Mission - Edizione Speciale - Business Travel Show - Londra 2022

YEAR XXII NUMBER 2 • MAY-JUNE-JULY 2022

PHOTO: LAURA LUGARESI SU UNSPLASH

The Business Travel Magazine

SPECIAL EDITION

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Dear European readers

Special edition Newsteca goes to Europe

Here is the Italian creativity and style in an international project to promote the profession of travel manager, which is undergoing significant changes and becoming strategic within companies et us introduce ourselves: we are Newsteca, a Milanbased publishing house that has specialised in the business travel sector for over twenty years. A market leader and the only Italian B2B publishing house, we deal with all aspects of corporate mobility with our magazines Mission, the business travel magazine, and MissionFleet, the company car magazine. Our business is integrated online by social media communication and by Missionline.it where we have a section dedicated to the MICE sector (meetings, incentive travel, congresses and events).

Our publishing work is also accompanied by the organisation of workshops, webinars and training events. One of our most successful

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projects is MissionForum, a cycle of debates involving experts from our reference sectors.

Since 2013, we have been organising the first and only awards ceremony dedicated to Italian business travel, the IMAs - Italian Mission Awards. This year, on the other hand, we are launching the first Italian awards dedicated to the European business travel market, the EMAs - European Mission Awards, to which travel managers and providers from all over Europe can apply.

This special edition in English, printed on the occasion of our participation at the Business Travel Show in London (June 2022), allows us to introduce you to our work and our activities, setting ob-

jectives for expansion on international markets.

We have selected some articles below that allow us to present the areas in which we specialise. l

by Paola Mighetto, editor of Newsteca

SUMMARY 1 We introduce ourselves 2 Business Travel Observatory - Italy 4 Sustainability in Italian travel management 8 Appointment in the Eternal City 10 Make a date in your diary for Rome in October 11 The future of aviation is sustainable 12 Zero-impact corporate mobility 14 The events industry today 16 Car rental? Subscription is better 2022 may-june-july |

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Business Travel Observatory - Italy Outlook

Things are looking up Let’s not be under any illusions: recovery is a long way off, but this year we’re heading towards €10.8 billion in spending. Meanwhile, the approach to travel management is undergoing an overhaul

by Paola Baldacci

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n 2021, business travel in Italy recovered to €8.8 billion from €7.6 billion in 2020. The number of business trips is bouncing back, up to 15 million. Companies are integrating new requirements into the authorisation process: risk and travel managers are increasingly finding themselves working side by side with HR and procurement. Transport accounts for the largest wedge of the spending budget for business, at €4.5 billion.

But beware: with fuel prices +9%, this is affecting the increase. Can we talk about a recovery for business travel? No. We’ll have to wait until 2025, as has been said since the beginning of the health emergency, in 2020. As regards mutations, however, it’s interesting to see how companies’ approaches are changing. The presentation of the data from the 2022 Observatory on business travel was held in person at the Bovisa campus of the Politec-

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nico di Milano and streamed live at the same time. Explaining the results were professor Andrea Guizzardi, author of the report, and professor at the University of Bologna,

together with the co-director of the study Eleonora Lorenzini. Since 2019, the Emilian university has in fact joined the Politecnico to study the evolution of the travel industry,

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Business Travel Observatory - Italy Outlook

including business travel, together.

Guizzardi: “In 2021 we saw a market poor in quantity and quality because there was no international travel. As always, transport generates the main budget variations, with demand much higher than supply and rates that are not particularly competitive. Something has changed: we can see that the industry sector is performing worse than the service sector [in terms of travel, ed.], contrary to GDP dynamics with which business travel has always been in line.”

2022 Forecasts Regarding the forecasts for 2022, Professor Guizzardi states that “uncertainty around the effects of the health emergency is lessening and travel managers are more rational in their analysis.” But we will have to wait until 2025 to get back to a place where BT in Italy is worth €20 billion. This year, we’re expecting to see it get up to €10.8 billion. His reasoning: “Professionals see their work as more complex.

Before, they used to organise trips.

After COVID-19 they will be checking travel: duty of care, costs, documentation, review.” He continues: “This is an important wake up call: the market will not reach the levels it used to be at in a short space of time, but TMs now need to offer services with a much higher added value. This will lead to a completely new market.”

rector of the Business Travel Observatory for Italy –, as is the use of safety and security figures outside the company. The focus on sustainability has also intensified within business travel, but only 9% have adopted a sustainable travel policy. While another 9% have set an actual budget to offset CO2 emissions.” The professor points out that there is a problem of homogeneity when it comes to gathering carbon dioxide data, according to which providers give the value of emissions produced by the purchase of a plane ticket or a hotel reservation. No usable information is therefore obtained.

