1. Business travel is on the rise
Business travel from Sweden is expected to continue to increase in 2016. In recent years it has been interesting to see that video meetings have increased significantly but travelling has continued to rise nevertheless, if not as much as video meetings.
2. The importance of compliance
Swedish travel buyers need to get better at driving compliance to the travel agency that the company has selected. Too many Swedish travellers book their own business travel outside the selected supplier.
One consequence is that it may be very difficult to find travellers if something happens. It also means the travel manager does not have the travelling information when it comes to analysing their data.
3. The man to know
Torbjörn Erling, travel manager for Ikea is the business travel buyer you really need to know if you are new to working in Sweden.
4. Respect your partners
I have a phrase that represents the way I like to do business and I have seen it reflected in the Swedish travel industry although it may not be special just to our country. This view is: when making a business deal it is very important that you intend to fulfil it with respect for your partner.
It's also important that a deal is settled with the intention of cooperating for a long time, so long as nothing happens that changes the conditions. This is something I have been careful to consult and advise people about travel management for many years.
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A view of Stockholm from the Gondolen restaurant
5. The importance of supplier relationships
Having the right relationship with your suppliers is important, especially when you have a problem or need help when a city's hotels are full.
For example in Stockholm there is a period every year when there is a medical conference in the city. All the hotels are fully booked during this period and many travellers have to book a room that is sometimes an hour or more car drive from central Stockholm.
One year I needed to get a room for a manager in Stockholm for the next day during this busy period. I called my contact at Scandic Hotels and he managed to find a room in the middle of the city for me. I have no idea how he managed to do it, but generally it came down to the relationship I had built up with him over the years.
It's also important to stick to your side of the deal — if you estimate a number of nights but the end result is much lower then you cannot expect the same cooperation when it comes to renegotiating. When it comes to getting rooms in full cities it also really depends if you are booking the hotel room yourself or if you have a travel agency booking for you.
6. Don't exploit your partners
It's important for travel managers to be tactical, but that does not always mean you have to exploit a supplier when they are having a bad time.
I have been working very closely with the Elite Plaza in Stockholm, my favourite business hotel in Sweden, for a long time. I have never been disappointed by them and that is partly because we have a good working relationship.
There was a year when there was a decline in travelling and lots of hotels had problems with occupancy. When it was time for renegotiation at the end of the year I knew I could ask the hotel for lower prices for the next year, but I decided not to. The reason I chose to do that was that if I lowered the prices for the next year, I was sure to expect a higher price when the market improved. The hotel ended up lowering the price without my suggestion and later the prices became very reasonable. The hotel's team has been very co-operative and it's also a popular hotel with travellers.
7. Sweden needs a direct service to Cape Town
Sweden would benefit from a direct route to Cape Town. A lot of people would travel on a route like that for holidays but there is also an opportunity for business travellers. There are several flights that fly between Johannesburg and Stockholm but many travellers do not like having to connect there even if they stay on the same aircraft. Comfort and timing is important when business travellers are taking a long-haul flight, so a direct route would be better.
8. Innovation is most evident in the booking process
Changes in the whole travel booking process have been innovative compared to when I started working in the industry 15 years ago. So much has happened. These innovations have been making the journey more efficient, from deciding how and when to travel to making all parts of the journey easier and smoother.
There are so many parts of a trip such as booking the best hotel, best flight, best airport transfer etc, and there are systems today helping travellers to find the best alternatives from different criteria. You can select the most environmental alternative or the cheapest or whichever one follows the company's policy.
Administration within the travel process has also improved significantly during this time. There is still much to develop and improve before the whole process has reached a complete solution.
9. Meeting and conference venues
Meetings and conference venue recommendations in Sweden vary depending on the purpose, size and timing of the event. You also have to consider the time of the year, how many people are attending and what the price limit is.
If the time is more important than the surroundings then I would recommend one of the hotels at the Arlanda Airport. If it's a larger conference the Waterfront Hotel is very close to Stockholm's central train station. Another interesting venue is the Wasa Museum where you can see a ship from the 17th century.
In the very north of Sweden there is also the Ice Hotel which is very popular for people to visit. It is very special and could be a hit with companies that have people attending from all over the world; many tourists come from the USA and Japan to see it.
10. If bleisure is your thing
If you wanted to add something special to a trip to Stockholm, then add a visit to the island of Fjäderholmarna in the summer. It is quite small and only accessible by a short boat trip but it has very good restaurants. The Gondolen restaurant close to the centre of Stockholm in the Slussen area has a wonderful rooftop view and its owner is a well-known restauranteur.