As the 2015 Business Travel Awards edge closer,BBT has been catching up with some of last year’s winners to highlight their stories and find out how the win has affected their business.
In the fifth instalment of this mini-series BBT speaks to Europcar UK group, managing director, Ken McCall, on winning Best Car Rental Company and how it has affected their business.
Why did you decide to enter the 2014 Business Travel Awards?
As a leader in car hire services in Europe, it made perfect sense for Europcar to enter the Business Travel Awards, which recognise the efforts of major providers to offer the best possible service for all aspects of travelling for business.
Europcar has long been a supporter of the publication and with a firm commitment to the development of new products and services for business travellers, we felt we had an extremely good chance of winning the award.
What did winning the award for Best Car Rental Company mean to your team/company?
Recognition is always fantastic, especially from our peers and industry experts. Of course it has meant the world to our team as it demonstrates that all of their hard work is paying dividends.
We’ve always known we have a fantastic offering for business travellers, but getting praise from the industry really reinforces that and strengthens our resolve to continue innovating.
Has winning the award had any positive benefits for your company – both internally and externally? If so what have those benefits been?
Winning an award can give a company a feeling of a job well done – which is great – but it’s important not to get too carried away with winning one year. It’s about making sure the attitude in our company is wanting to win every year. The win means we can give ourselves a pat on the back, but more importantly it gives us a springboard to drive further innovation rather than resting on our laurels.
Since the win what has Europcar UK been up to?
The biggest innovation that has come about since our award win has been a partnership with the ExCeL exhibition and conference centre in London. Working together, we now offer the very first integrated hub that provides all travel services from one location.
We have also been developing our offering to Travel Management Companies even further and will be looking to communicate our enhanced offering later this year.
What's in the pipeline for Europcar UK for 2015?
We will remain focused on delivering the highest standards of customer service, combined with innovation that makes the business journey not only efficient and cost-effective as possible but also ensures that the right mobility solution is offered every time.
What did you enjoy most about the Awards evening? (apart from winning of course!)
The awards evening was a great opportunity to network with our colleagues and peers.
Why should organisations and teams enter the awards? And why should they attend the ceremony?
Buying Business Travel is a hugely respected and well-read publication so any organisation which believes it has a great offering for business travellers and wants to get this message across should of course enter the awards. These awards are not simply a self-congratulatory pat on the back from the industry, but actually highlight the best offerings for business travellers.So if you win an award you can be sure that the right audience will know about your product.
What the Judges said:
The judges all agreed this was an excellent product from a company that has its eye on the ball. They said Europcar demonstrated tangible and material benefits to the corporate customer.
How to enter the 2015 Business Travel Awards
The deadline for awards entries is September 12. To view categories and criteria visit www.businesstravelawrds.com. For the latest updates on the event, follow the Business Travel Awards on Twitter at @BBTAwards