Stakeholders In 2021, companies definitively equipped themselves with tracking systems (39% of companies did so), as well as platforms offering information about the destination and travel-related risks (38%). An important fact to note is that the

minimum safety parameters to be observed are now integrated in the travel authorisation process, i.e. before the trip is organised. For Lucio Mattielli, managing director of Sicuritalia Security Solution, the changes in security concepts will be permanent. He observes: “Today’s travel policies also includes mention of COVID passes and, as far as we’re concerned, the request for integration of corporate security management platforms with travel management systems has increased by 40%.” Among Sicuritalia clients, the figure of the travel security manager has spread at a similar pace. The first driver of growth was the complexity regarding regulations in this period. In this regard, the Como-based company carried out a test: between a security specialist and one without a security background, to organise a business trip. The difference resulted in a 5fold gap in the time taken to arrange it. l

After a drop of around 60% in 2020, the business travel market recovered slightly in terms of the total number of trips made last year: 15.2 million, +12% compared to 13,610 in 2020.

Travel in the service sector (11 million trips in 2021) grew by 14%, almost double that of industry (around 4 million trips, +8%). The dynamic is unexpected because it is in contrast to that of national GDP.

Travel policies straddling safety and sustainability The research finds that only 10% of companies do not yet have a travel policy. When it comes to this organisational tool, coronavirus has acted as a powerful stimulator. 25% of the companies participating in the survey use a TMC for travel management. Once again, a share that is open to expansion. “The need to manage the travel activities of employees is increasing – explains Eleonora Lorenzini, co-di2022 may-june-july |

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Travel policy Green Wave

Sustainability in Italian travel management Corporate mobility is experiencing a moment of far-reaching change: not only business travel but all aspects relating to employee travel produce an environmental impact. How are policies changing?

by Erica Succetti

hether we’re talking about business trips or commuting, a company that puts sustainability at the heart of its travel policy can focus better on its own strategy to reduce the environmental impact. Let’s examine two international companies to understand how the issue of sustainability in the Travel sector is approached and managed.

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Roche Italia At Roche, the approach when it comes to sustainability in terms of travel and mobility management stems from a sustainable mentality combined with a “new way of working” common to the entire pharmaceutical group that influences all decision-making process4

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es. The company is actually currently writing global guidelines for a green travel policy to be implemented in the individual affiliates.

The “economic weight” of business travel has always been quite important and during the pandemic, meetings at the Italian branch were mostly held virtually. During these, the company became aware of the positive impact on people’s health and on the environment. It was therefore decided to set up a European working group to develop a new decision-making model for organising business trips.

Yes to meetings, but where?

The way work is organised is undergoing significant changes, including options to alternate time in the of-

fice with agile working, to ensure greater working flexibility without losing focus on business objectives.

The new model has led to the creation of a series of guidelines to be followed in the organisation of business trips and meetings, with a particular focus on the environmental impact and economic aspects. To raise awareness among employees, Roche in Italy has launched a communication campaign called “Where we meet”, with the recommendation to hold meetings virtually when possible and travel only when necessary. In this way, the corporate traveller is invited to reflect on the usefulness of the trip, on the value created for the customer with respect to the chosen method and on the environmental impact.

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PHOTO PEXEL BY ANDREA PIACQUADIO

Travel policy Green Wave

Sustainability tools and indices The tools made available to employees to help them in their decisions when organising travel include Marc2Polo, capable of measuring CO 2 emissions resulting from air travel. To keep an eye on progress towards the goal of reducing CO2 production by 50% by 2030, on the other hand, Roche uses a business dashboard called “Gaia” where the company CO2 data are entered, including the consumption of the building and the vehicles used by employees assigned a car as a fringe benefit. In addition, Roche is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, where it ranked second in 2021, distinguishing itself among the world’s

leading companies in terms of its excellent results in the field of sustainability based on economic, ethical, governance, social and environmental criteria.

The supply chain Lastly, the choice of business partners is made using a risk matrix. Thanks to this system, suppliers are assigned two types of “badges”: the “Green” one or a broader “Sustainable” one, which includes not only environmental sustainability but also social and economic sustainability.

