*GUEST BLOG* NDC: Why Consumer-Driven Content is King

In this blog, we'll look at why consumer-driven content is the key to driving NDC adoption, and lay out the steps needed to ensure that the promise of a truly rich and differentiated NDC content that benefits business travellers is realised.

Let’s start with the obvious: Massive investments are currently being made by all industry players to make NDC a reality. It is therefore only prudent to ensure that this capital is put to its intended use, which begins and ends with delivering content that the customer not only needs and wants, but also benefits from seeing.

So what does this rich new content look like?

To date, the enhancements being considered revolve around providing a consumer-grade user experience, access to new bundling opportunities and ancillaries, such as early boarding, preferred seating, and special meals, and adding personalized content.

These are the types of services that can be enabled through NDC, and the benefits can only be realised through industry-wide collaboration that puts consumers’ interests at the centre.

Using a test and learn approach, driven by corporate traveller feedback, ensures that the industry is building a product and capability that consumers want and can use – every step of the way.

After all, only the consumer can really certify the value of NDC-enabled content, based on its ability to address the cost, convenience, choice, and service objectives that are lacking in the current distribution model.

When the industry solves these objectives with the end traveller in mind, it will naturally result in the kind of demand that will lead to the mass adoption necessary to make NDC succeed - not only for the industry, but also (and most importantly), for the benefit of business travellers.

So, let’s assume that we now have the ability to distribute content that meets a clear and compelling need of the corporate travel community. There is still one final step to realise the potential of this industry-transforming technology standard – and that’s display.

We’ll cover modernising the way business travellers and agents consume this rich content to make an informed purchasing decision in the third and last blog in this three-part series.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions on NDC overall, and, in the meantime – remember: content will always reign supreme.

Blog written by Erik Magnuson, Vice President, Air Distribution Capabilities, CWT.
CWT is exhibiting at Business Travel Show, register for free and visit the team on stand B230 www.businesstravelshow.com

NDC IS A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR THE INDUSTRY

In Conversation With… Michael Gloor, Senior Director Sales France and Benelux, Lufthansa Group

NDC - a good or bad thing? What’s the most important thing buyers should be aware of? 
We at the Lufthansa Group believe that NDC is a fantastic opportunity for the industry. This is a great chance for buyers to become actively involved now, in shaping the usage of this standard in this crucial phase. With that in mind, we are really looking forward to the dialogue at this conference. 

What’s the biggest challenge facing buyers now and why? 
The more booking options become available to the corporate traveller, the more relevant it becomes for the travel buyer to manage all interfaces, to enforce compliance within the travel policy. Therefore, a standard like NDC, which is rapidly gaining ground at various distribution technology providers and suppliers, is really good news; it facilitates the integration of content from various sources and airlines into e.g. an online booking tool or the expense reporting environment.

What’s the biggest opportunity they should be taking advantage of and why? 
Corporate buyers will be able to proactively negotiate beyond the price point and tailor our wide range of offerings to their travellers’ needs. The idea would be to eventually offer various employee groups relevant corporate bundles in an interactive way. For some target groups this could be a powerful method for employee branding and talent acquisition.

Why are you looking forward to BT Summit Amsterdam? 
We clearly see momentum in the deployment and level of attention that NDC is currently receiving. By being here on behalf of the Lufthansa Group, I would like to hear your ideas, identify your priorities and needs and use your input as we are moving along with our developments. We believe this is the right time to engage in collaboration and move forward together. 

Michael is presenting a session called 'how buyers can benefit from NDC and airline direct connects' at Business Travel Summit Amsterdam, which takes place 25-26 September. Book your free place now at amsterdam.businesstravel-summit.com 

GUEST BLOG: First you see it, now you don’t….then you do again

The recent results of the Business Travel Show travel buyer survey show that NDC is now 17^th on the list of travel buyer concerns compared to being at the top in 2013. 

Paul Tilstone

With my session on NDC on the first morning of the show, I therefore naturally ask myself “why is this?”. Is it because people are just comfortable with NDC now and the consensus is that it will be what it will be or instead is it that people don’t see it impacting them in 2016 because since 2013 they can’t see any manifestation coming to market yet?

We know that it was front of mind in 2013 because it had recently been launched and the issue became a combative one in the press and on conference agendas, but things have moved on since then and these days all parties seem to recognise that NDC could help us find the solutions we desperately need. But it takes time to develop an industry standard and it was only formally launched at the end of 2015 so to judge its impact on 2016 based on the waves it has made to date would be unwise.

During my session I will be updating people on where the project is one year on from our session on NDC at the Business Travel Show last year. I will be sharing the names of companies involved in the project and what the benefits could be to buyers, TMCs and Self Booking Tools and you’ll get to hear from a company which you wouldn’t normally associate with business travel on how they are using the standard. This project is at a stage when we can all help to shape it, but in order to do so rather than have it be something we have to react to, we must remain engaged. See you at the show and make sure you arrive early enough to get yourself NDC ready…

This post was written by Paul Tilstone, co-founder of Festive Road. Paul is presenting a session on NDC at the Business Travel Show - to register for a free pass, please visit www.businesstravelshow.com 

NDC - STILL TWO THIRDS OF BUYERS DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON

NDC - New Distribution Capability) has been on the news agenda for at least 18 months and we’re just months away from seeing the first airlines implementing IATA's proposed NDC standards, and yet nearly two thirds of European business travel managers still don’t feel informed enough about NDC, what it is and how it will affect them, to decide whether they are for or against it.

In response the question "Do you support NDC?" 63% of respondents to the Business Travel Show survey of 179 travel buyers (three quarters from the UK, rest from mainland Europe) said they still were not informed enough to make a decision, 17% answered "yes" and 20% "no".

