Comment: Will mobile technology lead to rogue travellers?

Business Travel Show event director David Chapple says it’s time for travel managers to be upwardly mobile.

When the iPhone first launched in 2007, the concept of mobile apps began their journey to ubiquity. To be fair, it didn’t take the travel industry long to switch on to the trend and hundreds of leisure travel apps soon flooded the market.

There’s no doubt that mobile apps make life easier for business travellers, too. Who wouldn’t want mobile check in, automatic travel updates and amendments, contactless payments? But this ease of use and access plus the variety of choice also caused some initial concern among travel managers that mobile would create inherently rogue travellers.

It’s a theory, yes. But one I’m inclined to disagree with. I actually think mobile technology has the potential to drive compliance and, because of this, I think we’re about to enter an era when it is essential for travel managers and TMCs to become mobile-enabled.

Why do I think mobile technology will drive compliance? Because it may imply choice to the traveller; but by tying travellers to specific apps – particularly mobile payment apps – managers are in fact removing choice. Instead, they are benefiting from a) linking a lot of currently disparate processes together and b) controlling which suppliers their travellers use.

It’s surprising that more travel managers and TMCs aren’t using mobile technology. It is partly due to availability and lack of awareness, particularly with mobile payments and NFC (near field communication).

A few years ago, mobile and technology was a tiny part of the Business Travel Show, but this year a wide range of technology suppliers are exhibiting and many of them are launching new mobile products.

Amadeus, Click Travel, FCm Travel , South African Airways and UROS are all launching mobile apps at the Business Travel Show next week. Executive Serviced Apartments is launching a mobile website. KDS is demonstrating Neo for the first time in the UK; an intelligent travel booking system, which organises the entire trip, from door-to-door and back again. And Cabforce and Hillgate Travel are launching new integrated booking systems.

There is also a Business Travel Technology Showcase, in addition to the adjoining Travel Technology Europe event. The Showcase hosts a series of conference sessions, the perfect place for travel managers, TMCs and travel agents to gen up on mobile and technology advancements.  

Sessions include ‘Driving cultural change; policy, people and compliance’ (Tuesday 1015); ‘Strategic meetings management – turning words into action’ (Tuesday 1315); Choosing the right payment solution for your company’ (Tuesday 1445); ‘Increasing productivity, lower travel costs and make traveller connectivity easy with Goodspeed’ (Tuesday 1615); Riding the Digital Wave: Maximizing Consumerisation for Travel (Wednesday 1015); Importance of Contact and Email Management for Travel Organisations (Wednesday 1015) and ‘Working with mobile and social media’ (Wednesday 1315).

The Business Travel Show takes place at Earls Court 2 in London on 5-6 February 2013. Register now for a free visitor pass at www.businesstravelshow.com.

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