waterfall
There’s a great expression about a boss who gives his subordinates orders that by definition cannot be carried out. “Stand under that waterfall, but don’t get wet.”
convention vs conference
Conventions tend to be multi-day parties with little work involved, but there’s plenty of free time to socialize and explore the city.
Conferences, especially for corporate travel, are on average 1-2.5 day events with a focus on education, networking, and providing a forum to showcase technology and service solutions for new entrants.
Why conferences are essential for travel buyers
Before COVID-19 ended the opportunity for in-person meetings, travel buyers could spend significant time in the office and schedule appointments with qualified travel agent sales representatives to learn about these solutions first-hand.
We now know that most travel buyers are out of the office five days a week. This limits in-person meetings with potential travel service providers, confines these conversations to Teams meetings and chat rooms, and limits the ability to directly learn about competitive solutions against existing suppliers. It simply doesn’t work and is counterproductive to their job description.
How many conferences should buyers attend each year?
I recently spoke with a friend who is a travel buyer for a very large company. The reason I called was to ask if he would be joining GBTA or BTSA this year. If not, would he have wanted to attend PTC’s annual conference? He shyly said, “I’m only allowed to attend a conference once every two years!”
The above is an example of a waterfall. There are several types of conferences in our industry, and I try to attend as many as my schedule allows throughout the year. Options include those sponsored by trade associations, those sponsored by industry publications, those sponsored by suppliers (other than TMC), and unique invitation-only events.
The best way for travel buyers to participate in the program that makes the most sense is to include it in their budget for the year. In some cases, program organizers will allow buyers to attend for free if they commit to scheduling (and attending) X number of in-person meetings at the event. Even if the cost including air tickets is zero, I have heard directly from travel buyers that they can’t go even for free.
What are the costs if I don’t participate?
It’s an opportunity cost.
You could save up to a thousand dollars by not attending. However, maintaining the status quo with a “managed travel program” and not being aware of alternatives to existing technology and processes can cost your company millions of dollars.
This becomes a dramatic challenge when a new CFO (or an outside consulting firm) with little working knowledge of our industry issues a challenge (request) to a travel buyer: “Reduce this year’s travel program by 25%, but do not offer demand management.”
How much can you learn by attending the right number of programs?
That’s a feature you don’t know about.
I was just recently on the phone with a client who assigned an in-house procurement person to travel around the world. During a conversation explaining the differences between TMC, OBT, NDC, etc., a client asked, “Andy, what is PNR?” I said, “It’s similar to Cabernet, but it’s made primarily from Pinot grapes.” Because I thought it was a joke.
He wasn’t.
Our industry offers travel buyers (and supplier friends) a variety of educational and networking opportunities. The choice of program depends on the depth of knowledge that travel buyers “have” and “need to have” to meet their internal goals and challenges. The best way to find out is to research different programs online and pay close attention to the content.
If the session title begins with “How To…”. Don’t go if you don’t know the difference between PNR and Pinot Noir.
So what’s next?
Plan your 2027 budget to include investments (not costs) in participating in events that can improve industry knowledge and strengthen your travel program by competing with or replacing incumbents.
Without a travel buyer’s travel budget that includes at least one event per quarter, you can’t drive savings, technology, service, and productivity.
Andrew W. Menkes, CTC; is the founder and CEO of Partnership Travel Consulting, a global corporate travel sourcing and strategy firm. A pioneer in business travel, Andrew has led innovations in the industry, including the first internet-based electronic ticket purchasing. He was the first travel manager certified by ARC to run a corporate travel department. He was named Travel Manager of the Year, twice named Top 25 Most Influential Business Travel Executives, and was the first travel buyer to be inducted into the Business Travel Hall of Fame. In January 2025, Andrew also became President of Fare Audit, Inc., a corporate travel audit firm for airfare and hotel rates.