Industry unity, airport expansion and rail investment - Bob Papworth reports from the GTMC's one-day domestic conference in London
INSTITUTE OF TRAVEL & MEETINGS (ITM) CHAIRMAN Jamie Hindhaugh has once again reiterated his call for greater unity in the business travel industry.
Speaking at the Guild of Travel Management Companies' (GTMC) autumn conference at London's newly-re-opened Savoy hotel, he told delegates: "We have to work together more as an industry. I think this delineation between buyer, supplier and intermediary needs to stop."
Hindhaugh, who is the BBC's head of production for all aspects of Olympic year 2012, also urged greater "cross-border" use of travel talent. "I see TMCs [travel management companies] and suppliers becoming buyers," he said, "but I don't see it happening the other way round."
He also conceded that procurement professionals' continuing move into travel purchasing, and the consequent "commoditisation" of travel, can have a detrimental affect.
"There are a lot of bad buyers out there," he said, "and there will be a lot [more] of them coming through as procurement moves in. Commoditisation is what's happening in travel. It's a complete shift in how we operate.
"The challenge for us is that some finance director, some chief executive, will come and kick us in a few years' time when our relationship with you has broken down."
Hindhaugh went on: "For you, the biggest challenge is understanding what a buyer is, who a buyer is, and what they actually do.
"Personally I think you guys need to be louder and braver about what you do - I think you need to challenge us more. There needs to be more parity."
THE COALITION GOVERNMENT'S dogged refusal to allow any expansion at London's three biggest gateways could have spin-off benefits for UK regional airports, Under-Secretary of State for Transport Norman Baker has hinted.
While his speech to the GTMC autumn conference was largely devoted to rail travel - the government's current pet subject - audience questions forced the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes to address a range of aviation issues.
On London's airports, he remained adamant. "There is going to be no expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted in this parliament - let me be quite clear on that," he said.
However, when asked about the role of regional airports, Baker appeared more conciliatory. "We haven't yet taken a view on that," he said, "and that is one area where we would like to take responses from the industry.
"We are not against aviation as a concept. We all use planes to get around and we want to facilitate that. The big question is how we meet the needs of the travelling public, meet the needs of industry, and cut carbon at the same time."
And while he held out no prospect of abandoning the Air Passenger Duty (APD) 'stealth tax', he did predict changes to the way the charges are levied. "It is the view of both coalition parties that we should move towards a 'per plane' system," he said.
THIS JANUARY BRINGS the first test of the government's resolve on rail investment, according to Virgin Trains boss Tony Collins, as the coalition reveals its plans for train company franchising.
The chief executive is leading the campaign for longer franchises to enable train operating companies (TOCs) to plan farther ahead and to attract investment partners to help improve rail services and rolling stock.
He also wants the government to relax - or relinquish - Whitehall controls on TOC operations which, he told the GTMC autumn conference, are hampering immediate improvements. "It's time for the coalition government to be bold," he told delegates. "The decisions that are made over the next 12 months are going to be crucial for the industry over the next 15 years."
Privatisation prompted an early rush of investment, Collins explained. "But since then the railway has effectively been renationalised - civil servants decide on timetables, civil servants decide on rolling stock.
"We want to be able to respond to the market quickly, and this means teaming up with partners and asking the travellers what they want.
"We need to invest in transport because it's good for the environment and it's good for economic development. We need to try and create new markets that look beyond just the rail ticket."