Where does business travel fit in on the road back to normality?
Laurent Lassure - The recovery is here, and we're starting to reach figures close to 2019, but there are many new ways of working that have developed with the new technology. teleworking in particular. It's also a question of habit. In my opinion, the pandemic has shown that it is possible to work remotely, not in all sectors of course, but for many employees it is possible. So some continue to do so, while others take a step backwards, particularly when it comes to social interaction. The difficulty lies in finding the right position for the cursor, because there is no one rule that works for everyone.
The advent of videoconferencing at the expense of business travel may be good news for the planet, but not so much for a player like Cegid Notilus...
Laurent Lassure - There is indeed less travel, with the implications that you point out in terms of CSR. There may also be better, smarter, more efficient travel. This is going to encourage a lot of suppliers to look at ways of improving their offering, whether it's a TMC or a publisher like Cegid Notilus. Inevitably, if the number of trips falls, so will turnover. But it's alsoan opportunity to rethinkto look at other subjects to be addressed around the carbon footprint for example, by offering added value compared with other tools. This can also involve suggesting to a user whether their journey is relevant or not, based on various criteria. There is also the rise of theartificial intelligence which will make it possible to study and facilitate many aspects, from booking to calculating costs for Notilus. Behavioural habits may also be affected, with the ultimate possibility of giving an estimate of the relevance of a journey. I think that publishers have an opportunity to really rethink themselves, because habits are changing and technology is evolving too, and this may enable us to offer many things other than what we have been doing until now, which is to provide a framework for the traveller.
Where do we stand with mobility management? Will 2024 see this model gain momentum?
Laurent Lassure - In my opinion, things should indeed change, even if in France we're often overcautious! So we tend to observe what's happening elsewhere before letting ourselves be convinced. It's the same thing for the MICE.
How do you see 2024? What do you see as the main challenges ahead?
Laurent Lassure - A number of factors were observed in 2023 that will continue into 2024. There has been a slowdown in global growth, and the inflation seen last year is likely to ease off and stabilise. As a result, the constraints associated with the additional costs of business travel will begin to fade a little, and people will start to travel again. IATA has confirmed this with its 2023 report and its exponential forecasts for the coming years. This is somewhat surprising in that companies are increasingly launching into the CSRon decarbonisation. It seems a little contradictory to expect the number of passengers to double in a few years' time when we want to emit half as much carbon... Certain factors will help in part: Boeing and Airbus are working on more environmentally efficient aircraft. But there is less talk of replacing the current fleet than of adding new aircraft. There is a gap between what is said and what is done. This will be one of the issues of 2024.
Does the choice come down to paying more to travel more responsibly or travelling less?
Laurent Lassure - The price will inevitably rise to decarbonise, which will be passed on to the traveller, and therefore to the company. This will potentially lead to a reduction in travel, or conversely to the same volume of travel being maintained, because there will always be a need to travel, to meet people. And this is where the CSR slider will intervene. Travellers themselves may also veto certain journeys. There will be a question of company and passenger values.
In a white paper, Cegid Notilus talked about "why travel". What role can you play in defining this "why travel"?
Laurent Lassure - We are less concerned with the definition of "Why travel? than in the "better travelThe subject was raised recently during an AFTM event: spending 3 hours booking a holiday can be a pleasure, but spending 10 minutes booking a business trip is a constraint. Preparing for a trip is made easier, thanks in particular to the dematerialisationIn this way, we ensure that the journey goes smoothly, not only for the traveller but also for the approver, the accountant. So it's less about "why travel" and more about "how to emotionally unburden the traveller".
How can we judge the level of equipment companies have in terms of emission measurement tools in relation to their ambitions?
Laurent Lassure - That's the paradox: companies say they're hyper-committed to CSR, they're decarbonising, they're investing, but in reality they're not necessarily equipped. They don't really know where to start. CSR manager positions are being created and are starting to become increasingly important in large groups. But in smaller organisations, they don't really know where to start. It covers a lot of ground.
Has the post-crisis context prompted Cegid Notilus to review its priorities and roadmap?
Laurent Lassure - There hasn't really been any change. There is, of course, the impact of generative AI: all the companies are going to start using it, but we didn't wait for it to be democratised before taking the plunge. It's just that the investment should be greater in 2024. Similarly, as far as CSR is concerned, we have been taking steps in this direction for some time, but we are going to strengthen our focus even further.
