acquisition of Mobiata®, a creator of best-selling mobile travel apps, with a design that has been optimised for the more complex world of business travel.  The app provides travellers with step-by-step navigation, much like a GPS device offers driving directions, and features, among other things, access to Egencia’s robust global hotel inventory. For more insights, visit the Egencia website, or watch the Future of Travel video.

Egencia is exhibiting at The Business Travel Show - 4-5 February 2014, www.businesstravelshow.com 

GUEST BLOG: Mobiles on flights: good or bad for business travel?

Have you noticed how, these days, we are glued to our phones 24/7? It’s like we are scared to be apart from them. Without them, we feel out of the loop - disconnected. Some people even suffer separation anxiety when they have to turn their phones off and, until very recently, that included on flights. But now Europe is relaxing rules about the use of electronics during flights, paving the way for devices to be used during take-off and landing. The good news is the increased productivity time it offers for business travellers, particularly on long haul flights. But is it good to sacrifice well-earned downtime? Will it have cost implications? And are travellers happy about this prospect?

Currently smartphones, tablets and other devices can be used only while a plane is airborne. But now the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published guidelines saying use of such devices should now be allowed during take-off and landing. It follows the US bringing in similar rules last month. The EASA stipulates that devices must be used in ‘airplane mode’, however, meaning passengers cannot use voice or text services due to the possibility of radio interference with flight equipment. The changes will apply to aircraft operated by European airlines and are likely to be introduced at the end of the month.

At RoamingExpert we are finding that businesses are using more and more mobile data and their costs concerned with roaming charges are spiralling. It is great that we have all this technology at our fingertips and a mobile workforce, which is efficient and productive, but with extended use of technology there is a cost implication to consider. Businesses that travel and their travel managers are continually looking at ways to streamline the travel process with new apps and processes being implemented. I would urge all companies that travel and their travel managers to look at the implications these changes have on their data and roaming costs because experience shows us that it is significant.

I’d be interested to know how business travellers, travel managers and small businesses feel about this change and I’d urge you to contact me @roamingexpert with the hashtag #bts14

This blog post was written by Mark Pattman, managing director of Business Travel Show exhibitor RoamingExpert – for more information, please visit www.roamingexpert.comand www.businesstravelshow.com  

THE BIG TMC DEBATE AT THE BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW

The conference programme is SO close to being finalised and we have some fantastic names for 2014, including senior directors of four of the world’s leading TMCs - Carlson Wagonlit Travel, HRG, BCD Travel and Radius Travel - who are going to take part in a panel debate called ‘View From the Top – TMC Leaders Speak’.

The panel will feature TMC luminaries Doug Anderson, President & CEO, Carlson Wagonlit Travel; Stewart Harvey, Group Commercial Director, HRG; John Snyder, President and COO, BCD Travel and Shannon Hyland, President & CEO, Radius Travel. They will reveal their visions for the future of the industry and the future of TMCs; discuss the changing needs of their clients and the hottest topics facing the industry today, from NDC to travel management 2.0.

Don't miss this session - it's a rare opportunity to be able to hear their opinions and visions and to learn from their vast experience and knowledge. It takes place at 1015 on Wednesday 5 February. 

It's free to attend the conference sessions - just make sure you register for a visitor pass at www.businesstravelshow.com. You can also keep an eye on the conference programme on our website too.

GUEST BLOG: Being prepared: the best form of protection for employees abroad

Events abroad such as the Algerian hostage crisis, the Kenyan shopping mall attacks and most recently Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines have shocked us all. Alongside the human impact and devastation, these events serve as a reminder of the need to ensure plans are in place to protect the welfare of employees working overseas.

UK employers have a legal requirement to protect their employees due to Health and Safety legislation and, more recently, the Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007, but still many companies are falling short when it comes to implementing a robust Duty of Care strategy. On a moral level, it should be top of the agenda for all businesses, but it is also significant from a legal point of view; senior management is viewed as liable for any negligence in process, in respect of an organisation’s Duty of Care towards their employees.

Growing markets throughout the world present exciting business opportunities as well as increasing health and security risks, and forward-thinking organisations will consider and plan for all eventualities – no matter how extreme. Natural disasters, civil unrest, terrorist attacks; these are all events that can occur with little or no prior warning, whatever the country. No corner of the globe is free from risk. The recent Cyclone Cleopatra that ravaged the relatively ‘safe’ shores of Sardinia is a case in point.  

So how do employers equip their staff with the tools to protect themselves when faced with a crisis abroad?

