What It's Like to Manage Travelers in Brussels Right Now

• Sentiments on the ground
• Fear of further threat
• Social networks' role

Yves Galimidi, owner of Brussels-based Business Travel, Meetings & Mobility Solutions, former travel buyer for IKEA and current ACTE board member, offered BTN editor-in-chief a view inside the minds of travel managers in the region and beyond.

BTN: What's the feeling among travel managers you have been speaking with in the region?

Galimidi: There is a feeling of sadness and compassion. We are talking about people right now, not about savings or process. There are victims and people are hurt.  Also there is a feeling of disgust and anger. People are saying, "How is this possible?" [and] wondering how the world is becoming a crazy place.

BTN: Is there worry of further threat?

Galimidi: Yes, but maybe not as you think. They obviously feel a threat to their travelers, and they feel a duty toward their travelers because of that. But travel managers are feeling a threat to their business environment. They have a role in this new normal, and they are not used it. They are wondering how to handle this professional challenge. They are also concerned about the threat to their suppliers because there could clearly be a financial impact generated by this. As corporates, we don't want to see our suppliers not doing well. Supplier health is important to our work. But I have also clearly seen and heard that there is no fear. People have been fearless. It's an opportunity to show we are standing together and moving toward collaboration among travel managers, and I have already seen that.

BTN: Do you see companies responding with stronger programs?

Galimidi: That happened years ago. Particularly in large companies, they have great programs in place and they work very well with great [security] suppliers. They are tracking and integrating. I don't think there is a lot more here. What I see unfortunately is the limitations. It's easy to track people at an airport or hotel, but what about in the underground [train]? This is exactly what happened in Brussels. How do we do that? This is the question and no one yet has the answer, [but ] we do see development in more sophisticated tracking tools. I also see the role of social networks as much more powerful than we currently know.

BTN: How are social networks making an impact during this crisis?

Galimidi: In the last few days, I've been in touch with dozens of travel managers via social networks: LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp and even Facebook. I was a travel manager during 9/11, and having access to social networks made the experience of this situation very different. It really showed that even though this event was in Belgium, it's not about Belgium. We are living in a global environment and travel managers from all European countries but also India, China, Singapore, United States and Canada [are affected]. The world is affected.

Globally, travel managers are showing support and collaboration. Of course, we are receiving kind words and people are sending prayers of support, but I also see people who are discussing their security programs, asking for advice and identifying gaps. I personally spoke with someone from [a large consulting firm] and asked if she was OK with her travelers. She said there had been a couple of casualties but that it wasn't too bad. She told me that she had to evacuate a couple of Swedish employees and that she spoke to one of my former colleagues from IKEA to help. And they did that. Another travel manager reached out from India to offer tips on handling bombing situations because he had similar situations when India was experiencing bombings a few years back.

When these things happen, you forget that you are Belgian, French, Indian or whatever. And I saw travel managers reach out across many borders to help each other.