Siemens and mobility Let’s move on to Siemens, a German company with 2,700 potential business travellers in Italy. The green travel policy is already “part of the furniture” and not only represents a cultural issue but is budget-

ed and includes the organisation of meetings and events, the car policy and commuting. The approach is holistic.

Events and meetings In organising events, Siemens has focused on the ability of suppliers to integrate sustainability aspects with regard to environmental, social and economic impact. And it declares its readiness to increase the budget to work with them, if necessary. It established some guidelines in 2021. For the choice of venues, for example, the assessment prioritises aspects such as logistical centrality and internal catering. For communication, there has been a shift towards digital formats. Gadgets are also sustainable. The company provides internal customers and suppliers with a booklet explaining the approach and using an 2022 may-june-july |

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Travel policy Green Wave

assessment tool to determine the sustainability level of the corporate event.

Business travel Siemens promotes the slogan “Travel less, Travel smart, Travel sustainable” to encourage reduced travel in Italy, working on raising awareness amongst travellers themselves. Employees are invited to reflect before each trip, evaluating whether it is really necessary or if the same result can be achieved with virtual meetings. This new ap-

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proach has made it possible to reduce costs, increase productivity and, above all, be more sustainable.

Staff training is now also carried out online. Furthermore, prior authorisation is not required for business trips, but the company aims to make employees more accountable, attempting to guide their choices, by example suggesting direct flights and making it mandatory to fly economy. The company has a global RFP (request for proposal) for hotel facilities, within which the facilities have been chosen not only

on the basis of the proposed rate, but also on obtaining the “Green stay” label. When booking, it is up to the traveller to choose the hotel from those bearing the label or not on the booking tool. Once the pandemic is over, the company will also try to focus on commuting, prioritising the use of car sharing or short-term electric car rentals. Travellers are informed via the internal social network, useful for news relating to service providers and travel advice, such as the opportunity to reduce emissions by choosing to travel light without hold luggage. In addition to the communications channel, there is a reporting system which monitors the costs and emissions of travel. The new end-to-end tool brings together travel booking and expense reporting in a single tool, resulting in a simpler and faster travel management process.

Agile working In Italy, the company introduced agile working in 2011 and from 2018 it extended it to everyone: employees can work where and when they see fit, based on the tasks assigned to them. They are equipped with an internet connection at home, virtual collaboration tools and all company documentation is available online.

The ability to decide when to go to the office has led to a drastic reduction in commuting-related CO2 emissions. The use of local public transport is encouraged by the company, which contributes to the cost of the season ticket. For the Milan office, where most employees work, 100 branded bicycles have been assigned to be used to reach the underground and the nearest station: In addition, two garages with a maintenance service have been made available. Lastly, for years, Siemens has been making drivers aware of safe, eco friendly driving and plans to accompany the transition to electric with information campaigns about the benefits and test drives in zeroemission vehicles. l

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Stays for all target markets New openings

Appointment in the Eternal City Rome is home to a lively hotel investment market: here are the facilities opening in 2022 and bringing the most prestigious hospitality brands to Italy’s capital

by Erica Succetti

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ome is getting ready for major hotel openings between 2022 and 2023. While the hospitality sector has suffered large losses in turnover in recent years, it has practically not stopped investing in renovations, especially in the Eternal City. The innovations concern the business segment and international luxury. But without forgetting a touch of lifestyle.

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Hotels for business travellers In the business segment, B&B Hotel is opening its 55th facility in Italy and its seventh in Rome, in a strategic position: Rome Fiumicino Airport Fair 2, in fact, is opening in front of its sister facility, inaugurated 4 years ago, 20 minutes by train from the Rome underground, 10 minutes by train from Fiumicino Airport and 10 minutes from the

new trade fair site. This new B&B Hotel follows the philosophy of the chain: hotels with every comfort, a sleek, modern atmosphere and free -Wi-Fi. The first Radisson Blu is also coming to the capital. From the renovation of two historic hotels, here is the new Radisson Blu GHR Rome. In addition to six meeting rooms, the new facility features the only immersive conference room in the city, capable of projecting 360° customisable videos thanks to 18 projectors. The offer is completed

by Le Roof, the panoramic restaurant with bar and terrace, and the Osteria Romana on the ground floor with local cuisine. Amongst the new arrivals we find Accor with a new Ibis Styles. The economy segment brand maintains the characteristics of the company, offering practicality and cost savings in 229 colourful rooms. In the hall, we find tables for co-working, relaxation areas, a ping pong table and an outdoor swimming pool. Finally, after two years of waiting, the Hilton Rome Eur La Lama, initially announced for June 2020, will

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Stays for all target markets New openings

finally open in autumn 2022. The facility is of undoubted interest to the MICE sector, as it allows direct access to the La Nuvola convention center. The hotel will also have a rooftop restaurant, terrace, children’s activities and a library bar.

