ITM (Institute of Travel Management) is holding two National Forums, on key issues affecting the travel management community; once at the Donnington Valley Hotel & Spa in Newbury on 6 September and again at Ramada Jarvis in Bolton, on 7 November.
Each day will begin with a session on hotel management, addressing factors such as annual hotel negotiations, the disappearance of Last Room Availability (LRA) and rising rates as demand continues to outstrip supply.
A buyer case study will consider the pros and cons of a well managed hotel programme before a panel of experts discusses the issues and gives advice on managing the pitfalls.
Following a short coffee break, delegates will hear another buyer presentation on how to work with airlines and maximise benefits for the organisation, after which the panel will look at recent trends for airline alliances, frequent flier schemes and corporate loyalty programmes to ask why they were developed, who they benefit and whether they set the traveller against a managed travel programme.
After lunch the forum will take on environmental issues, providing an update on the government”s overall attitude and its approach to business travel in particular. Members of the ITM project ICARUS Advisory board, will then present an overview of the project”s accreditation and awards process and advise on how to begin emission reduction through a managed travel policy.
Lastly, ITM will approach the issue of selecting third party providers for corporate travel managers and whether it is best to use a cross-functional provider such as a travel management company (TMC) or multiple experts in particular fields, such as hotel or rail booking agents.