BTN's 2021 Small & Midsize Enterprise Travel Management Report

Small- & midsize companies are leading business travel’s recovery after the coronavirus pandemic. They are also rethinking how to manage that travel—balancing traveler flexibility and freedom with new priority placed on duty of care.

'Nimble' SMEs Lead Corporate Travel RecoveryBy Donna M. Airoldi

Business travel recovery looks bumpy, with Covid-19 cases on the rise in many geographies, international travel still lagging and many companies postponing their return to the office. One recovery element that has remained consistent, however, is that small- and midsize companies jump-started the return to travel after March 2020.... KEEP READING

Adapting to Post-Pandemic Program Complexities

The adage has long held that, with travel programs, smaller does not necessarily mean less complicated, but as small- and medium-sized companies begin to ramp up travel again in the coming months, they will be facing a host of complexities that could make operating without a managed program more difficult than ever. KEEP READING

We’ll Manage

The havoc wrought upon business travel by Covid-19 and the long-term changes to corporate travel priorities engendered by the pandemic are driving many small- and midsize enterprises that previously had unmanaged programs to explore adopting a managed model, experts note. SMEs considering such a transition face a fast-growing marketplace, with travel management companies and other suppliers rolling out new products and services designed to meet the increased demand from the previously unmanaged sector.  KEEP READING

The Pandemic Presented an Opportunity for Change

"To introduce change before we rev back up to normal travel, we wanted to make sure the experience was easier for the user and also a little bit safer." That's the current objective of Houston-based Trussway Manufacturing finance VP Dan Durski, who also leads travel management for the 1,000-employee company with 150 profiled travelers hitting the road for sales, projects, training or industry conferences. KEEP READING

The Path Back to Business Travel

EAB vice president of business solutions Steven Mandelbaum and Otsuka U.S. senior corporate travel manager Danielle Amoroso tell how their midsize programs are forging the path back to business travel. Both spoke with BTN editorial director Elizabeth West as part of a new podcast series. The following is excerpted from those conversations. KEEP READING

Negotiating the Road Ahead—Or Not?

Procuring travel as a small- or midsize enterprise even in the most stable times can be a bit of a tricky proposition. Companies of this size don't always have the scale to drive global, countrywide or chainwide deals and often must closely analyze their travel patterns and history to be able to weigh the prospect of a negotiated deal versus the utility of a supplier's standard program for SMEs. KEEP READING

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