The luxury segment When it comes to the recovery of the hotel sector, we can’t fail to mention the luxury segment, with facilities that have recently been inaugurated or are ready to get back up and running. According to reports from CBRE Outlook 2022, dedicated to the hotel industry in the Italian market, luxury hospitality in Italy is growing rapidly. In 2021, investments reached €2.1 billion, up 99% on 2020: the outlook is more than positive. And it is to Rome itself that giants like the Mandarin Oriental, opening its third Italian location in the Villini Sallustiani, are heading. Expected in summer 2022 is the Nobu Hotels and Restaurant Rome, the result of the partnership between Carlo Acampora, Chairman and CEO of Grand Hotel Via Veneto, and Nobu Hospitality. The project involves the transformation of the famous property in Via Veneto and the occupation of two buildings dating back to the nineteenth century, to

provide guests with 122 rooms and suites, including a 500 m² Nobu Suite, a splendid planted terrace, large spaces for private events, a spa and fitness centre and a Nobu restaurant. Subsequently, September will see the opening of the new ‘urban hotel’ from the US group Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG). The Six Senses Rome will be located a few steps from the Trevi Fountain offering, in addition to a very central location, 95 luxurious rooms and suites, an exclusive wellness centre, a restaurant, a courtyard with an outdoor garden and a panoramic terrace with a 360° view over the city. Also coming up is the opening of the new Bulgari Hotel Rome, a stone’s throw from Piazza di Spagna and the boutique with the same name in Via Condotti, in a modernist building from the 1930s.

Lifestyle hotels But Rome’s hotels do not live on business and luxury alone, in fact the “lifestyle” trend that business travellers like so much has been around for about a year now. Last year saw the opening of Mama Shelter, a brand with an ironic, nonconformist style. The spaces are colourful and decidedly inclusive.

Guests can work and play immersing themselves in settings that are

KARL KOHLER, UNSPLASH

informal and professional at the same time. 217 rooms, spaces for co-working, rooms for private events and meetings as well as a panoramic terrace reflect the perfect Italian style with a glamorous design. Finally, for those looking for the charm of boutique hotels, we have the 5-star Maalot. Just thirty rooms in a nineteenth century building overlooking Via delle Muratte, along the path that connects the Pantheon with the Parliament and the Trevi Fountain. Like a sitting room immersed in the greenery of a secret garden in the alleyways of Rome, we find its restaurant, while in the paintings you will always come across a hat. Because in the words of Marvin Gaye: “Wherever I lay my hat, that’s my home”. l 2022 may-june-july |

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Make a date in your diary for Rome in October Special edition Newsteca goes to Europe

How to participate in the most awaited gala night of the year: travel managers from all over Europe meet in Italy to celebrate their professional achievements

by Erica Succetti, project manager for the EMAs European Mission Awards

he first edition of the European Mission Awards (EMAs) will be held in Rome on 10 October 2022. The awards ceremony, aimed at the European business travel industry, has chosen the capital to celebrate professional travel managers and their providers with a gala night. Following the success of the Italian Mis-

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sion Awards, in its ninth edition this year, Newsteca has decided to launch this ambitious international project. The award is aimed at providers specialising in the business travel market and travel managers operating in travel management and all related activities in one or more European countries.

Like the IMAs - Italian Mission Awards from which they take their inspiration and whose format they follow, the EMAs involve an application process and selection by a panel of judges, which has just been concluded.

Categories: to apply Travel managers and providers have nominated themselves in eight categories: Air Transport, Accommodation, Ground Transportation, Meetings and Events, Travel

Providers, Travel Technologies, Travel Social Impact and Travel Manager of the Year. The evaluation phase is now about to get underway, in which a panel made up of qualified travel managers from across Europe will come together to decide who to put through to the final round of each category. Subsequently, the invited travel managers who are not on the panel of judges will be able to vote online for their provider of choice or the provider they believe most deserves a nomination. These online votes will then be combined with the judges’ votes to decide the winners.

