Interview: GlobalStar's Mark van Iersel

Agency consortia and networks lately have experienced some big reflagging in the United States, with travel management companies like Travel Leaders Corporate, Ovation Travel and Travizon changing organizations. BTN editorial director Jay Campbell this week spoke with GlobalStar Travel Management executive director of marketing and partner recruitment Mark van Iersel for an update on the network.

Boston-area travel management company Travizon joined GlobalStar in 2011. How do you measure success?

We have performance reports for partners, and those relate to the quality of data provided for data consolidation in our DataStar solution. We would look at their marketing efforts to jointly promote Travizon and the GlobalStar brand, attendance at meetings and the number of new business opportunities delivered to the network and the partners. That could be in two ways: one is from an account management perspective, trying to proactively come up with a global solution, and the other is with RFPs. For all of these items, Travizon is performing extremely well. They used to be with Hogg Robinson. Obviously Hogg Robinson and GlobalStar, you can't compare them, but we in GlobalStar as a centralized organization still look a little more to our partners as being our clients. Travizon joins GlobalStar, they are paying a fee for that, and that fee also helps pay my salary. So I see them as a client and they receive a lot more attention from the central organization. The relationship is very good. Travizon CFO Matt Cummings is a GlobalStar board member. In terms of competing with, for example, [fellow Northeastern U.S. TMC and GlobalStar member] Ultramar, there are protocols in place and it works well.

Another major partner is Orbitz for Business. I noticed that there is a dedicated person in the GlobalStar hierarchy for Orbitz. There doesn't seem to be for other partners. Why is that?

Orbitz went out with an official RFP process and in contract negotiations it was agreed that we would have dedicated staff. The reason for that is Orbitz for Business is a well-known brand and it is short-listed by a lot of U.S.-based companies immediately for an RFP. When they told us they'd expect to drive so many RFPs that are global tenders, they said they would appreciate some dedicated assistance. And we felt it was a good idea. Marcus Bell, who is the coordinator and manager of global accounts for Orbitz, can tap into the central organization at GlobalStar and plays an account management role for global Orbitz accounts.

The Orbitz self-booking technology, as I understand it, may not be in all the markets people need. Are you finding that Orbitz clients using GlobalStar are using a mix of different products or settling on something in particular that has good integration through GlobalStar?

The preferred solution is the Orbitz online booking tool in markets where it's possible be applied or integrated but we will use the best in-country solution available. That's still the case in many countries like China and the Far East. Clients are happy with that because in-country solutions usually are in the local language and you can get some guarantees on availability of content, which you still might not have in other solutions.

Does GlobalStar itself have any technology partners for online booking?

No. An online booking tool really is a local partner decision. I could say that we could provide a global solution on one platform, but it would still not be global. We would create a GlobalStar portal with one look and feel but he or she would be directed to the online booking system of choice in a particular country. Again, that has a lot to do with language and content.

The partnership with the Global Videoconferencing Network is relatively new, but how is it going so far?

We just launched it in May. Travizon is trying to implement it with some of their customers. It's usually something that travel agencies might hesitate on, and it goes step by step. It is not a mandated solution like the data reporting, which is a must. There is no GlobalStar without DataStar, but with this solution, it is a more a decision of the partner.

Regarding the hotel program and new cooperation with CCRA Travel Solutions, what was there before and how is this enhancing it?

GlobalStar had a preferred hotel program relationship with ABC Corporate Services, and that came in after Hickory. We launched with CCRA a year and a half ago. It's very successful. It remains a third-party solution. In certain countries we have had some struggles because we might be looking at prepaid with credit cards, and that's not a very well-used procedure in many regions of the world yet. That has all been solved now. CCRA is one of the best industry partners we have had so far. They participate in meetings and webinars and listen to our clients and partners.

How is the global fares database working out? Is it proving to be a differentiator?

I am just amazed that not many seem to utilize it as a sales and marketing solution in their pitch. The difference can be thousands of dollars. We currently have 40 or 50 percent of the partners heavily using it. I am not happy with that; it should be more. The tool is really made for long-haul international flights, mainly business class.