Press Release
For Immediate Release
3 April 2008
ACTE BUENOS AIRES EXECUTIVE FORUM REVEALS REGIONAL INDUSTRY RIFT
Alexandria, VA --
Business travel managers in Argentina are demanding more attention from their travel management companies, but they’re not waiting around for it either. Findings from the latest Association of Corporate Travel Executives’ (ACTE) forum in Buenos Aires (13 March 2008) indicate a rift has developed between travel managers and TMCs regarding service expectations, and that travel managers are finding more of their own solutions online.
Jose Antonio Gandini, T&E Procurement Regional Manager – Cargill, S.A.C.I., who believes the relationship between travel managers and TMCs is in need of immediate improvement, said, “Agencies in the region still have not found how to produce the required consulting service, so the travel managers are finding other solutions such as online booking tools to be more efficient for the individual.”
Gandini defined three areas of the TMC/travel manager disconnect:
• Consulting – TMCs still do not focus on this aspect of their service which they have supposedly stated they would offer in recent years. The human resources they provide have not yet been trained adequately to carry on the function of a true consultant.
• Integration with online tools – TMCs are still somewhat rejecting available online tools instead of finding a way to co-exist with them, or investigating better service alternatives or how to lower costs using such tools.
• Quality of Service – TMCs that provide service at a regional level can show very different levels of service within the same company throughout different countries. There are countries with good levels of consulting services and account executives, and there are other countries where it is difficult to find employees that meet the standard quality of service at all. TMCs should invest in equalizing (leveling) the quality of service to all their clients to minimize the constant problems in many countries in Latin America that are not at the same high level as others, where there are practically no customer service complaints.
As the result of a 20-minute debate that followed Gandini’s remarks, Miguel Lahura, President of Pentagrama, recommended that the association convene a special roundtable discussion between travel managers and TMCs at the earliest possible date.
“Travel managers and TMCs represent crucial aspects of the business travel management equation,” said Lahura. “ACTE is in the resolution and solution business. We are going to make correcting the problem a priority in this region.”
Patricia Rey, Gerente Corporativo, Biblios Travel, commented, “To reach a better understanding between the two sides, the first thing that has to be determined by the corporation is the ob
She added, “First, it is important to share the global vision of the business, then anticipate possible changes in corporate travel policy depending on the company’s strategy and, lastly, maintain open and sincere communication.”
The session, “All You Wanted to Know and Finally Understand,” examined the views of executive versus travel management on spending and budgeting or cost-cutting strategies.
Said panel leader, Rodolfo Silva, Latin America Director, GetThere, “Areas of focus for cutting costs seem to vary; where Executives and Travel Managers believe the focus should be on corporate meetings and events, Procurement believes the primary focus should be on cutting overall travel costs. Meetings consolidation is a key aspect to 2008 negotiations with travel suppliers, a trend that ACTE Latin America has been focused on since last year.”
In another session, Diego Antista, Sales Manager, and Jason Harvey, Industry Marketing Manager from Google, revealed the power of social networking and the impact it will have on the business travel management industry. According to Google, the biggest change in progress lies in how the “prosumer” can now evaluate a series of products simultaneously, choosing the most appropriate one without the benefit of sales representation.
“This is a new driving force within the industry and dozens of companies are rushing to develop social networks of their own,” said Antista. “Our ob
In addition, Silva announced that GetThere is launching a community platform called "cubeless," which will allow business travellers to quickly and easily get advice from colleagues who abide by the same travel policies and who have travelled to the same locations.
(ACTE is the first association to offer a social network – ACTE Interactive – to the business travel industry a year ago as a benefit to its members. The association's leadership foresees social networking as becoming the mainstay of functions like benchmarking, but also as replacing standard surveys and position statements with dialogue.)
One surprising figure that surfaced during the Executive Forum is that 18 percent of business travellers in Argentina combine business with leisure travel – a practice that is uncommon in the United States.
ABOUT ACTE:
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) represents the global business travel industry through its international advocacy efforts, executive level educational programs, and independent industry research. ACTE's membership consists of senior travel industry executives from 82 countries representing the €200 billion business travel industry. With the support of sponsors from every major segment of the business travel industry, ACTE develops and delivers educational programs in key business centers throughout the world. ACTE has offices in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and the United States. For more information on ACTE, please go to www.acte.org.
For more information, contact:
Debbie Flynn
CEO
Brighter Group
The Pod, London's Vertical Gateway
Bridges Wharf, Battersea
London SW11 3BE England
T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
E: [email protected]
W: www.brightergroup.com