The celebrations The awards ceremony will take place during the gala night, to be held in Rome on 10 October in an elegant location yet to be defined.

“The event will be a brilliant opportunity to celebrate and to network, allowing companies to strengthen existing relationships with customers and build new ones with operators from all over Europe,” explains Paola Mighetto, Newsteca’s managing editor and publisher.

Would you like to participate in the gala night, an opportunity for networking and entertainment? You will have the chance to meet the international judging panel, nominees and important players in the sector: contact us and reserve your seats! l

To stay up to date on the EMA finalists and winners: www.ema22.eu and on LinkedIn @European Mission Awards or @EuropeanMissionAwards 10

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The future of aviation is sustainable

Air transport Zero Impact

The industry is more focused than ever on the race to decarbonise: aircraft manufacturers, fuel producers and airlines all have 2050 in their sights

ata, the airline association representing 83% of the world market, has introduced the methodology for calculating CO2 emissions per individual passenger and per specific flight, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is slowly being adopted by airlines, which are making agreements with manufacturers to secure supplies. This good news means we can safely state that sustainability is the only option for the future of commercial aviation, at least from an environmental point of view. As we know, the goal is to meet the Paris Agreement and achieve zero emissions by 2050.

This goes for all industries, not just aviation. To do this, the aviation sector will require some 450 billion litres of sustainable aviation fuel.

The industry is currently working to develop the knowledge, availability and technology to supply this.

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Pricing and TESTING It is a very expensive product:

while normal aviation kerosene costs 400 euros a tonne, the biofuel in use today costs 1,500 euros. It follows that if 1% of environmentally friendly fuel is put into the tank of a plane flying from Paris to New York, the price of the ticket increases by $5. This is why ‘alliances’ such as the one between Shell and American Express Global Business Travel are being formed: the aim of this agreement is precisely that of ‘pooling demand’ so that biofuel producers can make economies of scale and synthesise cheaper products. In the meantime, manufacturers are also testing: last March, Airbus powered its largest aircraft, the A380, on 100% SAF, flying over Toulouse in France for about three hours. All Airbus aircraft are currently certified to fly with up to 50% SAF mixed with normal kerosene. The goal is to obtain certification to fill tanks with just biofuel by the end of this decade. Gov-

ernments are beginning to legislate on the subject: France is asking airlines to use at least 1% from 2022, so producers such as Total Energies have announced that they will start processing on platforms in Normandy, as has Repsol in Spain, at its Cartagena plant, and Italy’s Eni at its refinery in Taranto, and several other ‘now former’ oil companies. This is a first step that confirms the decarbonisation of all fossil fuel products and production processes from now until 2050.

This involves many sectors, with aviation, heavy vehicles and marine in the front line as the most challenging. It goes without saying that the road ahead is a long one and will involve other ‘technologies’ such as hydrogen. Recently, EasyJet offered to partner with Gkn Aerospace in the UK, which is developing a liquid hydrogen propulsion system for aircraft. l

by Paola Baldacci

SAF is obtained from waste raw materials such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste. Its use can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to the use of fossil fuels. In the future, aviation will regularly turn household waste into aviation fuel

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MissionForum Get-togethers about business travel, car fleets, events and meetings

Zero-impact corporate mobility

The number of companies aiming to make travel more sustainable is growing. The definitive steps: measuring CO2 and budgeting for a green travel policy

by Erica Succetti

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issionForum is a cycle of debates devised by Newsteca - Mission’s publishing house and a content developer in the business travel, events and fleet management sectors - aiming to promote networking and education. The professional figures the meetings are aimed at are travel managers, event planners, fleet managers and mobility managers, as well as all professionals in the business travel,

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events and automotive supply chains. The meetings and content are developed by Mission and MissionFleet journalists and subsequently communicated through the corresponding media channels, Missionline.it and social media activities.

8 successful editions After the first edition, organised in 2015 entitled “The professional figure of the Travel Manager and the

Fleet Manager: roles and evolution of functions”, the format has evolved, always touching on new issues and developing in different ways. The first digital edition was held in 2021 on the Missionforum.it platform, which for the first time saw the three Newsteca audiences involved in a single day with crossover content. 5 panels, 6 video clips, 20 speakers and 450 members, including professionals in the business travel, MICE and mobility management sectors. The spin-off, MissionForum Talks, followed in the same year. The conference was held face-to-face on Thursday 15 July 2021 at the Novotel Milan Linate Airport. 20 managers at the forefront of the debate and many others in the audience to ask questions in a dynamic and interactive format. In front of them, the main players in the business travel market and the company car industry, available to respond to any request.

