BTA Newsletter - March edition

BTA NEWS

The Voice of Business Travel

Hi everyone, We are now at the end of the first quarter of 2022 which means we have passed the two year anniversary of the first lockdown and with it, the effective hibernation of the business travel sector. Its been such a hugely difficult time for everyone but it does seem that we are seeing signs of a significant recovery and that’s terrific to see. However, given the truly dreadful humanitarian crisis that is happening within the Ukraine which puts so much of what you have all been through a little into perspective. All of us at the BTA pray for a peaceful resolution and that Ukraine’s people can start to re-build their country, their homes and their lives very soon.

The BTA team and I have been working hard to have the voice of our industry heard within government as we move to recovery phase but we have also spent Quarter 1 planning a number of important cross industry debates, that we ask you to get involved with and to play a part in shaping a better future for our industry. I acknowledge, that besides what I hope you thought was an excellent spring conference, we have been a little light on events in the last few weeks. This was a conscious decision as we understand the pressure on everyone’s resources as business travel starts to reawaken and we needed to respect that servicing your customers has to be the clear priority. I thank you all for your understanding.

The team and I value the investment you all make financially and with your time to the BTA so we fully appreciate the need for value, for honesty and for transparency in our relationship. It is in that spirit I wanted to take this opportunity to share with all of you an analysis of the BTA expenditure over the last three years alongside an overview of our total income and costs. For clarity government affairs and PR costs all come under marketing and PR.

Finally, we reach an end of an era on 31st March when BTA legend, Julie Cooper, leaves us to take some time out and then to pursue some less business travel orientated activities. I would like to thank Julie for doing such an outstanding job during her time at the BTA, she played a significant part in the transformation of the association to where it is today. I would also like to thank her personally for the fantastic support she has given me in my time as CEO, we couldn’t have achieved what we did throughout the pandemic without Julie’s hard work and commitment. Julie, I wish you the best of luck in your new endeavours and don’t be a stranger.

May I wish you all a successful and next quarter and thank you for your continued support of the BTA. Clive

A few minutes with Alison Robison (Finance Manager) Tell us more about your role at the BTA I am responsible for all the finances for the BTA. This includes paying suppliers, raising invoices, managing payroll and producing management accounts and budgets. I have been working with the BTA for over 8 years. BTA are just one of my many clients as I run my own accountancy practice with my husband.

Away from the BTA what hobbies do you have?

In my spare time I love spending time with my husband and 4 sons. I also love to travel, cook and read.

What is your most memorable travel memory?

Its so hard to pick just one as I have travelled extensively, but I have to say the one that sticks in my mind was taking the boys to see Father Christmas in Lapland.

It was an amazing experience, my eldest son was turning 10 and had just stopped believing, but when he saw that Father Christmas had the letter he had put in the post box back home he was convinced. At the age of 28 he still says we totally messed with his mind!

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Grab every opportunity that comes your way and don’t be afraid to make mistakes as that’s the only way you learn.

What is your favourite cuisine?

Definitely Vietnamese – I love the fresh flavours.

What chore do you hate doing?

All of them! But probably ironing is the worst, so I no longer buy clothes that need to be ironed.

An update from David Button of Cavendish

Back to normality but global challenges remain After almost two years the Government finally removed all Covid-19 restrictions, and so travellers to the UK no longer need to test or complete passenger locator forms to enter the country.

While this is hugely welcome, reciprocity is still lacking. Many countries still require at least a PLF to enter, despite a growing shift towards a person-based approach Slowly but surely other nations will catch up with the UK, but the high daily case numbers in the UK are worth keeping an eye on – particularly the reaction that other countries may have towards UK travellers.

Of course, the other significant global challenge is the tragic circumstances in Ukraine. The Government is advising against all travel to the whole of Russia due to the lack of flight options and increased economic volatility, and many organisations are considering their relationships with Russian-owned businesses.

This will, of course, cause economic instability for months across the world, including on the price of fuel. Many Government departments, including the Department for Transport, are also having to prioritise the response to Ukraine, but despite this our engagement with the Department continues.

Political milestones In the past few days, the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave his Spring Statement on the UK’s finances. He acknowledged that the Ukraine invasion will impact on the UK’s economy – including the ever-growing cost of living crisis. Although the UK economy did exceed the forecasted growth last year, the growth figure for 2022 has been revised down to 3.8 percent amid rising global inflation and supply chain challenges. Additionally, inflation is now expected to rise to 7.4 percent this year.

There was little to support travel beyond the Government cutting fuel duty by 5p/litre as the Government focussed on tax changes. Expect the Autumn 2022 Budget later in the year to include more substantial spending promises and policies.