Ensuring that they have real-time information and intelligence at their disposal, before and during their journeys, is a start. In this ever-connected world, there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the expertise available. Smartphone technology has transformed the travel risk management landscape. It gives employees instant access to up-to-the-minute data that will help them make informed choices about their movements and, if necessary, instantly request for the assistance of security personnel or medical teams.

Implementing a robust travel risk management strategy has the potential to save lives. That fact alone should encourage those in charge of protecting the welfare of employees, to consider using assistance and intelligence services. Of course, no strategy is capable of preventing disasters from occurring, but there’s no excuse for not allowing employees to be prepared if disaster does strike.

This blog post was written for the Business Travel Show blog by Tim Edwards at AXA Assistance UK. Tim is Business Development Manager for the Corporate Mobility and Travel Risk Management product that AXA Assistance offers. For more information: www.axa-assistance.co.uk/intelligo

Illustrations for Latina Magazine

Hi Friends,

I'm thrilled to share with you my fashion accessory illustrations published in the December/January 2014 issue of Latina Magazine on Newsstands now!! How gorgeous does Demi look on this cover?! What an honor to have my illustrations in this incredible magazine. I still have plenty of work ahead of me this evening so I digress but will be back soon with plenty more to share.

Much love,
Meag xx

Yayoi Infinity

Happy Sunday My Beauties,

I hope you've had a wonderful weekend. I wanted to share with you this Instagram I took from the Yayoi Kusama show at the David Zwirner gallery this past week. The mirrored infinity room, surrounded by water and a zillion lights, took my breath away - so much so that I had to experience it twice. Alone with myself, and somehow not alone at all; it made me think about life in New York.

You can walk hand in hand with a boyfriend, or link arms with your best friends, but somehow this city reminds you everyday that here you are on your own with everyone. New York is only earned and never given. As I prepare for the next challenge of immigration I know that the battle can only be fought by the individual - me. I'm both humbled and grateful, exhausted and recharged, challenged and inspired. I know that I'm exactly where I need to be.

Wishing you an inspired week ahead.

Much love,
Meag xx

GUEST BLOG: How smartphones are transforming the traveller’s behaviour

The year 2013 has been so far the most important year in the history of mobile phone sales as 50 per cent of handsets sold have been smartphones. Having constant internet access from a phone has changed consumers’ habits and it is the travel industry that has experienced this transformation most directly.

According to a recent study from BI Intelligence, there are several factors that are influencing customers’ behaviour, which should be taken into account by all tourism industry suppliers: 

• 32 per cent of smartphone users make travel arrangements using their device, supporting the theory that, in the near future, the number of online sales made via mobile phones could exceed the sales made by traditional means.

• Mobile devices have changed the overall travel experience of consumers. Starting with the moment they book a flight or hotel using the phone, tourists become fully immersed into the variety of networks, which allow them to share their travel experience sociallly, such as Instagram or Pinterest. Finally, they are able to publish their comments and ratings on review sites such as Tripadvisor or Holidaycheck.

• All tourism suppliers are already preparing to meet this growing demand for online purchases through smartphones and consequently are developing specific applications for these devices. Thus, the large online travel agencies such as Booking, Expedia, Orbitz and HRS have designed their own mobile applications. There are also some recently created apps, which content is only available to smartphone operating systems such as Blink, Verylastroom or Hotel Tonight.

• In relation to these newly created applications, the most successful ones are those that offer users the possibility of making last-minute hotel reservations. Some recent studies made by Orbitz and Expedia reveal that about 70 per cent of bookings that come through smartphones were made within 24hs prior to hotel arrival.

In conclusion, all statistics indicate that travel industry is experiencing tremendous changes due to new technologies appearing on the market. They are being frequently used by potential clients and therefore the industry should be aware of any changes in their costumers’ behaviour.

This blog post has been written by Elisenda Molina, e-commerce manager at Abba Hotels. For more information, please visit www.abbahotels.com. 

Sources: http://www.puromarketing.com/21/15302/moviles-como-dispositivos-moviles-estan-transformando-mercado-viajes.html; http://www.celularis.com/mercado/smartphones-en-el-mundo/

Palm Beach Paradise

Happy Monday My Loves,

I just wanted to share with you all a quick post from my weekend in Palm Beach this past Saturday and Sunday. Nothing brings you back to life like a weekend spent soaking up the sun, great tunes, food, and amazing company. As expected, I have my next destination on the brain. Until then, wishing you all an incredible week ahead.

