The Institute of Travel Management has formed an Industry Solutions Group to tackle the key issues facing business travel professionals, and…
The Institute of Travel Management has formed an Industry Solutions Group to tackle the key issues facing business travel professionals, and to create solutions for buyers, suppliers and intermediaries. Senior representatives from each industry sector will be co-opted to the group on a project by project basis.
ITM Executive Director Paul Tilstone explained why the Solutions Group had been created. A key element of ITM`s remit is to address the major problems facing our members in the workplace, to research the issues fully and to help find workable answers. ITM`s board felt that a series of working parties with a consistent mission would be best equipped to do this.
For each issue the Industry Solutions Group takes up, there will be an advisory paper and action plan which the group will then implement. In many cases the issue will not be solved overnight, so the action plans devised may cover several months or even years.
The first issue that the ITM Industry Solutions Group will tackle is the damage caused by travellers` non-compliance with corporate travel policies, although Tilstone has already identified data and traveller security as future assignments.
The damage travellers can do to a corporate travel programme and the exposed position they can put themselves in when they go outside the managed programme is a growing problem for Travel Managers and TMC`s who want to communicate the value of travel management more effectively says Tilstone. The Industry Solutions Group dealing with this issue will comprise representatives from the GDS, TMCs, travel buyers, airlines, hotel companies and others including a frequent traveller and myself.
It is expected that the composition of the group will be announced within a fortnight and that the findings from this first project will be made available to ITM members in the coming months.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
