The line between business travel and MICE is becoming increasingly blurred
The traditional distinction between individual business trips and travel related to meetings and events is beginning to lose its meaning. Companies are increasingly seeking a comprehensive view of their corporate travel, and technology providers are adapting their platforms to this new reality.
An example of this trend is Spotnana?s acquisition of Troop, a platform specializing in meeting planning and group travel logistics. Spotnana is aa technology company specializing in corporate travel.
According to Skift Meetings, the deal will enable the management of meetings, events, and individual business trips on a single technology platform. The financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
The deal goes beyond a simple corporate acquisition and signals a shift in the very structure of travel programs. According to data from the Business Travel Show Europe compiled by Skift, more than 60% of corporate travel and procurement professionals already have responsibilities for both travel and meetings, compared to 50% in 2025.
A significant portion of corporate spending
The interest in integrating both areas has a clear economic dimension. Spotnana estimates that meetings and events can account for up to 40% of a company?s total travel spending. However, traditionally, that budget has been spread across different departments and tools.
Thus, the selection and booking of the venue may depend on an event planner, while an executive assistant coordinates participants, the travel manager handles flights and hotels, and the finance department monitors expenses. The result is fragmented information that makes it difficult to obtain a complete picture of the cost and return on the event.
The integration of these platforms aims precisely to break down those silos. Troop was created as a tool to answer a basic question that arises at any meeting: ?What is the best place to bring all participants together?? From there, its technology has expanded to manage attendees, confirmations, agendas, budgets, travel coordination, approvals, and reports.
Spotnana provides the infrastructure specific to corporate travel: bookings and traveler assistance, profiles, travel policies, negotiated rates, preferred vendors, and payment methods.
The combination of these two technologies would allow, for example, the selection of the most suitable destination for a meeting and the subsequent management of attendees? travel arrangements within the same platform. At the same time, the travel manager could view these trips alongside all other corporate travel, while the procurement and finance departments would have a more complete picture of expenses.
Increased pressure to demonstrate the value of travel
This convergence is also taking place in a context where companies are paying closer attention to the return on their investments in travel and in-person meetings.
Skift cites a study by SAP Concur published last June, according towhich nearly 90% of CFOs believe it is necessary to improve how the contribution of business travel to corporate objectives is demonstrated.
The travel manager expands their scope
Behind this technological evolution lies a shift in the role of the travel manager. For years, meetings and events have often been handled by marketing, human resources, dedicated events departments, or even company executives themselves, while travel managers focused on individual employee travel arrangements.
But this division is becoming increasingly difficult to justify as companies seek to understand and optimize their overall travel spending.
The same person might take an individual trip this week to visit a client and travel the next week to attend a corporate convention. From a management perspective, the boundaries between these two types of travel are becoming less and less relevant: they share travelers, suppliers, policies, data, payments, and business objectives.