The successful format was brought back during the latest edition of MissionForum held on 28 March 2022 at the Enterprise Hotel in Milan. A venue with an immersive

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MissionForum Get-togethers about business travel, car fleets, events and meetings

room that projects 360° video content around the public.

MissionForum 2022 Sustainability is a company with a focus on mobility: this is the title of the last conference. The day kicked off with an opening debate held in the immersive room of the hotel that saw the audiences represented by travel managers, fleet managers and mobility managers, to encourage sharing and discussion on a hot topic like sustainability. The participants were then divided up into their respective rooms to leave space for debates, animated by the questions posed directly by travel managers that our editorial staff listened to during the preparation briefings. The panellists, represented by industry professionals, answered specific questions with indepth analysis.

Alternating with the debates, various networking moments useful for going into greater depth regarding the issues discussed and presentations of company sustainable travel and car policy case histories.

of companies pursuing sustainability objectives. The latter has been promoted as a cultural value by companies for quite some time now, without however making a concrete commitment. After the pandemic, the tide seems to have turned, and green washing has given way to sustainable projects with a budget. So sustainability is budgeted for by a growing number of companies. Whether we’re talking about company cars, business trips or commuting: a company that concentrates on mobility can focus better on its “way to zero” in terms of environmental impact. The exciting challenge is set for both the fleet and mobility sectors as well as travel managers.

The role of suppliers But while the requests of travel managers focus closely on the issue of sustainability, the same cannot always be said of suppliers. Based on what emerged during the opening seminar, the solutions offered by the market are not always able to support companies working towards the goal of sustainable mo-

bility. Suppliers are often limited to greenwashing as green products have a high cost. For this reason, it is also important for service provider companies to put sustainability in their budgets and measure the results of their investments to include them in the company’s social report and communicate them to stakeholders.

TMCs and sustainability During the discussions, the travel managers had the opportunity to discuss with the representatives of two TMCs on the role played in the green path of their client companies.

TMCs must offer technologies to calculate the impact of travel on the environment, but also enable companies to communicate results by providing effective interpretations. For example Egencia reports the amount of carbon dioxide emitted and also explains what it corresponds to: charging a smartphone or taking a shower. The Gattinoni Group is active when it comes to training operators, so that they are able to suggest actions to the company to reduce the environmental impact. l

Budgeted sustainability The topic dealt with in the last edition focuses on an interest shared by the audiences, namely company mobility as the “centre of gravity” 2022 may-june-july |

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Special edition Newsteca goes to Europe

DARIA SHEVTSOVA, UNSPLASH

The events industry today

The logics, timing and needs of companies are evolving: how can we change to start over?

by Erica Succetti

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ompanies are back organising events: but how and with what differences compared to before the pandemic?

Among the differences found in organisation and design, one of the most evident undoubtedly concerns the much smaller numbers, involving a more careful selection of participants, due not only to regulations but also to cost containment.

Although some companies have always managed to arrange certain types of events such as product launches and events in store, with the exception of the lockdown months, as mentioned, the numbers of participants has changed and, in the case, for example, of photo shoots in the fashion industry, destinations have too. Mainly domestic or European during 2020 and 2021,

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the first step towards exotic destinations was taken last summer when the pandemic seemed to be subsiding faster.

In person As regards in person events, the trend of the pandemic forced companies and event managers to

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Special edition Newsteca goes to Europe

change the schedule for those already planned for January/February 2022. A gradual shift towards April and the warmer weather makes it possible to identify spring/summer 2022 as the season in which MICE gets going again.

Hybrid, virtual, digital: what will remain?

The biggest legacy left by the forced stop is, without a doubt, the growth of digital technology. For months, hybrid event formats were the only way around the situation.

Will these technologies persist?

Digital will certainly remain, with specific objectives and areas of application. Digital events will not disappear, on the contrary: they will make it possible to broaden the appeal of the physical event, reaching a wider audience in the face of the need to reduce attendance and be more selective, but above all they will offer the opportunity to enrich the events with new content.

Nevertheless, despite the fact that digital has decidedly positive elements, it cannot replace in person events. Here, then, is a third way: the hybrid format.

