Biz Travel Newbies Learn Tricks of the Trade

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Travel agencies of any size can get a foothold in business travel – or expand their corporate business – provided they approach the market strategically and use the right tools.

That was the message from suppliers and other experts at ASTA’s daylong Business Travel Exchange, held at the Hilton Old Town in Alexandria, Va., this week.

The conference, a first for ASTA, featured panels and speakers who discussed different supplier segments, the view from the buyer’s side, and technology.
    
Lucrative segment
Speakers told an audience of 66 travel agents that there are opportunities for agencies of all sizes to get into corporate business. They said a large percentage of corporate travel remains unmanaged, while more and more companies are seeking to implement travel policies.

And although corporate travel may be more complex than leisure travel, it can be more lucrative for agencies, because clients are more loyal and margins are higher.

The speakers offered advice for agents brand new to corporate travel, including the following key points.

•    As a first step, agents should figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are – and what they hope to achieve by going after corporate business.

•    Agents’ efforts to bring in corporate business must be data-driven. Agents must show that they can deliver value to the client through better rates, service or extra amenities and by insuring that their travelers are safe and secure.

•    While technology is important in corporate travel, agents don’t need to spend millions of dollars to provide technological tools for travelers.

First step for agents
Agents who attended ASTA’s Business Travel Exchange told Travel Market Report that they saw the event as a first step toward getting, or increasing, corporate business. But they agreed that a lot of work would be involved.
    
Jeff Keckley, a travel consultant with Travel del Sol in El Paso, Texas, said that although his three-year-old storefront agency sells 100% leisure, he saw a need to diversify. “If you stand still, you are left behind.”

While his agency’s business has doubled every year since he started, Keckley said the leisure business is “fragile.” Corporate business would be more stable because clients are more loyal, he said.

“There’s a lot to learn, and it won’t be easy. But the rewards are potentially great,” Keckley said.

Food for thought
Another all-leisure agent, Pamela Carlson, a home-based affiliate of Val-You Travel, was also there to see if she’d be interested in corporate travel. “I have learned that it’s more than sending people on business trips; this has given me a lot of food for thought,” she said.

For Jacqueline Williams-Coker of First Mile Travel in Lorton, Va., attending the conference was “an initial effort” toward expanding into corporate travel.

“I realize you can’t be a specialist in everything, but at our agency each person is a specialist in something. If we decide to go ahead, it would involve finding a person who would handle the corporate end.”

ASTA: We’ll do more
ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby said he was pleased by the turnout – and surprised by the geographic diversity of attendees.

“The majority came from outside the metro Washington area. We had seen this as a regional event but that turned out not to be the case,” Kerby said.

Based on the turnout, ASTA will plan similar events in the future, he told Travel Market Report.

Eva Ahrens, CTC, a manager with Gant Travel Management in Falls Church, Va., and a veteran ASTA member, was at the conference mostly as an observer to determine if ASTA should do a similar conference in the future. She said it was definitely worth repeating.

“And although I have long handled corporate business, I learned a few things myself,” Ahrens added.