Duty-Of-Care Dominates Topics AT GBTA Convention

DENVER, Col. –- Risk, duty of care and technology’s effects on business travel were the predominant themes throughout the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)’s annual convention July 16-20 that drew 6,587 travel professionals and industry leaders.

The convention was the highest attended in GBTA history and one of the largest gatherings of travel professionals in the world. The completely sold out Expo floor featured more than 400 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services in business travel. Next year’s Convention will be in Boston on July 15-19, 2017.

CNN’s fiery Richard Quest moderated a discussion on the future of ground transportation between David Baga, Chief Business Officer of Lyft, and Scott Solombrino, CEO of Dav El / Boston Coach Chauffeured Transportation Network. Duty of care, fair wages for drivers and safety based on background checks seem to be where the traditional ground transportation companies make their strongest arguments. Transportation network companies (TNCs), on the other hand, point to their high demand and successful business model to argue that travelers have made their decision.

Featured speakers included United CEO Oscar Munoz who candidly assessed his airline, air travel in general, and what United is doing to improve and innovate air travel for business passengers.

“The airline industry has made travel hell for business travelers,” Munoz told the audience. “We need to do better to improve the air travel experience. My goal is to show you can run a business with heart that also makes money for its investors.”

TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger also took the stage for a one-on-one interview with GBTA Executive Director and COO Michael W. McCormick. Often maligned as an agency struggling with operational discipline and low employee morale, Neffenger sees these challenges as opportunities to overhaul how TSA is viewed by the traveling public and how TSA agents view themselves and their mission.

“I came in on the heels of a report that said that the TSA wasn’t performing great,” Neffenger said. “This last year we focused on three areas of improvement. We needed to get better, be better with our resources, and change the system, which had been the same for a long time.”

With the rapid growth in mergers and acquisitions of some of the best-known brands in the air travel, lodging and ground transport sectors, GBTA Convention 2016 featured a Center Stage panel discussion among experts on the topic of consolidation. Moderated by Guy Langford of Deloitte & Touche LLP, the panel included Reggie Aggarwal, CEO and Founder, Cvent; Dara Khosrowshahi, President and CEO, Expedia, Inc.; and Kevin Frid, COO of Accor Hotels. The panelists agreed that with a healthy and robust reliance on technology, and the continued environment of low borrowing and easy access to capital, consolidation will be among the biggest drivers shaping the business travel landscape for years to come.

Among big name keynoters, actress and comedienne Julia Louis-Dreyfus — known for her iconic characters Selina Meyer from HBO’s VEEP, Christine Campbell from The New Adventures of Old Christine and Elaine Benes from Seinfeld – delighted the GBTA Convention audience during her interview with surprise TV reporter Soledad O’Brien. Legendary NFL Quarterback Peyton Manning inspired the audience saying as a leader you should lead by your dreams and cultivate that same attitude in the people who work with you and for you.

Captain Scott Kelly might have more frequent flyer miles than any other business traveler history. As a Navy Captain and NASA astronaut, Kelly has spent more time in space than any other American, including his record-breaking year at the International Space Station. Despite his impressive and accomplished career, Kelly was not always destined to become an astronaut. He was able to reach his goal by, “having a large goal and achieving it by breaking it down into small, manageable steps.” Captain Kelly also believes that there are many similarities between space travel and business travel. “If you don’t try to make things better – even a little bit – they are going to get worse… Sometimes you have to prepare for a very unlikely scenario that could have a huge impact.”

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 8,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts.

To learn how business travel drives business growth, visit www.gbta.org.

Source: GBTA press release

Related article: Dav El Boston Coach, Empire CLS Announce Corporate Ride App

Keywords

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Dav El / BostonCoach Orders Hundreds Of Lincoln-Continentals

DENVER, Col. — Dav El│BostonCoach Transportation Network, the largest privately-owned chauffeured transportation company worldwide, will add several hundred of The Lincoln Motor Company’s 2017 Lincoln Continentals to its fleet this year and into next.

The new sedan debuted at Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Conference in Denver on July 18 at the Dav El│ BostonCoach’s booth on the GBTA Expo floor. Dav El│ BostonCoach will be among the first chauffeured car companies to add the new Lincoln Continental.

The all-new 2017 Lincoln Continental offers many other features that deliver quiet luxury, providing an elegant, powerful and serene experience. Technologies that comfort, entertain and assist occupants include the innovative E-Latch door system and a host of rear seat amenities.

Scott Solombrino, president and CEO, Dav El│ BostonCoach Transportation Network, said in a press release, “Our goal is to provide our customers with the safest and highest quality transportation, so adding the Lincoln Continental to our fleet was the right choice for us. The new sedans provide luxury and a smooth ride that our customer base is accustomed to when booking with us.”

In an interview with LCT on July 21, Solombrino said the Lincoln-Continentals will complement but not replace Dav El / BostonCoach’s predominantly Cadillac sedan and SUV fleet. He could not give an exact count yet but said the “hundreds” of sedans will be phased into the fleet from September through the 1Q 2017 starting in New York, Boston, Miami and Los Angeles, and later to Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Palm Beach County, Fla. 

“This is the first model year for the Lincoln-Continental and we will see how it performs,” Solombrino said. “From a livery usability standpoint, this car looks like it will be a high performer. Lincoln has built a great car and they want to test it in our markets.” Solombrino has not had a chance to drive the sedan yet since Lincoln will not start official production until next month. Dav El / BostonCoach will buy all of its Lincoln Continentals.

