Business Travel Executive, October/November 2020

Link to More Intelligence Insight on This Topic Click Here 41 Business Travel Executive askBTE com October November 2020 WENDY PALMER Manager Event Experience Team Electric Power Research Institute EPRI ROSEMARY E MALONEY Global Travel Lead Sprinklr DAVID L SMITH Travel and Relocation Manager Amdocs Americas MARK ZIEGLER Senior Travel Manager NetApp Inc Traveling in the post COVID world requires downloading the countrys or regions tracing app This becomes especially tough in the US as each state is coming up with their own Since the best defense is a good offense we will need an effective rapid test because testing and tracing are so important and will help us to find the new normal for business travel systems and processes are going to change but some of this change needed to happen think touchless airline tickets and cleaner planes and cars Hotels are moving more to touchless key how wonderful is that Its hard to admit but these were needed to move our industry forward For myself 2021 will be a chance to grow explore and keep traveling Some of this change needed to happen think touchless airline tickets and cleaner planes and cars Gloria Gonzalez Business travel will return For travel pros the question is what are we going to do regarding how it returns David Smith through the companys travel program Since travel managers are naturally problem solvers and innovators we are currently using this down time to create new solutions for travelers when they return And when those travelers return they will need new training Air travel hotel ground transport and corporate meetings are all in the midst of unprecedented change Who knows what new procedures will be in place and which vendors will still be in existence Business travel will return For travel pros the question is what are we going to do regarding how it returns Since the best defense is the good offense we will need an effective rapid test Rosemary E Maloney ever corporate travel remains an unknown as companies dont want to be at risk for virus exposure to their employees Once corporate travel begins to rematerialize social distancing and masks will become the new norm for the foreseeable future The new protocols we are seeing today are not going away but will be the new enhanced standard not only for 2021 but for generations to come Corporate travel remains an unknown as companies dont want to be at risk for virus exposure to their employees Chris Brockman As buyers and suppliers we need to seek out new opportunities to transform our travel programs and deliver value like never before Jennifer Steinke In my organization we are a CTD and we took the time to completely reengineer our process focusing our time and energy on how we can deliver more value for the organization and our travelers and prepare for the return to travel I think as things begin to turn around and they will managed travel programs post COVID 19 will be leaner more important than ever and viewed much more strategically than in the past Financials will be drastically different because of reduced airline schedules tighter evaluation of travel ROI and old revenue models that just will not work anymore As travel managers we will have new obligations and budget constraints On top of that duty of care and traveler health and safety considerations will be integrated more than ever into our daily operations A word of advice Expand your horizons or cease to be relevant Vaccine or no the world has changed again and this one is not all that different from the last big change Mark Ziegler