Carine Morin is regional travel manager EMEA at Service Now
Carine Morin is regional travel manager
EMEA at Service Now and is on the advisory
board for Business Travel Show Europe which takes
place 29-30 June 2022 at ExCeL London. She is also taking part in a panel session at the event’s hosted buyer-only pre-show conference on Tuesday 28 June, Heresy! – Your chance to say the unsayable about managed travel.
Last year, you said there were two big issues facing business travel, one being sustainability. How can you make your programme more sustainable, and how do you want suppliers and your TMC to help you do that?
There are several ways that travel managers can help and support sustainable programmes. Primarily, it’s important to work with suppliers that align with key sustainability objectives. However, it’s also critical to support and advise your travellers to empower them to make the best choices for the environment.
This can include conducting a pre-trip approval process to ensure travellers are taking the time to think about their journey and whether it is really needed, or if a video conference would suffice. If travel is necessary, then there are other factors to consider, such as the benefits of taking direct versus indirect flights, SAF operated flights, trying to minimise single day trips and favouring suppliers with a greener operating mode.
What we need from travel suppliers is accuracy in the data. We have data available at time of booking, however, this can become skewed. For example, a lot of factors can change following an initial booking, such as aircraft type, load factor, and seat or room upgrade, to name a few. We need to see more collaboration within the travel ecosystem in order to make the data as accurate as possible.
The second thing you mentioned last year was ‘uncertainty and how we are still operating in the unknown’. A year on, are you more confident about getting your travellers back on the road? What do you think business travel within your organisation will look like in 2022?
We cannot predict what business travel will look like in 2022. The traveller remains the key decision maker, however, I can say we’re seeing a clear will to get back on the road across the board.
When you next go to market for a new TMC partner, which of the following remuneration models do you expect to adopt and why – transaction fees, management fees, subscription fees, or a hybrid?
All models can be valid depending on the size of your business and what is it you expect from your TMC. I would love to see TMCs being more proactive in the pitch process, such as coming to the table first with what they think would be the most valuable and appropriate model for the bid they receive. That will help to set the tone for the partnership from the outset and ensure that both parties are getting the most from the relationship.
Why do you attend Business Travel Show Europe?
Business Travel Show Europe is an important industry event for Europe. It provides valuable time for us to connect with peers and current suppliers, and to get to know new entrants to the industry. The education sessions are always particularly useful and I especially enjoy having so many big players talk together and see huge importance in those conversations.
• Diaries open: Travel managers attending Business Travel Show Europe as Hosted Buyers can now request and book appointments with more than 150 suppliers. For more information about the event, and to register, click here.