Seeing the travel industry unfold right before my eyes, it has come a long way how Travel Agencies’ role changed in performing their duties. Travel Management Centers, whether “imbedded” or “accommodated” not only make sure the tickets are issued anymore, they became proficient in making use everything is under control with limited errors and good tracking, expertise, access to content, etc on an end-to-end solution capability. The whole aspect of the reservation is no longer the core of their job. The most important factor now a days is to make sure that the travel manager of the account assist and optimize the “spend” and see it as an investment. An investment that is not wasted with aspects of spend from processing to control, compliance, privacy, sourcing, purchasing and reporting. We are now in the world of advancement and sophistication in technology. Every single week you will read enhancement in technology in every facet of the travel industry. The industry has moved from being traditional and focused on tickets to now really trying to manage spend with data reporting, privacy, control, payment solution and sourcing. The buyers – meaning us – federal agencies and DoD will continue to be unsatisfied with the data quality as there is no global platform. The data captured at the front end with different platforms and different GDSs in different places. Then you have to bring it all together in the back end, but while some data is made with active-segment, some are passive. Not all the fields are the same in every account, so everything has to be filtered and brought back together and standardized in different reporting mechanism. In my past life working with one of the pioneers in government travel contracting, I have seen the adoption the company has to do to keep up with technology and to provide the clients what they ask for. TMCs tirelessly think of a way to be up to par with their competitors. But again, acceleration is taking place in the meeting space. Meeting space that is a part of T&E used diversely by government agencies and corporations with limited control and big in expense and new technologies are moving quickly that management need to step in. I am sure that it will be a big thing come GBTA National Travel Forum in Phoenix, Arizona in June under “Managing your Agency Spend” and “Understanding the big picture”. Hope to see you there!
By: Joy Borja
Disclaimer: The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency