UK: SilverDoor, the serviced apartment agent, has hosted its fifth annual Partner Engagement Day covering topics including sustainability, data and technology innovation.
180 stakeholders and partners, including corporate travel and relocation industry representatives, attended the day which involves panels and discussions on key trends and topics impacting the sector.
SilverDoor CEO Stuart Winstone also announced Katie Garrahy will be taking on the role of vice president business development from October 1st.
The first session, moderated by Garrahy, was a client panel featuring Jon Bolger from Deloitte, Andy Meadowcroft from Aires, Leanne Fowler from Clarity and Danny Cockton from Wood to discuss the current trends, challenges and opportunities in business travel and global mobility.
The conversation addressed sustainability, leveraging and integrating technology into global programmes and how to effectively utilise data and reporting to make strategic decisions.
Key points discussed included:
- Sustainability data – both demand for and its availability – is accelerating in line with increased focus on Scope 3;
- Accessibility and understanding needs to keep pace with this demand and availability;
- Likewise, whilst cost is still driving purchasing, programmes and policy decisions, sustainability is becoming a growing part of RFPs and there is increased demand for sustainability credentials from across the supply chain;
- Growing demand for live availability but buyers are also working directly with account managers across the supply chain to negotiate better rates and packages.
The second panel session (pictured) included a Q&A addressing some of the key topics leading the industry agenda with insight and commentary from Gemma Williams of SIRVA, Stuart Godwin from Lamington Group, Gary Povey from Wings and SilverDoor’s own Shabina Awan.
This included a focus on emerging trends and what bookers and guests most value. Thoughts shared by the panel included:
- Lengths of stay are increasing, corporates are travelling less frequently but for longer periods and taking a more meaningful approach to travel;
- There is a need for consolidation with accreditations – including sustainability accreditations, building and wellness accreditations. As an industry we need to evaluate how different options of accreditations are presented and can be utilised most effectively;
- Increasingly clients are opting to work with suppliers who have sustainability data available.
SilverDoor’s strategic advisor Karen Hutchings also shared her views on the current technology landscape and upcoming trends, including how alternative technologies such as ChatGPT, Machine Learning and Conversational AI can enhance the booker and traveller experience and help manage and monitor cost, compliance and sustainability more efficiently, and how Robotic Process Automation has scope to drive reporting and inform more sustainable travel behaviours.
Alex Neale, SVP partner relationships, SilverDoor said: “The day provided an invaluable opportunity to discuss many of the topics dominating the agenda, both within our business and more broadly at a global level, hear different perspectives and learn more about new trends and opportunities.
“Advances in sustainability, technology and data are taking place at an unprecedented rate. It is more important than ever before that we share knowledge and understanding so that we as an industry are best placed to utilise these developments as efficiently as we can together.”
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