Much love,
Meag xx

Illustrations for Marie Claire Magazine

Happy Wednesday My Loves,

I'm so excited to be back on the blog again sharing with you another fantastic illustration project I worked on. Marie Claire Magazine approached me to illustrate a series of shoe designs and pattern for a stylish, little giftable, notebook they were producing. It was one of those 'pinch-me' moments where I realized I was actually living my dream. When I came to New York to pursue my Fashion Illustration AAS at the Fashion Institute of Technology back in 2009, I told our Chair of Illustration that all I really wanted to do was illustrate shoes...and finally I was. 

In the end, my illustrations were used on the Marie Claire Shoes First notebook, tote, and invitation for their event with Saks Fifth Avenue. Fortunately I was able to attend the event and snagged some awesome instagram shots holding all my illustrated swag. It didn't take long to see my tote bag hitting the streets either!! I happened to catch a very chic New Yorker toting her tote on the 1 train to work and perhaps that was the greatest moment of all. I've always wanted to see people living with my illustrations in a functional, multipurpose way, and I finally have. 

Cheers to pursuing your dreams and making them happen in the baddest city of all: NYC!!

Much love,

Meag xx

GUEST BLOG: Failure rebranded as innovation?

You may have seen Amon Cohen’s recent interview with Dean Forbes in which Dean discussed Managed Travel 2.0 and went on to describe this concept as “failure dressed up as innovation”.

When the idea of Managed Travel 2.0 burst onto the scene it was a fresh approach to a long standing problem: how can we stop maverick travellers booking outside of process and prevent leakage from T&E programmes? Scott Gillespie led the charge promoting the travel innovations he'd like to see and in early 2013 KDS launched Flex T&E as a point of sale solution to this problem. At that time I said it would probably be an 80:20 solution with 20 per cent of corporates going down that route, however, the results have actually been more 95:5 and I believe this is because many people have taken their eyes off the real problem.

Initially we had thought that the emergence of ‘millennials’ onto the scene had driven the urgency to find a new type of solution, as these digital natives are far less forgiving of bad technology. However, the last year has shown us that this is not a generational thing - it's a ‘bad user experience’ thing!

People of all ages leave the corporate process when they can't find what they want. This may be because of poor content (the right content poorly displayed or the right content at the wrong price) or if they have to spend an unreasonable amount of time/effort using the tool (performance and usability).

Put another way - the whole leakage/maverick/millennial problem stems from a failure of tools and processes. When tools, policy and process are at odds with traveller experience, the result will inevitably be leakage and maverick behaviour. Tools and policy driven too aggressively by cost savings sometimes contradicted themselves (we've all flown a cheap flight but ended up spending more on ground transport or seen a cheaper flight than the one listed in our corporate tool) which further 'justifies' the maverick's stance.

Some providers jumped on this as an opportunity to 'not' address their core issue, which was a terrible user experience and lousy content. However, not even millions in marketing budgets can convince the industry that ‘open booking’ is anything more than a rebranding exercise (failure = innovation). Sceptics might even say it's an opportunistic way of bypassing both the TMC and GDS. At KDS we recognise the importance of the ecosystem and believe we all have a role to play both now and in the future.

Allowing people to effectively bypass process and tools using only an 'open booking' solution simply pushes the problem back to the user. They have to spend more time on many different sites for the search and book process. They then have to spend even longer manually entering this into expense systems - two steps backwards!

The simple answer to the problem is a great user experience with complete content. Sound familiar? It should do - because that's what we've attempted to solve with KDS Neo. We have found that Neo is delivering the right results by addressing the core issue and solving the root cause of the problem - fast and simple door-to-door bookings with the best choice of content. Users of all ages are responding to this in the way we hoped – by booking online with the right tool and embedded policy and process. Indeed both hotel attachment and user adoption are up in the customers who have deployed Neo so far.

There is still a place for 'open booking', specifically where there is no TMC in place or if the customer is not using truly innovative solutions like KDS Neo - but it remains on the peripheries rather than on centre stage.

This post was written by Oliver Quayle, KDS Senior VP Products and Partners. For further information on KDS please visit www.kds.com.

Illustrations for CANDELABOX

Happy Sunday My Lovelies,

I hope you've all had a fantastic weekend. I'm thrilled to share with you an illustration project I worked on for the newly launched candelabox.com. Candelabox is a subscription service for high-end scented candles. They discover the best products for you based on your fragrance profile and deliver on a monthly basis. I absolutely loved the concept and wanted my illustrations to reflect the evocative nature of fragrances and the premium service of Candelabox.

Head over to the beautiful candelabox.com and see for yourself.

