How to Reinvent Your Managed Travel Programs

When the pandemic put the brakes on business travel, it did more than unravel the trip plans for millions of corporate travelers.

The hiatus triggered a reassessment of the entire travel program as corporations focus on critical needs. Travel managers and other stakeholders have had to reprioritize key areas such as savings, duty of care, technology, reporting and vendor relationships. To do so during a pandemic has meant tighter programs and increased scrutiny of trips, while simultaneously managing partnerships with more selected travel management companies (TMCs) and suppliers. As corporations put more protocols in place, travelers will need retraining. With a greater emphasis on management and pretrip approvals, travelers now need to think differently about how, where and when to book.

To better understand how companies are thinking about managed travel programs, The BTN Group, in partnership with sponsor Egencia, in early 2021 fielded a broad-ranging online survey to corporate executives responsible for such programs: travel and finance managers, human resource professionals, procurement, risk management and other stakeholders. Responses shed light on how corporations are rethinking their program strategies and reprioritizing goals with urgency, while also preparing for a post-pandemic future.