Meanwhile to support the push towards sustainability in the travel sector, the Government has published its jet zero technical consultation, which runs until 25 April 2022 and invites views on new evidence and updated analysis on how to achieve jet zero. This can be accessed via the Department for Transport website.

Influencing in a post-Covid environment While at times it seemed frustrating, and like the Government did not understand, the BTA has established strong connections within key Government departments, and this will continue to be built on as we look to the future.

In the post-Covid world, we must focus on the next challenges facing the sector and show how business travel can support the Government’s agenda. Cavendish will be working with the BTA team over the coming months to highlight the ESG work done by the sector, including the recent White Paper – described as “amazing” by civil servants at the Department for Transport.

David Button Senior Account Director

New BTA Partners The BTA is delighted to welcome the following new Partners to the Association

NHS Covid Pass The Department of Transport have asked us to share information with you to inform those planning to use an NHS COVID Pass to travel abroad to check their COVID Pass status before booking, and what to do if their record isn’t showing correctly.

Is your COVID-19 vaccination record showing correctly? If it isn’t, you are being encouraged to contact the NHS and provide any missing or incorrect information.

Having an accurate vaccination record is important because it means you’ll be invited to get your next vaccine dose when it’s due. Having an up-to-date NHS COVID Pass might also make it easier for you to travel to and from the UK. How to check your vaccination record You can view your record using the NHS COVID Pass web pages or the NHS app. Your record will show when you had a COVID-19 vaccination, which vaccine you had and where you had it.

What to do if you’ve had any vaccinations outside of the UK If you’ve had one or more COVID-19 vaccinations abroad, you should get them added to your record. If your vaccination is approved by the World Health Organization, you can book an appointment to request an update to your vaccination record. You will need to go to a vaccination site in your area to show evidence of your vaccinations.

Plan ahead if you’re using the NHS COVID Pass to travel Did you know your NHS COVID Pass can now be scanned to verify your COVID-19 vaccination status across venues and events in more than 50 countries?

If you’re going abroad, using the NHS COVID Pass app might mean a hassle-free journey but you should check your COVID19 vaccination data before booking. If your record isn’t showing correctly, call 119 to speak to an adviser.

For more information click here

What has the BTA been up to?

Accommodation Conference In January the BTA was delighted to host our Accommodation Conference at the Novotel London Paddington!

Lloyd Figgins of The Trip Group spoke about safety and security in the accommodation sector, as well as the new industry standard ISO31030 and how it can be used to improve safety and security.

Our panellists Kate Blythe from Accor and Rachel Newns from FCM Travel also joined our Board Director Maria Baty from ALTOUR, to give their thoughts and advice on being prepared for the enforcement of PSD2 and SCA on 14th March 2022.

It has been great to see so many industry colleagues reuniting to discuss the future of business travel in the hotel and transaction sectors.

Our afternoon kicked off with Sam Van Leeuwen, Head of UK Hotels and Venues at PwC, discussing how the company manage their accommodation programme.

Following that, we hosted a “speed dating” session with our partners from Accor, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Meliá Hotels International, Travelodge Hotels Limited and Situ, meeting with our members for an insightful round table discussion.

We then examined sustainability in the accommodation sector with Andrew Perolls and Mark Bevan at Greengage Travel & Event Solutions sharing their knowledge on the standardisation in hotel reporting of emissions, how can TMCs rate greener hotels from others, and the key factors to consider when recommending accommodation to clients.

Bournemouth University’s Tourism and Hospitality Conference.

In February The BTA’s Commercial Director Andrew Clarke was delighted to present at Bournemouth University’s Tourism and Hospitality Conference. This year the theme was “Reboot the tourism and hospitality industries: Recovery and growth opportunities”.

Andrew gave key insights and discussed career opportunities for graduates in the travel and tourism industry, with a specific focus on business travel. Our Member and Partnership Manager Julie Cooper also attended and showcased the best of the industry.

A big thank you to American Airlines, Inntel , Travel Counsellors, CTM, TAG, Accor, Virgin and Grant Thornton-Career for your support throughout the day.

Spring Conference On 3rd of March we held our Spring Conference – Forward Facing.

We started the day with a session from Tuomo Meretniemi from Clearsky who discussed how to turn uncertainty into opportunity.

To round off the morning, a panel including Julie Murphy from All Nippon Airways, Nico Nicholas from Trees4Travel, Kirsty Given from Agiito and Victoria Naylor-Leyland from Pembroke and Rye discussed the recent launch of the BTA's ESG Whitepaper and plans for a sustainable future.

In the first session in the afternoon we were joined by buyer representatives Scott Davies from ITM, Ian Blackie from Bloomberg, Carol Fergus from Fidelity and Imogen Furness who discussed whether the business of buying travel has changed and what future changes need to be made.

The BTA’s CEO Clive Wratten and Huw Merriman MP were on a panel moderated by Steve Dunne FPRCA discussing how travel moves forward.

