The amount of technology available in the travel sector is “mind boggling” and buyers need to "fully understand" how their travellers are using it in their roles, the BBT Forum in Dublin heard this week.
In a keynote address, Alex Gibson, senior lecturer in marketing at Dublin Institute of Technology, said the changes taking place in technology are “truly of a disruptive nature”.
He said buyers need to be more aligned with their executives to find out the benefits to travellers of understanding technology in terms of a “direct business context”.
Gibson was discussing mobility and the value of communication at the event held on February 9 at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin.
“The world of technology is a fascinating one especially in the context of business travel,” said Gibson. “For example if you look at augmented reality and virtual reality - A year ago I would have said it will be a long time before its launched but now you have Sony launching its new Playstation Virtual Reality product this year and we’ve seen in the past how quickly adoption rates can be for products into the business market.
“So technology is evolving all the time and I would like to see travel managers spend as much time with their business executives and discuss how they’re using devices in terms of a direct business context in their roles.”
Gibson also spoke about advances in technology for meetings with the introduction of Holograms that some hotels have started to introduce.
“Mobile devices in the meetings market could have a big impact. Microsoft is introducing a product called ‘Hololens’ which will create a very impressive holographic image.”
Also in the hotel section Gibson spoke about the “rapid rise” in apps that allow travellers to personalise their experience within a hotel. He cited brands such as Citizen M who are “leading the way in this market”.
“A big issue for the tourism industry now is a ‘personalisation paradox’, this is where the hotel sector wants to highly standardise the process to drive their cost down but guests want more and more personalisation.”