In his second year at the helm of the EVP, Guillaume Col, CEO of American Express Business Travel France, Belgium and the Netherlands, had the privilege of blowing out the event's 25 candles. A major milestone for TMC in France, where the usual climax - the presentation of the barometer - was this time rivalled by the presentation of new technologies developed by American Express GBT. Ahead of the presentation of the figures, Philippe Chérèque, Sales and Technology Director at American Express GBT, unveiled the forthcoming innovations awaiting business travellers and their companies in the months ahead. Aware that, since the new resources released by the Joint Venture - 900 million dollars - " American Express promises a lot "TMC's "Mr Technologies" warns: " we're going to show you that things are changing, (...) 2016 marks the start of our transformation ".
A number of major new features are therefore on the agenda, representing an investment of more than $100 million between now and 2017. Starting with a new mobile applicationwhich should be available in French during the 2nd quarter, and which will make it possible to manage reservations, service and the capture of expense reports. Video and social media integration is also planned. Another new feature: American Express intends to stay one step ahead of the market, and above all of any potential travel disruptions. The tool Proactive Care will be able to inform travellers of any forthcoming disruption, and to take measures in advance to limit the consequences. For example, in the event of a flight delay preventing passengers from catching their connecting flight, the agency will be able to book another, later flight. Finally, the First insights will focus on the thorny issue of reportingby providing companies with a new decision-making tool that collects both travel and card information. So it's a promise: the business travel agency intends to use its financial windfall to make a difference on the marketThis is the case both in terms of technology and quality of service.
Growth and security on the agenda for 2016
And where does the barometer stand in all this? A quick glance at the previous edition of the survey shows that European decision-makers remained cautious when it came to their forecasts. growth in business travel expenditure (1.42%) in 2015 is twice as high as forecast (0.7%). With the exception of French market0.8%. This year, American Express expects a more marked recovery, amounting to 2%. In the medium term, companies are confirming their international ambitions, with half of them planning to develop their business there over the next three years, compared with 38% in 2014. A third of those surveyed are also considering increasing their business travel budget over the next three years.
Ambitious and relatively expensive, the market will also be paying close attention to the notion of "sustainability". duty of care. La passenger safety is overtaking cost control as the number 1 priority for European companies, the passenger satisfaction rounding off this now customary triptych. Security is likely to be a long-term concern for companies, given that the survey was carried out before the attacks in Paris last November. To achieve this subtle balance between safety, comfort and savings, companies are relying above all on upstream assessment of the relevance and cost of the trip, the first lever for optimisation ahead of advance bookings, and the use of online tools. A little surprise: the tougher travel policy is no longer one of the measures cited by the market, nor is the use of low-cost airlines. A sign of the times, the use of collaborative suppliers makes its appearance in the top 15 optimisation levers. Finally - and this was of course one of the objectives of this 25th EVP - the business travel agency still appears to be an essential partner in the eyes of European companies. Optimisation of fares, compliance with travel policy, security, data, but also new technologies: TMC is ahead of payment solutions, SBTs and carriers as the most legitimate player in the market. This figure is all the more significant given that around 25% of those surveyed in this EVP barometer do not have a travel agency.