Other tech questions from the survey were answered as follows:

Do you have a social media policy for travellers:

Yes – 30%
No – 62%
No, but we plan to in the next 12 months – 7%

Are you using big data to help plan and manage your travel programmes?Yes – 19%
No – 50%
No, but we plan to in the next 12 months – 17%
I don’t know – 14%

To read more about NDC and this story, please visit TNOOZ.

The Business Travel Show takes place 25-26 February 2015 at Olympia Grand in London. Please visit www.businesstravelshow.com to register for a free visitor pass for both days AND access to Travel Technology Europe, which takes place at the same time. 

WHAT'S TROUBLING BUYERS THIS YEAR?

It's that time of year again - happy New Year, by the way - the time when we look forward to what's going to impact business travel buying over the next 12 months. At the Business Travel Show, we have carried out an annual buyer survey for the last four years. Each year, we ask buyers to spill all about the forthcoming 12 months. And here are the results for 2014. 

• 76%will have more money to spend 
• 49% are being asked to book more trips
• 76% of airline budgets will be the same or greater
• 74% of accommodation budgets will be the same or greater
• 83%  of buyers will be expected to book the same or more trips
• This is the third consecutive annual rise in the number of buyers enjoying bigger budgets 
• In 2013, 72 per cent of budgets were higher or the same
• In 2012, 67 per cent of budgets were higher

	2014 v 2013	2013 v 2012	2012 v 2011
Percentage of business travel buyers with increased budgets	76%	72%	67%
Airline budgets	39% - greater 37% - the same
Accommodation budgets	38% - greater 36% - the same
Number of trips managed	More – 49% The same – 34% Fewer – 9%	More – 57% The same – 22% Fewer – 22%

183 travel, category and procurement managers took part in the survey for the Business Travel Show, which takes place 4-5 February 2014 in London. The majority of respondents were UK-based, 55 per cent control budgets in excess of £3 million and 65 per cent manage programmes with in excess of 500 business travellers.

We also asked them about the biggest issues facing them and the industry over the next 12 months. Here are the top 20 responses:

1	NDC	11	Gamification
2	Travel management 2.0	12	Relaxation of policy
3	Data	13	Airline bankruptcy
4	Sustainability	14	Integration of social and travel tools
5	Meetings management	15	Ancillary fees
6	Mobile apps	16	Airline consolidation
7	Technological developments	17	Risk management
8	Free Wi-Fi in hotels and on airlines	18	Virtual meetings
9	CSR	19	Fuel increases
10	Terrorism	20	Less reliance on TMCs

Personally, I think these results are great news for buyers. They have faced intense pressure over the last couple of years to cut costs and stretch budgets. The figures also support the GBTA’s own predictions that the UK business travel industry is heading for very strong growth in 2014 and 2015 and, following a trying few years, western Europe’s major markets should see a bounce back over the next five years.

This post was written by Business Travel Show event director David Chapple. Find out more about buying business travel better at the Business Travel Show, 4-5 February 2014. Register now at www.businesstravelshow.com.

THE BIG TMC DEBATE AT THE BUSINESS TRAVEL SHOW

The conference programme is SO close to being finalised and we have some fantastic names for 2014, including senior directors of four of the world’s leading TMCs - Carlson Wagonlit Travel, HRG, BCD Travel and Radius Travel - who are going to take part in a panel debate called ‘View From the Top – TMC Leaders Speak’.

The panel will feature TMC luminaries Doug Anderson, President & CEO, Carlson Wagonlit Travel; Stewart Harvey, Group Commercial Director, HRG; John Snyder, President and COO, BCD Travel and Shannon Hyland, President & CEO, Radius Travel. They will reveal their visions for the future of the industry and the future of TMCs; discuss the changing needs of their clients and the hottest topics facing the industry today, from NDC to travel management 2.0.

Don't miss this session - it's a rare opportunity to be able to hear their opinions and visions and to learn from their vast experience and knowledge. It takes place at 1015 on Wednesday 5 February. 

It's free to attend the conference sessions - just make sure you register for a visitor pass at www.businesstravelshow.com. You can also keep an eye on the conference programme on our website too.

NDC: THE CARROT AND THE STICK

It’s been a while since we blogged about NDC – five months in fact – and, in that time, this most controversial of business travel issues has continued to dominate headlines. It also came up again and again at the GBTA Europe Conference last week. And it was there that I had an idea.

There has been a lot of negative comment about NDC, but I think it’s safe to say the industry agrees that the price transparency NDC provides is a positive thing for everyone: the airlines, the buyer and the traveller. By displaying everything from the basic fare, to the extras such as baggage fees, extra legroom costs and taxes, buyers and consumers can compare like for like for the first time when booking flights and airlines can compete fairly. 

And this made me wonder. Does NDC have the potential to help travel managers drive and increase compliance while also keeping their travellers happy? Can it be both a carrot and a stick?

For example, if all airlines displayed a de-ancillaried price on NDC, TMCs could then negotiate any ancillary costs directly, and the choice of those ancillaries – up to the value of, say, five per cent of the air fare – could be left up to the traveller. So the traveller could decide if they prefer extra leg room, priority boarding or lounge access, for example, and this element of choice would help to make them feel like they were valued and had some element of control, while, in fact, they were being gently coerced into complying with policy. And a compliant traveller is every travel manager’s Holy Grail, right?.

By David Chapple

David Chapple is event director of the Business Travel Show, which takes place 4-5 February 2014 in London. Find out more at www.businesstravelshow.com. Comment on this blog below, or contact David on Twitter @btshowlondon