Much love,
Meag xx

WHERE NEXT FOR THE SERVICED APARTMENT SECTOR?

There’s no doubt the industry has seen a significant increase in awareness  – and understanding – of the serviced apartment model in recent years, but what more could operators be doing to make themselves appealing to business travellers and to capture its share of the accommodation budget?

Marlin Apartments

 According to this year’s Global Serviced Apartments Industry Report from The Apartment Service, demand for serviced apartments is outstripping supply in many territories. This is due, in part, to the greater adoption of serviced apartments in travel policies, but also to more apartment operators taking short-stay (less than one week) business away from hotels.

But the report also claims that the serviced apartment sector still has a very long way to go and that its shortfalls are, in fact, self-inflicted. How?

• Varying terminology between territories (serviced apartment in the UK, corporate housing in the US, etc)
• Varying consistency of the product 
• Lack of synergy between the product and the GDS distribution channels used by TMCs
• Lack of recognised ratings system

Dolphin Square

So what’s the answer? According to TAS, the key to driving an even greater understanding of serviced apartments is through greater standardisation and the introduction and adoption of an industry-wide code of conduct for operators.

Let’s hope it’s not too long before these steps are taken and the serviced apartment sector can take another well-deserved leap forward in being accepted by corporate travellers and managers.

This post was written by David Chapple, who is event director of the Business Travel Show, which takes place 4-5 February 2013. Buyers can visit the ASAP (Association of Serviced Apartment Providers) Pavilion at the show, which celebrates its 20^th anniversary in 2014. 

GUEST BLOG: The shortest business class trip ever

I distinctly remember the first time I visited the Business Travel Show – it opened up a whole world I never knew about as a starter in the industry and I still have friends today that I met on that first visit at the exhibition’s old home in Angel, Islington. 

But it is the first time I decided to invest in exhibiting which I recall the most. As Sales & Marketing Director at Statesman Travel it was a difficult job to persuade the MD to invest in a space, stand, time and resources to get the most out of the show. But it was worth every penny as we showcased our services for the first time publicly to the market.  

I recall one client who was considering our services visited our booth and, to this day, I think the sight of us at the event added weight to our bid as a credible company. We won the account, of course. But it was when all the hard work was over that I experienced my most memorable BT Show experience. 

We had neglected to book any transportation for our booth post event, so I bribed a team from another airline booth to throw our stuff in the back and give us a lift across London.  We sat buckled up in the back of a truck in a set of brand new transatlantic business class seats for the five mile trip across the capital. Mission complete, at a competitive price too, and surely I must hold the record for the shortest business class trip ever?

This post was written by Paul Tilstone, SVP Global Operations, Global Business Travel Association.

NDC: THE CARROT AND THE STICK

It’s been a while since we bloggedabout NDC – five months in fact – and, in that time, this most controversial of business travel issues has continued to dominate headlines. It also came up again and again at the GBTA Europe Conference last week. And it was there that I had an idea.

There has been a lot of negative comment about NDC, but I think it’s safe to say the industry agrees that the price transparency NDC provides is a positive thing for everyone: the airlines, the buyer and the traveller. By displaying everything from the basic fare, to the extras such as baggage fees, extra legroom costs and taxes, buyers and consumers can compare like for like for the first time when booking flights and airlines can compete fairly. 

And this made me wonder. Does NDC have the potential to help travel managers drive and increase compliance while also keeping their travellers happy? Can it be both a carrot and a stick?

For example, if all airlines displayed a de-ancillaried price on NDC, TMCs could then negotiate any ancillary costs directly, and the choice of those ancillaries – up to the value of, say, five per cent of the air fare – could be left up to the traveller. So the traveller could decide if they prefer extra leg room, priority boarding or lounge access, for example, and this element of choice would help to make them feel like they were valued and had some element of control, while, in fact, they were being gently coerced into complying with policy. And a compliant traveller is every travel manager’s Holy Grail, right?.

By David Chapple

David Chapple is event director of the Business Travel Show, which takes place 4-5 February 2014 in London. Find out more at www.businesstravelshow.com. Comment on this blog below, or contact David on Twitter @btshowlondon

Ruffian Spring 2014

Hello Lovelies,

Finally I share with you my illustrations from the Ruffian SS14 fashion show produced for Would You Rock This. These were an absolute joy to illustrate and experience firsthand on the runway. Can you feel the cool Parisian breeze from these garments?!