Finally, Steve Dunne FPRCA put Colm Lacy, CCO of British Airways in the spotlight to discuss the future of the airline industry..

The Business Travel People Awards 2022

The Business Travel People Awards have introduced a new category in 2022, the TMC of the Year.

This award will recognise a TMC that can demonstrate outstanding commitment to its clients, teams, partners and/or the people working in the wider industry. This award is open to any TMC, regardless of its size and turnover.

To enter or for further information visit thebusinesstravelpeopleawards.com

New Events Calendar Coming up over the next two months the BTA has a series of meetings and webinars covering wide ranging and important subjects.

The Time for Change meetings have been created to discuss separately how TMCs, Buyers and Suppliers need to change. As the industry emerges from the most difficult two years there is an opportunity for us to re-imagine our industry starting with more open and honest conversations such as these ones.

Following on from these sessions we also have webinars and meetings scheduled to discuss topics including BSP, Brexit, Airport Recovery, Border Force, Government Interaction and PR. More topics will be added, indeed if there is something that you would like to see covered please let us know.

Specific details of each session will be released in due course, but we wanted to give you and your colleagues advance notice so you can block the dates off in your diaries.

What do TMCs need to change? – 5th April at 12pm for one hour Please join us what will be a lively session where we discuss – “What do TMC’s need to change?” a webinar in the Time for Change series of BTA Debates session.

This session is open to all levels of employees within the TMC membership and will help you gauge the views of both buyers and suppliers on what they would like to see from TMC’s moving forward.

What do Suppliers need to change? – 12th April at 12pm for one hour Please join us to discuss – “What do Suppliers need to change?” a webinar in the Time for Change series of BTA Debates session. This session is open to all BTA partners, buyers and staff of all levels within TMC’s. You will hear from travel buyers and key TMC personnel on what they would like to see from suppliers moving forward.

What do Buyers need to change? – 19th April at 12pm for one hour Please join us to discuss – “What do Buyers need to change?” a webinar in the Time for Change series of BTA Debates session. This session is open to all BTA members, partners and buyers. You will hear from TMC’s and industry suppliers on what they would like to see evolve in their dealings with travel buyers that will enhance our industry for all concerned.

Border Force – Britain’s Borders – 13th April at 11am for one hour Join this session to hear directly from UK Border Force on what’s happening at the UK borders, how they will cope with the increase in passenger numbers and how can the process and partnership improve for the business travel industry. This BTA debates session will allow BTA members, partners and buyers to listen and question everything to do with UK Border Force.

Sustainability – Update on the BTA’s ESG programme – 20th April at 10.30am for one hour An update from CEO Clive Wratten on the BTAs ESG initiative and the UNs Sustainability Goals.

Brexit – An update on travelling to Europe – 21st April at 12pm for one hour As we are hopefully seeing a more robust return to travel what does travelling to Europe really look like post Brexit. This BTA educates session is designed to give you a quick but informative insight into what the issues are for you and your travellers. Open to all BTA members, partners and buyers.

Government relations & the BTA – 28th April at 12pm for 30 minutes Please join this 30-minute power session to hear the latest from the world of Government Affairs and the Business Travel Association’s continued campaigns. A highly informative session for all members on the current trends, messages and issues for the business travel industry. Hear from the BTA GA partners Cavendish along with the BTA’s CEO and Stephen Hammond MP, Chair of the APPG Business Travel on what’s happening in Westminster that impacts our industry.

Public relations & the BTA – 3rd May at 12pm for one hour Please join this session to hear the latest from the world of PR and the Business Travel Association’s continued campaigns. A highly informative session for all members on the current trends, messages and issues for the business travel industry. Hear from the BTA PR partners Pembroke & Rye along with the BTA’s CEO and business travel journalist on all things media and what’s making the news.

Great British Railways – What does it mean for the business traveller – 10th May at 3pm for one hour UK Domestic rail is undergoing it biggest evolution since privatisation but what does the creation of GBR really mean? This BTA educates session will help our members, buyers and partners understand the transformation and what it will mean for TMC’s and the business traveller. A session not to be missed as rail is set to become ever more important in the business travel sector.

BTA Air Conference – 11th May in Central London – All Day Our next in-person conference when we will meet to discuss all things air. More details to follow.

Please note we reserve the right to change the dates, contents and panellists.

We will be in touch over the coming days and weeks with more specific details and information for registering, if you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact davec@thebta.org.uk

Social Media

Please remember to follow, like, comment and share the BTA’s social activity. Here’s a reminder of our main social media accounts: Twitter – @TheBTAorg LinkedIn – The BTA Twitter - @clivewratten LinkedIn – Clive Wratten

To contact the BTA please email us at info@thebta.org.uk