Broader content and audiences For many companies, future events will be hybrid. Being able to connect remotely is positive and represents an important turning point compared to the past, as it enables a greater number of people to participate. In the case of product presentations and launches of new collections, for example, connecting remotely will give the opportunity to that important slice of customers and employees, who in the past did not have access to the event, to experience at least part of the emotion live. In the case of training events, people connected from home will have the opportunity to hear the concepts directly from the resources involved, rather than from participating colleagues.

The rules - COVID passes and masks No more COVID passes and masks for events, trade fairs and conferences. As regards COVID passes, in accordance with Italian Law Decree 24/2022, from 1 May, these are no longer required in order to access corporate events, conferences, training courses and trade fairs. They are also no longer required to enter cafés, restaurants, parties, receptions or nightclubs, or on local and long-distance public transport. Can buffets be served? The answer is yes. The rules for buffets during COVID-19 actually confirm that it is possible to organise self-service food and drink options. For customers and staff, social distancing and mask use remain mandatory. It is still recommended to avoid the formation of crowds, as usual through the reorganisation of spaces in relation to the size of the premises and the number of participants.

Flexible policy Another change that the pandemic has brought about when it comes to organising corporate events certainly increasingly involves scheduling dates at the last minute. The unknowns regarding the spread of any new variants of COVID-19 and the concentrated scheduling in certain months have changed the way events are planned. But in which areas mainly? Definitely in terms of relationships with venues. Organi-

sation and decision-making times have shortened, event managers are forced to ask venues for greater flexibility and the inclusion of a flexible cancellation policy, so they can cancel close to the date (even a week before) without penalties or postpone the event without losing any deposits paid. A new responsibility for event planners is also to ensure that venues have all the necessary security and safety systems available. l

PHOTO BY MARC BABIN, UNSPLASH

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Car rental?

Subscription is better Rent-a-Car New business models

The subscription economy has arrived in the car rental world, and introduces the flexibility needed to operate in a changing scenario, managing the ongoing downturn in demand. Digitalisation boosts the formula

by Paola Baldacci

On demand The subscription economy is a business model that relies on the customer taking out a subscription to access services and products. This formula has been around for many years (for example in publishing and pay TV), but today we find it applied to new market sectors, revolutionising them: it actually represents a valid response to current styles of consumption which, instead of being based around owning goods, focus on using them for a certain period of time.

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he pandemic has accustomed travel managers and travellers to moving in a changing scenario: flights are cancelled without warning, rising numbers of infections can throw a spanner in the works of travel plans, entry regulations into countries can change from one moment to the next. And travel service providers are also adapting, proposing contractual formulas that are innova-

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| 2022 may-june-july

tive and more flexible than in the past. The short-term rental industry is no exception. The main car rental businesses are now focusing on the subscription economy, a business model based on the customer taking out a subscription in order to access products and services. Sixt, for example, has launched Sixt+, an “all inclusive” car subscription system, in Italy as well. After paying a onetime registration fee of €199, you can access complete packages starting from €499 a month which include, among other services, registration, workshop costs for maintenance and assistance, vehicle depreciation. The offer, now also available for business customers, can be cancelled after a minimum period of 30 days and can be booked on the Sixt website or on the Sixt App. In addition, subscription rental services also appear among the formulas developed by car manufacturers: we’re talking

about Kinto, the new Toyota Group brand launched in early 2020, but available in Europe from this year. Then we have the French company Virtuo, which made its debut in Italy with Mercedes-Benz cars. Set up in France in 2016, it arrived in Milan in 2021. The company is already present in several European cities, such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Manchester and Edinburgh. All operations take place on the app: in a few clicks you can book, pay and collect your car at pick-up points in the city, day or night. Moreover, you use a digital key to start the engine and any damage is reported. All while avoiding the queues and complexities of a traditional rental agency.

But if we’re talking about the latest news, we cannot fail to mention the forerunner Leasys, a long-term rental company controlled by FCA Bank and part of the Stellantis automotive group, which introduced Leasys Carcloud back in 2019.

This is a subscription that features a fixed monthly fee with 1,500 km included, making different cars available to users in the main Italian cities. The rental contract has no time constraints, is renewed every month and is aimed at both companies and individuals. Vehicles can be picked up in the Leasys Mobility Store (over 150 in Italy). How does it work? You sign up on Amazon and choose your package, which of course includes maintenance and insurance. l

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