Buying Business Travel is pleased to once again be official partner to the 2015 Business Travel Show. The show has gathered a team of senior buyers join its advisory board, to bring their knowledge and expertise to the conference education programme.
BBT talks to Finland’s global business travel leader, Nina Ruokonen, about joining the BT show advisory board, issues facing buyers in the industry and predictions on what will affect business travel in 2015 and beyond.
You have recently joined the advisory board of the Business Travel Show, what were your reasons behind that?
I'm really honoured that I was asked to join the advisory board as travel truly is my passion and I do want to make an impact, keep up with the industry development, join discussion on global and EMEA level and contribute back as best as I can as a global business travel professional and leader.
What are the main issues facing travel buyers at the moment?
There is a lot of increased interest in particular towards the sharing economy and crowd sourcing, like Airbnb & Über, among the buyers and travel management organisations. The challenge is how to figure out a way to balance the traveller requirements and also the company travel policy requirements (managed travel), not forgetting traveller security and duty of care in this context.
In the current political climate with developments in Russia and terrorist acts elsewhere buyers are also paying more attention to the security side of travel and making sure that the company's travel needs in these areas are truly validated, ISOS-type of travel tracker services are in order and that the employees are safe when needing to travel to certain locations.
Overall, global economical/financial development and its impact on business travel is still the top key issue for buyers.
Predictions for any disruptive products/people/services etc. in the managed travel sector for 2015?
I'm looking forward to airlines making the world an even smaller place with bigger and bigger planes and longer flight times, e.g. the Qantas A380 from Dallas to Sydney. I would love to try that. From a technology perspective we will see more amazing services provided to travelers with the support of location based data and the customised usage of big data.
What topics do you expect to be big talking points at the Business Travel Show?
Sharing economy and social media in business travel.
What will be new for hosted buyers for the 2015 show?
The new approach to the agenda; concentrating into truly global items and topics. The Business Travel Show is bigger, better and more global than ever.
About Nina Ruokonen
Nina Ruokonen has just finalised the global travel integration between two companies, Microsoft Mobile Ltd and Microsoft Corporation, and total of 125,000 employees as a result of Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia Devices and Services’ business in April 2014. Alongside with the global travel integration responsibility Nina managed Microsoft Mobile Ltd’s global Travel Management & Sourcing for 50+ countries and 25,000+ employees.
Before joining Microsoft Ruokonen spent 16 years in Nokia Corporation, where she was leading the global travel management and sourcing, acting in different indirect positions as well as working as corporate legal counsel for sourcing and employment for 9 years both in Finland and in the UK. She is now ready for the next opportunity in the travel industry after leaving Microsoft.
Ruokonen is also member of the board in Finnish Business Travel Association (FBTA) and has the passion for developing of and influencing the travel industry especially from a mobile perspective. Her education is LLM, Master of Laws.