Spanish corporate travel spending will grow between 2% and 3% in 2011
Travel spending by Spanish companies will grow between 2% and 3% this year, after falling by 1% in 2010, according to one of the members of the Expert Panel of Forum Business Travel (FBT), Raquel Gutiérrez, based on studies conducted by GEBTA Spain. This increase is motivated by the need for Spanish companies to expand outside Spain, she says.
She also added, citing the same GEBTA report, that for every euro invested in international travel, 120 euros in exports are generated. During the last FBT training day held last week in Madrid, Gutiérrez, has pointed out that globalization is "a business opportunity that opens new demands, especially in the management of corporate travel".
In this sense, in the discussion groups that were set up after his speech, it was emphasized that credit cards have become "more than just a means of payment for travel managers. In fact, participants in these discussions predicted that the voucher, as a means of payment, "is doomed to disappear," noting that the credit card "allows greater control of spending, the possibility of issuing management reports and automated reconciliation with the company's administrative processes.
Travel managers present at the FTB conference said that what they value most when it comes to arranging company travel is travel insurance. Although coverage varies greatly depending on the country where the card is issued, its effectiveness in dealing with unforeseen events, incidents, assistance or purchases is increasingly necessary, they said.
Keys to deal with suppliers
The second part of the day was dedicated to the ‘Seven Principles of Negotiation’, a course summarized by the managing partner of Avanda Consultants, Julio Rodríguez Díaz. In his speech, the lecturer revealed the keys to dealing with suppliers, among which are satisfying needs rather than wants, using and valuing the existing power relationships between the parties and establishing an appropriate climate in the negotiation process. He also stressed the importance of developing a question-and-answer structure, keeping aspirations high but reasonable, having a strategy of options and concessions and being flexible when providing information.
Forum Business Travel is a training, communication and relationship platform for corporate travel managers, specialized travel agents and business travel suppliers. The initiative was created to provide knowledge, improve the training of travel managers and generate networking. FBT is based on a face-to-face environment, although it also has the online support of the website, newsletter and social networks.