Much love,
Meag xx

SS14 NYFW Photo Diary

Hello Darlings,

I'm finally back from an absolute whirlwind Summer and start to Fall. For those of you who follow my Instagram and Facebook you were absolutely apart of the journey with me and I'm incredibly grateful for that. I did not formerly announce it on the blog but in addition to illustrating with designer Naomi Spindel, I was also selected by renowned illustrator Alvaro and Would You Rock This to cover the Ruffian SS14 show at New York Fashion week this past Sept 7th.

As expected I jumped at the opportunity, and had the time of my life sketching voraciously from the runway, and inside the Lincoln Center tents. Having captured much of the action via Instagram, my favorite Aussie Jordana Ripp of Perth Style put together this amazing photo collage of my experience, and I just had to share it with you all here. Thank you Jordana for this most incredible memento. I can't wait to post the final illustrations from the Ruffian show here shortly.

Much love,
Meag xx

WHAT IS THE 'REAL' COST OF BUSINESS TRAVEL?

Much has been written recently about the business of travel management and, specifically, how managing suppliers may not be the best way to manage costs. When it comes to managing a mature travel programme, for example, the likelihood is that savings from squeezing suppliers have already been maximised. Instead, managers are being urged to manage travellers, and this point was also highlighted in Egencia’s report on ‘The Real Cost of Business Travel’.

Egencia’s report nudges managers to look at the intangible and hidden costs of business travel as well as the more classic expenses such as air travel and accommodation. By managing travellers and providing them with the right tools to plan, book and track their travel, productivity and other hidden costs can be reduced and thereby saving companies ‘the real costs of business travel’. How do you manage travellers? Well, by getting them to comply, obviously, albeit ‘gently’ suggests Egencia. In fact, they give us a very useful four-pronged approach to increase compliance:

1              Communicate– explain to travellers what the company stands to gain by adopting a new policy

2              Educate– educate travellers of the benefits to them of adhering to your travel programme and give them recognition when they do

3              Compete– encourage inter-departmental competition

4              Offer(or reward) – offer travellers incentives for the winning department in addition to bragging rights

In summary, you may have maxed out your supplier savings but there are still significant savings to be had by managing and reducing your hidden costs – your productivity costs, for example – and intangible costs, such as traveller/employee satisfaction. Do this, and you can still see a big impact on the company bottom line.

This post was written by David Chapple, event director of the Business Travel Show. Egencia is exhibiting at the Business Travel Show, which takes place 4-5 February 2014 in London.

 

Illustrations for Naomi Spindel's SS14 Lookbook

Hi My TWD Darlings,

I'm thrilled to present you with the final lookbook illustrations for Naomi Spindel's SS14 collection. As mentioned, this was an absolute dream project to work on and I'm so beyond excited to be attending her debut presentation this Sunday Sept 8th for NYFW. Be sure to check out her new website www.naomispindel.com to see the collection in its entirety and all the behind the scenes snippets leading up to the big reveal!!

Much love,
Meag xx

C18's Labor Day Haute List

Happy Labor Day Weekend My Lovelies!!

I hope you have some spectacular plans in the works for this holiday. I'm back in Toronto for one of my dearest friend's wedding tomorrow (love you Miss Jill Kennedy) and I'm beyond thrilled to share with you my first ever C18 Girl illustration for my company Collection 18. Check out C18's Labor Day Haute List for five fabulous spots to hit up this long weekend:

1. Check out MoMA P.S.1’s Party Wall this weekend before it closes – a temporary urban landscape on view throughout the Summer. The giant steel frame contains water which projects to a fountain below. No place could be chiller to end your Summer in NYC.

2. Visit James Turrell’s light spectacular at the Guggenheim for an experience of perception, light, color, and space. It’s Turrell’s first exhibition in a New York museum since 1980. After walking the dramatically transformed Guggenheim, pop over to Central Park for a late Summer stroll.

3. Head to 10 Over 10 Tribeca for a bit of manicure/pedicure indulgence. Nothing feels better than letting your fingers and toes shine during these last few days of saucy Summer heat. On your way home walk up West Broadway for some SOHO gallery hopping and Summer sale shopping!! 

4. Road-trip it to Sturbridge, Massachusetts this weekend for the incredible Vintage Fashion and Textile Show. Scoop up tapestries, costumes, estate jewelry, hats, shoes, and old fashioned magazines for old makes new inspiration at the largest show of its kind.

5. Hop over to Brooklyn Bridge Park to ride the exquisite 1920’s Jane’s Carousel in Dumbo. Overlook the most spectacular view of the East River between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge and host your own version of a Harper’s Bazaar Mila Kunis photo shoot.

Much love,
Meag xx