A whole range of topics from change management to negotiating on prices was discussed at the first conference held especially for travel managers from SMEs.
The meeting, held at Dusseldorf Airport, was organised by the VDR, The Business Travel Association of Germany.
About 80 travel managers attended, including about a third who were not members of the VDR. A few sponsors were invited but otherwise there were no suppliers.
The topics discussed included taxes, reporting, change management, safety and security, negotiating with hotels and other suppliers, online booking, co-operation with the TMCs and the role of travel managers.
Andrea Zimmermann, chairwoman of VDR's SME committee and one of the main organisers, said: "All the speakers came from within the SME committee of the VDR who explained how they did it at their company.
"There were no speakers from TMCs or consultancies. That was the number one criterion – not to have speakers from outside but to have travel managers from SMEs who could share their experiences.
"This was a very positive meeting with the travel managers highly motivated to find out more about managing travel for smaller companies. 97% of the people who attended said it was 'good' or 'very good.'"
Ms Zimmermann, formerly travel manager for Woolworth in Germany and now a consultant, said a follow up meeting of the SME committee would now assess the value of the event.
It is also very likely that such SME conferences would be held on a regular basis.
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