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Looking to host a meeting or event that stands out from the rest? 🎉✈️ Our latest article is packed with innovative travel destination ideas that will inspire and impress your attendees! From exotic locales to unconventional venues, discover the perfect setting to make your event unforgettable. Check it out now! #MeetingPlanning #EventIdeas #TravelInnovation 🌍🏝️

This week will see a number of leaders and innovators from the global corporate travel industry gather in London for the annual BTN Group Business Travel Show Europe - and while I sadly am unable to attend in person this year I wish a fantastic show for everyone attending with lots of business and networking value being generated Interesting - today marks the 3 year anniversary since I joined the Spotnana rocket ship on 18th June 2021 - and this milestone made me reflect a little on what has happened since Spotnana came out of stealth mode at the BTS conference in September 2021 - back then in the "coming out of Covid world" we were immediately asked what we meant with our #cloudnative #travelasaservice platform given that this was a new term for the industry - and it was hard to explain in an "easy to understand way" Fast forward to today, and there is a long list of hard evidence projects demonstrating the #travelasaservice potential - driven by customers across all segments of the industry and with more to come during the remainder of 2024 - so in many ways we are now able to give examples of what we meant back then 😀 While Spotnana will be absent from the 2024 BTS event, we will actually be represented in the form of a number of TMC's, Expense Solutions, Travel Tech Solutions, Travel Suppliers and Buyers who all use our platform in different ways - and this is the perfect illustration of how the vision has become reality by letting others build smart solutions on top of the Spotnana platform Back in 2021 I also talked about saying "goodbye to the PNR" for the first time - and while we certainly still use the PNR when booking in the GDS, we have indeed stopped using the PNR as the default order management system and replaced this legacy system with a modern open order management system designed to handle complex multi-source trips with instant data validation and easy integration to other relevant systems Finally, we have launched several features aimed at solving the sustainable travel challenge, but as stated by Elizabeth West yesterday in her excellent article about the state of sustainable travel we are still waiting for customers to start making tough decisions in their travel policy about how to enforce greener travel and reduce the carbon footprint whenever possible A final observation before BTS 2024 kicks off has to be how much focus there will be on International Air Transport Association (IATA)'s latest initiative - "Offers and Orders" - in the breakout sessions. If you think NDC was a challenge then get ready for more disruption at a faster pace - a number of airlines have committed to moving away from the PNR and replace the legacy order system with a new modern airline retailing infrastructure and this will no doubt create significant challenges once again for the TMC's who are operating in the old tech world Have a fantastic BTS show - enjoy London - and you can always meet a Thorsen at the FCM booth Glenn Thorsen

What do travel's most consequential leaders think about these pivotal times in the travel industry? Here are the themes we are keen to discuss at Skift Global Forum 2023 and why: https://lnkd.in/gWXt5efM

Check out Marc's interview right here to see how we can make a difference in your day to day operation, standing out as an excellent RMS!

Tented venues on comeback or archaic relic? The event's destination/venue is crucial in todays ever changing trend and social media driven landscape. From set jetting to bleisure travel, picking the right destination and venue for your upcoming Convention or Event whether business or leisure can make the world of difference in terms of your attendees' motivation to attend. Appealing to their sense of adventure, fulfilment, renewed perspective, renewed sense of time and its value has become crucial in motivating people to travel. ✅️Return on experience(ROE) was coined and birthed at the end of 2022 and was the "buzzword" of 2023! Undoubtedly for 2024, the industry will be striving for nothing less than "experiential", another word used heavily by meetings and events professionals. Thoughts for the conscious and subscious: ➡️What emotions will you invoke when your destination is announced? ➡️Was the destination selection poll driven or trend driven? ➡️Are there any destination pre-conceptions or stereotypical road blocks that will need to be addressed? Please share your thoughts in comments. #events

BLEISURE What leisure activities do you often integrate into your business travels? A recent online survey of conference planners sheds light on this shift, revealing that over one-third of respondents emphasize the importance of leisure, culture, and sightseeing attractions in destination selection. 🌉 📢 Understanding these dynamics is crucial for both destination marketing organizations and conference designers striving to create compelling event experiences. Surveys (and full report on #Bleisure in Association Conferences) done by #MICE Knowledge Rob Davidson and Conferli - The conference matchmaking platform 🙌 #eventprofs

📆 MARK YOUR CALENDARS 📆 Get ready and start planning to attend the best travel conference next year, Outperform 2024 will be in Orlando, FL from May 20 - 22 #OutperformwithPROS 2024 Want to know why you should join us? Find out here ➡️ pros.com/outperform

Are the current travel trends “so yesterday,” or are they worth another look? Tune in to our latest Th!nk session to hear from our FCM Consulting experts on which trends are hot…and which are not: https://okt.to/IgQ8pZ #FCMThink23 #BusinessTravel #ThoughtLeadership

I was fortunate to attend the Skift Global Forum in New York City last week. The sessions are now available to watch on YouTube at the link below. I’ve been mulling over my learnings from the days in sessions (including the insights from the likes of Airbnb, Expedia Group, Hilton, Google, and Uber… to name a few). A few are sticking with me: 1 - Those advocating to “get back to 2019” are at risk of being left behind. The world has changed.  Everything in the PESTLE has changed. Going back isn’t an option; we must look forward. 2 -  A reminder that sometimes new techs are solutions looking for a problem.  And as we try to grapple with AI, we need to first consider where our pain points are and see if we can solve them with whatever tool is most suitable. The new tools will be extraordinary and the vastness of the change is currently unimaginable. Focusing on our missions and putting the user / consumer first will help us keep our heads – and will allow us to put our own efforts more heavily into connection and creativity. 3 - The trade off for travel and vacations is ultimately about the luxury of people’s time. That luxury can be wrapped up in the finest linens but can also be found in the simplicity of a sea breeze. Building empathy into the process and experience of travel will heighten that sense of luxury (and destination loyalty). Halifax is so well positioned to continue to lead. The sessions are hosted at the link below. My reco’d watches are: Jason Calacanis And Brad Gerstner’s session (healthy doses of realism and optimism for the future), the session with Mark Hoplamazian from Hyatt Hotels Corporation (who seemed crystal clear on his corporate mission rather than just lobbying for his latest M&A conquest), and Plumia's Executive Director Lauren Razavi who has a vision for the world beyond your current boxes. Enjoy. https://lnkd.in/eaunhj7a

A short video highlighting some facts about the Common Travel Area that you probably didn't know. If you would like to find out more, just us in Dublin on September 21. Full travel, event and registration details here: https://shorturl.at/tEPVW