TRAVEL COUNSELLORS CONFERENCE THE HUMAN TOUCH

Client relationships, technology and the ‘human touch’ were among the key themes discussed at Travel Counsellors’ business travel conference in June.

Travel Counsellors’ biggest corporate travel conference to date saw nearly 200 business travel specialists and supplier partners gather in Birmingham for the two-day event.

Opening the event, CEO Steve Byrne said the organisation – which specialises in the SME sector – aims to continue its doubledigit growth over the next five years.

“Each year up to 300 people across the globe become entrepreneurs through Travel Counsellors, running their own corporate travel businesses from home or shared offices, supporting their clients to make up to 150,000 trips to 175 countries across the globe,” said Byrne.

“We’ve seen 18% global growth year-onyear for corporate travel, winning £22million in new business in the last 12 months alone. This growth trajectory is in no small part due to the trusted relationships you create with your clients, and the care and dedication you show each day to ensure they enjoy seamless travel and booking experiences,” he added.

Meanwhile, Travel Counsellors Director of Digital and Innovation, Waseem Haq, discussed the organisation’s technology developments. “The biggest trend we’re seeing from our corporate travel clients is the desire for an increasingly ‘mobile’ experience,” said Haq.

“60% of our customers use mobile travel apps and find push alerts incredibly useful to support frictionless journeys. With 81% of our customers favouring voice search on mobile too, we’re continuously looking for opportunities to incorporate artificial intelligence where it enhances our client’s experiences with us,” he explained.

Haq said that the company's bespoke technology platform Phenix continues to receive £2.5million in investment per year, with the booking system set to become an intelligent tool that will recommend personal itineraries according to client booking behaviour.

Virgin Atlantic & Delta Air Lines were headline sponsors of the annual event.