The Co-operative Travel Client Forum 2009

We held our first client forum in Manchester on Thursday 26th November 2009. This was a free event with the aim of bringing together a number of our national clients to meet with industry experts and discuss key topics impacting business travel. 

                          

The discussion panels were:

The On Line Debate – What are the real benefits?  Panellists included a client who has successfully introduced this into their company and on line experts. A lively debate took place where the advantages and disadvantages of on line were discussed and with one key client explaining how they successfully introduced on line bookings and the problems they encountered and how these were resolved.

The Green Agenda – Being Green doesn’t have to cost the earth. With clients present from manufacturing and environmental experts. A number of ideas were discussed as to how companies can reduce their carbon footprint without compromising their travellers comfort.

The Duty of Care Debate – How liable is your business. A corporate lawyer who specialises in Duty of Care explained the current law and the responsibility this has placed on companies. This resulted in an informative debate generating a lot of questions from the audience. Definitely a subject we will  look for an update on next year.

In addition to the debates we had invited a number of suppliers to attend a Supplier Showcase.  In just a couple of hours clients were able to meet key contacts from major airlines and hotel companies to discuss their requirements and look for opportunities to work together to reduce their travel spend.   

In all we had a fantastic group of clients, suppliers and TCTM staff under one roof for a very informative and productive client forum. The day ended with an informal cocktail reception at the Crowne Plaza in Manchester.

The success of this first forum will definitely mean we will look to hold this on an annual basis.