The first formal pan-European consultation group for travel buyers with large budgets has been formed by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).
Membership of the Strategic Benchmark Group is reserved for European-based companies who spend more than €200 million a year on travel and entertainment.
The group, which to date has 18 members, will hold its first meeting at the GBTA European conference in Holland.
Current members of the benchmarking group include buyers for Astra Zeneca, Siemens, ABB, Google, Microsoft and Nestlé.
Bernd Schulz, head of global commodity travel for Siemens, will head up the group, with Caroline Strachan, Astra Zeneca’s global procurement leader – business travel.
Schulz said: "To date the opportunity to share strategies for the biggest programmes has mainly been restricted to a local level. I am delighted that this has been recognised by GBTA."
www.gbta.org/europe