Logistics elevate MiCE

Sonit Soni, COO, Nanuan Travels, talks about trends in the car-rental business. He says that the requirements of business travellers are driving trends everywhere

Which trends, in terms of logistics and transfers, are going to influence the MiCE industry in 2019? With large players building their own logistics, it can safely be assumed that it's important and can generate significant business value. The kind of customer experience a business can provide by leveraging its own logistics arm will surely be better than someone else doing it for them. In other words, it's always smart to own a customer's delivery when you own the customer.

With global supply chain networks, multimodal transportation networks are only expected to grow. With the increasing complexity of such mesh networks, getting realtime and predictive visibility will be a core area for organisations to focus on. Even with rising complexities, organisations can no longer take a reactive approach to managing exigencies and zero-day emergencies as it will have a domino effect in inventory management, service to the clients, and go-to-market time.

How was business for you in 2018 and what do you have lined up for 2019? Business was fruitful in 2018. We closed our business with a 70 per cent achievement. Much of the business was generated from Non-Resident Indians (NRI), marriage events, and corporate events.

For 2019, we are changing our strategy. It has been seen that a personalised approach is now viewed more as an expectation than something extraordinary. People value the unique experience they can get while on the go, be it during a holiday or a business trip. In fact, personalisation has become a priority among the modern trends in the travel and tourism industry. We have already introduced customised offerings and personalised services to our clients. Our major target is the European market, which travels to North India.

What are the expectations of the new-age business traveller when renting a car? Today's business travellers are less frenetic and more deliberate. They travel for two reasons: to meet their corporate objectives and to support their life's objectives. For a growing number of them, the first is meaningless if it doesn't contribute to the second. As per a report, 48 per cent of the travel managers interviewed cited an increase in travellers' work/life balance inquiries. The issue is so significant that 25 per cent of respondent travel managers are developing new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) based on travellers' experiences. Younger business travellers are more conscious of what they eat, how they exercise, and the amount and quality of the sleep they get. They know that all of these factors are the basis of wellness, and they are less willing to abandon their wellness agendas when travelling. They also know that wellness of body and spirit provides advantages when negotiating sales contracts for their companies.

Modern business travellers are also more aware and more demanding of the recovery time between trips. We are dedicating special staff to achieve our targets and grab more business. Our motto is ‘Services and Satisfaction of Client'. The company also arranges transport for foreign dignitaries and delegates attending conferences, trade shows, and fairs. The car rental booking service brings together car-rental operations and retail customers on one platform.

It’s always smart to own a customer’s delivery when you own the customer