BTA Newsletter May 2021

BTA NEWS

"DEFINING THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS TRAVEL THROUGH COLLABORATION "

Hi everyone Welcome to the new look Business Travel Association newsletter which I hope you agree is a positive step forward. We currently find ourselves in month 15 of the pandemic and the business travel industry remains effectively dormant and the impact on companies and their employees within our sector continues to grow.

I am proud of what the team at the BTA has achieved in trying to help our members and partners throughout this period yet its tinged with some sadness that we haven’t always been able to achieve what we wanted from government. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our members and partners for your incredible support you have shown to our discussions, to our constant requests for information and for bearing with us when we haven’t been able to respond as quickly as we would like.

We are constantly considering new ideas and ways to have the business travel agenda heard in government and by the wider public and in the coming weeks we will continue to engage with all levels of government and create new ways of demonstrating the value of business travel. A great example of creating “stories” around business travel have been our recent campaigns, #facesofbusinesstravel, the business travel pound and most recently the Business Travel Tracker which have all attracted interest from trade, local and national media and allowed the BTA to explain the importance of our sector and the difficulties we face. I hope you find these campaigns useful and continue to support them through your own social media channels.

I will finish up with on an optimistic note, I have been privileged to represent the industry and to see first hand the passion and determination of this industry to recover and reenergize. It is this collaboration and camaraderie that makes this industry special and why I am confident we will see a vibrant travel management industry once more. So please keep the faith, keep fighting but most of all stick together and we will make it through to the other side.

My best wishes Clive

Welcome to Andrew Clarke As I today sit in the BTA offices for the first time in my interim role, I just wanted to share a few initial thoughts with you as I enter my 20th day, Over the last 12 months the BTA has worked hard to support all areas of our industry covering a wide range of topics, as we move through the rest of the year our aim is to re-focus on those areas with the highest impact and added value not only to our members and partners but also to the wider corporate industry as well as all of our clients and travellers, we are now the Business Travel Association so our output should reflect this accordingly.

The closure of our office and a move to a virtual organisation has begun, and strangely being in the office for the first time today really makes me miss that office environment where you can bounce ideas and questions of your fellow colleagues, being able to celebrate Julie’s birthday in person was a bonus.

I have had some great conversations with those involved with the BTA on where they feel we can continue to evolve and focus, and of course as your BTA, this is vital. I do believe the value we have shown over this period has and is continued to be recognised, but how we evolve out of this period into 2022 is key.

Plans for the September conference are well underway and by now you should have all received your invite to join us in Liverpool as we come together as in industry and I am sure will all feel “PROUD”, mainly in the fact we have all managed to survive the 18 months prior and can hopefully be together again.

Your support at meetings, likes and comments on our social media posts, and your candid feedback is great to see and hear, and I can see this provides a real boost for the team in the work we are doing on your behalf – so more of it please Until next time Andrew

May Highlights Executive Board meeting Face-to-Face The BTA board directors met in person for the first time since November, it was a great meeting, the conversation and the energy was brilliant, the banter and humour refreshing and the output was outstanding. We discussed the start of the evolution and next phase of growth of the BTA, the future of the industry and the association is exciting. Our industry can move forward together, stronger and more determined than ever.

New Industry Board Chair announced Christina Lawford Managing Director, Founder and owner of DiamondAir International for the past 25 years has been appointed Chair of the Industry Partners Board. Christina has immense experience in premium passenger handling at international airports globally. Innovation and passion are paramount to her especially when it comes to achieving and maintaining the highest service delivery standards in the industry on behalf of many prestigious Airlines, Airports, Travel Management Companies and Global Brands.

New Industry Partners welcomed The BTA was delighted to welcome the following companies as new Partners

Members Confidence Indicator Poll Results Each month the BTA polls our Members on four topics, the results are shared below.

We will share updated results each month.

BTA Cares is our core response to help members, partners and the whole business travel industry during the pandemic. The programme continues today in many ways…

It's Good to Talk Our monthly “It’s Good to Talk” sessions continue with Paula Cullen facilitating as Polly Smoothy has been successful in finding another position.

May’s meeting was extremely satisfying as 2 more regulars had found new roles. These meetings are open to all our Members on Furlough, Flexi-Furlough along with those who have sadly been made redundant or facing redundancy to 'meet', talk to share their thoughts & experiences in a safe, friendly environment. Next meeting Monday 28th June.

From Furlough to Frontline As a part of our ‘From Furlough to Frontline’ series, the BTA will be sharing blog posts around the Communication, Wellbeing and Training of our industry colleagues. In the next few weeks, we will discuss the positives we can take from building a healthy mindset, having a strong network, and building confidence as we return to work.

Throughout this process, we have also spoken with a number of HR teams within our membership who, as much as possible, are looking to secure and retain the talent within our industry. Whilst a lot of detail remains unknown, it is clear that communication between employer and employee needs to be stronger than ever.

Who's Hiring?

Don’t forget to check “Who’s Hiring” on the BTA Website: https://www.thebta.org.uk/bta-cares-job-board - there are some great opportunities on there!

Remember, the BTA is here for you and your colleagues to offer whatever help, advice and support we can.

Connect with us

BTA EVENTS

Click here to view our upcoming Events in June and July. We look forward to seeing you there!

BTA Podcasts

Click here to listen to our Podcasts with Clive and our Industry Partners.

The BTA Office

Our office is officially closing on the 14th of July. However we look forward to seeing you at our events which will take place in various locations both around the country and virtually.

BTA Chatcasts

Click here to listen to our Chatcasts with Julie, Ivana and our Industry Partners

BTA Conference

Liverpool 19th to 21st September 2021 Registrations is now open for our annual conference.

We are looking forward to welcoming you to Liverpool.

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