The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) is marking its third year in India with two executive forums planned for October. According to the Association`s Executive Director Susan Gurley, Delhi (9 October 2007) and…
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) is marking its third year in India with two executive forums planned for October. According to the Association`s Executive Director Susan Gurley, Delhi (9 October 2007) and Bangalore (11 October 2007) will each host a four-part educational program positioning travel management as a strategic corporate asset.
These forum programs will define the role travel management can and should play within a corporation, how data translates to corporate growth and professional influence, the significance of a strong payment medium, and the impact the privatisation of India airports will have on the business travel industry, said Gurley. For the investment of a day, forum participants in these two cities will explore advanced management theory, proven techniques, new product options, and the impact of a developing trend.
The programs for both Delhi and Bangalore are identical, and are based on membership surveys and requests submitted by members in the region. The first session, Making Corporate Travel A Strategic Corporate Function, focuses on the expectations of upper management from a travel program. The session will illustrate how to develop the most appropriate value metrics, KPIs and dashboards that clearly depict cost avoidance. There will be an emphasis on building supplier relationships with clearly delineated roles and responsibilities. The session will answer the question of how a managed travel programme is more effective that booking a trip on the web.
These issues are very significant to ACTE`s growing constituency in India, said Aditya Loomba, the association`s Delhi City Champion and a Director of Tour Mart India and Eco Rent A Car. They were chosen for their relevancy and importance for bringing the travel department to the limelight in the board room.
The second presentation — Data: Just Take What You Can Get, Rudimentary and Refined Data — deals with identifying the best sources of data, how to evaluate it, and how to use it as an effective measure of achievement. According to ACTE research, the four hardest questions to answer are:
- What options are available when you have no data to begin with?
- What sources of data are available in India?
- What type of data do you need?
- How do you evaluate the reliability, validity, and accuracy of data?
Each of these questions will be answered by experts, with examples and sample anecdotal experience in dealing with the issue.
The luncheon topic will be Do All Credit Cards Grow Up To Become Corporate Cards? The answer is surprising. Corporate card programs are as individualized as the companies they serve. And not all are equal. This session will detail the difference between a credit card and a payments solution product. It will also identify the critical elements of a corporate card programme and run through the steps of matching a card programme to traveller`s needs.
The final item on the agenda will be a roundtable discussion regarding the privatisation of Indian airports. The real issue facing travelers of all levels is, Will the current trend toward the privatisation of Indian airports meet consumer needs, and how will it impact business travel. Privatisation experts will discuss the success of these measures in other countries, what India can expect, and possible recourse.
ACTE leadership is anticipating a surge in the number of educational programs it will offer in India, considering both the growth of the industry and the association in the region. Indians, along with Australians and Chinese, constituted a third of the attendees at the recent ACTE Asia-Pacific Education Conference in Singapore last month.
The market is demanding more frequent and specialized educational events, said Rajesh Rakheja, of Serwizol, ACTE`s City Champion for Bangalore. Our forum program is geared to react to industry developments, answer the immediate questions, and predict new activity. It`s really suited to meet industry needs in India.
