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Event Overview & Theme

Are we experiencing the third wave of disruption in the business travel market?
In the early years of the btTB Annual Conference, between 2000 – 2003, the hottest topic areas were the transition from traditional ‘commission driven’ revenue models for TMC’s to ‘fee for service’ models and the arrival of the first online booking tools (OBT’s). Talk was of TMC’s being ‘disintermediated’ as the OBT’s replaced the need for them, something that of course failed to transpire. Let’s call this ‘Disruption 1.0’.

In 2016 the talk was all about new technology enabled business models disrupting the market, not just in travel, but also in the wider economy. The ‘sharing economy’ was all the rage. In the travel space we were primarily talking about the likes of Uber, AirBnb and GoGet, whose new services presented significant challenges to established players in the travel supply chain. Let’s call this ‘Disruption 2.0’.

So what might ‘Disruption 3.0’ be all about?

In a similar vein to the two examples above, Disruption 3.0 is being driven by new business models enabled by advances in technology. NDC (new distribution capability) is the enabler, allowing travel suppliers more direct control of their inventory distribution and most importantly, reduced distribution costs. This is already having significant impacts on the travel supply chain. These impacts will directly affect corporate travel buyers.

At btTB – GBTA 2020 travel buyers and suppliers will explore ‘Disruption 3.0’, how it will impact on the travel supply chain and corporate travel programmes, and what stakeholders can do to ensure they and their organisations are prepared for it.

I look forward to seeing you at the conference,

Nigel Wardropper
btTB

About the Programme – Travel Interactive

Delegates are most engaged (and happy) when they are actively involved in the learning experience.  The 2020 btTB-GBTA programme will therefore contain more interactive sessions than ever before. We first ran ‘round-table’ sessions at the btTB conference as early as 2004, but in 2020 we will be stepping the interactivity up with a range of different participatory sessions such as:

  • Interactive Discovery Forums
  • Problems and Solutions Workshops
  • Facilitated round-table discussion

The primary benefits of these interactive sessions are:

  • Delegates have their own problems addressed. The agenda is focussed on their needs, by them and provides answer to their real, day-to-day challenges
  • Being actively involved in the programme brings far greater focus and enjoyment to all delegates
  • The interactive sessions provide tremendous networking benefits, with new relationships developed during the sessions

There will also be a variety of main stage presentations and panels, where appropriate, usually focussed on topics where information needs to be imparted or particular opinions expressed.


Why you should attend

For Buyers

  • A knowledge programme that addresses your real, day-to-day challenges and prepares you for the disruptive changes coming your way
  • Extensive interactivity in the seminars programme, through round-table and cross room discussions, enabling you to share ideas, tactics and strategies with your peers and experts from the travel supply chain
  • Streamed sessions enable you to develop a programme most relevant to your needs
  • Extensive Trade Show providing you with the opportunity to meet potential new suppliers, benchmark your existing ones and check out the very latest offerings from suppliers in the travel supply chain

For Suppliers

  • A fantastic opportunity to network at the largest gathering of corporate travel buyers in the region
  • Network with your fellow supply side professionals. The btTB-GBTA conference is a great opportunity to not only catch up with people you haven’t seen for a while, but also to meet new valuable contacts
  • Get a better understanding of the challenges facing your customers and contribute to the conversation about how to solve them


What you will learn

  • Understand how and why the travel supply chain faces a new wave of disruption
  • Learn how the different sectors within the supply chain will be impacted
  • Explore what this will mean for your programme and what you can do to prepare
  • Aligning your travel programme with organisational goals
  • Bringing sustainability to the fore in your travel programme
  • Designing a travel policy for the future
  • Communicating your Policy: what does best practice look like– 1 page or 40 pages?
  • Managing traveller behaviour
  • Delivering exceptional customer experience