PARTNERING WITH A TRAVEL AND EVENTS SPECIALIST: TEN GOOD REASONS

Written by: Sue - 15^th August 2016

It's a weighty decision to take the plunge and switch from handling travel and events planning in-house and out-source to a specialist management partner.  If such spend is significant and there are many travellers to a myriad destinations there are advantages.  Our clients have experienced many benefits: here are just ten to share.  

1  Consolidation and Buying Power - One significant change clients notice when choosing to out-source and 'team-up' is more clout - a good Yorkshire expression!  A travel and events management partner gains a valuable sector reputation through consolidated buying and volume bookings.  When managing group bookings, be that for bedrooms, flights or trains, a company with experience and reputation will be granted the right terms and conditions by suppliers who will be open to negotiation.

Furthermore, by inviting specialists to integrate policy on travel, rooms and events, an organisation can wield greater buying power of its own. 

2  More Rooms and Venues At A Better Rate - Years spent gaining a strong market position, nurturing relationships with venue providers and tailoring room allocation programmes pays off.  Clients then enjoy the fruits of this endeavour through highly competitive rates for travellers and an impressive choice of rooms and events venues for delegates. A strong position and leverage through negotiation can drive costs down.

3 Cost Reductions - By developing the right technological know-how - sophisticated booking and payment systems and delegate management systems for events - a travel management partner streamlines the planning and booking process, helping to reduce costs.  Speedy access to all the right fares and rates - from airlines to car hire - offers clients a world of choice, at the best price, literally at a business travel executive's fingertips.

4 Time Savings - Every business traveller probably has first-hand experience of wasting hours sifting through websites for fares and accommondation.  Not forgetting all the hassle of slow sites or being bumped offline mid-task.  Frustrating for even the most patient browser!  Clients appreciate access to booking tools that at the click of a button or two, can sort all flight, rail, ferry or car hire needs.  When guided through the process of careful pre-planning, clients feel the experience is tangle-free.  Clients offload the responsibility of finding the best terms and conditions as well as the small detail of tracking to ensure a smooth run from booking to the visit's conclusion.

When it comes to organising corporate events, a specialist partner has an ongoing commitment to visit and assess hotels or other distraction-free venues to provide a client with a shortlist promptly for consideration.  An events partner puts in the hours of research and assimilation so the client doesn't have to.

5 Special Knowledge - When partnering with a management company on event planning - for a meeting, conference, product launch, golf day or party for instance - they will know all the unusual venues to provide a 'wow' factor from the moment a delegate feels blown away by approaching an imposing castle down a winding gravel driveway, enjoys the gardens and architectural features of a Jacobean mansion, say, or excitedly hunkers down below ground for a unique brush with history at Churchill's War Rooms.  By inviting suppliers to an ongoing programme of mini-Expos, a good partner will always be clued up on the refreshing choice of options out there in the market.

6 Close Hotel and Venue Partnerships - Negotiation is part of everyday life.  As the famous writer Henry Boye said: "The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway".  A specialist knows how hotels and venues operate and what deals and offers can be arranged.  Knowing all the right questions to ask is the key.  Skilled negotiation takes time as does finalising all the precise details.

7 Pin Down The Purpose - A specialist will slice through the confusion of choices and decisions to pin down the exact purpose of an event, including style, layout, presentation needs, technological requirements as well as details on refreshments and menu preferences, including special considerations.  If all bases can't be covered by the venue in question then a management partner will have a back-up team of technicians and experts at the ready.

8 Personal Service - By appointing one company to manage different but related services - travel, accommodation, events - the whole process becomes streamlined and seamless.  A good partner will assign a single point of contact too, to ensure continuity across all areas.  The skill lies in comprehending a client's travel patterns and behaviour whilst maintaining a personal, tailored service to discover smart ways of meeting business goals.

9 Help With Contracts - A management parter will have specialists within the conference department to check contracts from venues on a client's behalf.  This quick eye over any errors or issues which may impact an event so often prevents a headache scenario further down the road.

10 Management Information - Feedback throughout the process such as reservation reports can provide a client with valuable financial data to help monitor expenditure.  Such reports can zone in on exceptions to company policy, maverick spends or non-compliant decisions.  For events evaluation a partner with empathy for each client's culture should attune tools and methodology to each specific brief and budget.  Return on Investment and delegate engagement don't have to be nebulous; they can be measured.

(Pictured here is one of the rooms refurbished this year at Stratford Manor Hotel in Stratford-Upon-Avon and an unusual events venue - the newly refurbished seventeenth century Tythe Barn at Norton Park Hotel near Winchester - both in our partner Q Hotels' portfolio)