Crucita Santiago, fleet manager at The Lincoln Motor Company, said in a press release, “The team at Dav El│ BostonCoach provides exceptional service to their customers and that will be enhanced now with our new Lincoln Continentals.”

The chauffeured transportation network, ranked No. 1 on LCT’s 2016 50 Largest Fleets List, also added 30 Ford Transit Vans to its fleet over the summer to replace its Ford F250 15-passenger vans, Solombrino told LCT. The Transits will complement the company’s fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter  Vans.

Sources: BostonCoach press release via Business Wire; Martin Romjue, LCT editor

Keywords

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How To Make Social Media Work For You

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — If you want to run a successful business, using social media is not an option — it’s a must. This is a scary realization for those who didn’t grow up using it, but it shouldn’t have to be.

The number of different platforms available can be daunting, but not if you take the time to understand the best way to use each one. The good news is you only need to know a few of them.

Nick Cavarra, a presenter at the 2016 International LCT Show in March and founder of Social Punch Marketing, explained why your business needs to be on at least one social media site while updating your online presence.

Numbers Don’t Lie

“I call myself a social media user, not a social media expert because when I go to sleep, I know everything about every social media channel, and then I wake up,” Cavarra said.

While it seems as if a new platform emerges daily, or at least new features, statistics show being mobile savvy with social media is the best way to attract and inform potential clients.

Mobile Internet usage surpassed desktop in 2014. About 65% of time spent on social networks happens on mobile devices, and 51% of emails are checked on smartphones. And get this: Out of the six billion people on the planet, 4.8 billion have a mobile phone, while only 4.2 billion own a toothbrush. Clearly, people put a priority on their devices and use them to their fullest potential.

But let’s step away from social media for a moment and focus on your company’s website in general. Cavarra shocked the audience when he dropped this bombshell: “You will not come up on Google search on a mobile phone if your site isn’t mobile friendly.”

For operators still behind on this, it should be top priority. How are you going to build clientele if they can’t even find you? Being active makes you relevant. “Your website is the most valuable piece of real estate you own because that’s where customers will find you,” Cavarra said. In the age of “Just Yelp it,” it’s no surprise 60% to 80% of your customers will research your company before going any further.

Visitors hate talking to salespeople, and are looking for information relevant to their immediate needs. When potential customers seek a service, three quarters use their mobile phones to get real-time, location-based information. Nine-tenths of these mobile searches lead to an action, and 70% of users who run a local search via their mobile device act within one hour. This is why your site must not only look good, but be constantly updated. Staying current influences purchasing habits, and you don’t want to lose business because you had the wrong email, phone number, or address listed.

Stay Active

So what should you do to ensure potential customers will find you? First, search for your company on Google. Check your listing information for accuracy, and if something is wrong, correct it. Make sure you list information people usually want to know without having to call you. These include but are not limited to: Hours of operation, a business description, list of services, specials/deals, logo and photos, contact information, links to your social media channels, and payment options.

The same goes for your social media channels. Of course, you cannot remain active on every social media channel out there. That’s why Cavarra suggests finding the niche sites right for your business. While this may sound daunting, choose one at the very least. In the vast sea of the Internet, you either swim or perish. Learing how to use a few platforms is easier than it appears. If you take the time to learn now, it will undoubtedly save time later.

Choices, Choices, Choices

At this point, two questions arise: Why is social media so important, and what are the best sites for a business to be on? Simply, 74% of people rely on social networks to guide their purchase decisions. This includes people looking for luxury ground transportation. Let’s say a person chooses a company out of all the others in their area and ends up pleased with the service received. Fifty-five percent of people share purchases they have made on social networks. That means this customer’s review could serve as free advertising that will entice potential customers.

As for the most important social media sites, Cavarra calls Facebook the “gorilla in the room.” It allows one to reach large audiences, assuming you create and share the right content. It’s good if you get people to like your page, but it’s better to get them to like or comment on your posts. The goal is to get them to share your posts on their personal pages so their friends can see them.

For this to happen, you need to know what types of posts get the most interactions. Cavarra revealed these statistics: A post featuring a video gets 100% more engagement than a post with just text; one with a picture gets 120% more; while a post with a whole album of photos gets 180% more. Some ideas for interesting posts include fill in the blank and multiple choice questions, highlighting a customer or employee, or sharing inspirational quotes.

The other two sites that provide the best audiences are LinkedIn and Twitter. LinkedIn lets you find potential affiliate companies you want to work with, and in turn, be found by them. Twitter, on the other hand, is the fastest way to reach your desired audience. A good sense of humor will help your tweets stand out. Try “hijacking the news” by posting something pertaining to a current event (the upcoming election, a popular meme, etc.) while bending it to the theme of luxury transportation.

Time is Money

Operators should spend no more than about two and a half hours a week on social media, Cavarra said. Specific actions make this possible. For example, creating a content calendar to divvy up when and what to post will save having to remember what’s been posted. If you designate specific channels to specific days (Mondays for posting blogs on your main website, Wednesdays for sharing sales on Facebook and Twitter, etc), you’ll avoid social media fatigue and stay organized. This will help you remember to be active every day on the various channels you manage.

Also, remember blog posts can be used as fuel for tweets. It’s acceptable to take interesting 140 character snippets and repurpose them for your other accounts. If you don’t know what to write about, then start stimulating creativity by using upcoming seasons, holidays, and other special events, such as prom and wedding seasons.

— Lexi@LCTmag.com

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