COVID-19 had a massive and brutal impact on business travel. Effectively stopping most forms of international (and national) movement. Not just for business purposes, the worldwide pandemic simply stopped all activity within the travel sector overnight. Business still needed to be conducted. Economies still needed to move, to function, and the overnight sensation of video meetings suddenly became the go-to method of keeping business in motion.
A new way of working was established. There was no need to travel to conduct business – all you needed was a laptop, a bedroom or kitchen backdrop, the odd child or cat photo-bomb, and the best bit – you could even sack the awful commute to the office. This extended obviously to business travel. It simply wasn’t feasible to try and dovetail different expectations and hasty laws (and fines!) from different countries with constantly changing lockdown requirements. The world had changed overnight. The roots of hybrid working had in fact been established during these dark days, and when the world finally dropped the restrictions around COVID and things were getting ‘back to normal’ the idea of business travel (also the lovely daily commute to the office) had been challenged permanently and irrevocably.
There was something missing though.
In the brave new world of virtual connectivity between colleagues, clients, suppliers and just about any stakeholder in the new global community of modern business, there was good reason business travel had a place in the old order. Let’s face it, for a business to send their trusted sales teams across continents to secure international deals had always been an additional cost that was totally justified.
Why?
The personal contact of a business with potential clients, suppliers and stakeholders on deals, agreements and discovery meetings had always been massively important. This hadn’t changed through the pandemic. ‘Needs must’, so the adoption of video meetings had needed to be used at the time. However, now we can see a strong comeback for face-to-face meetings and the expectation is for that need to rise. Despite the permanence of virtual meetings via Zoom or similar, the value of personal interactions remains unmatched for sealing business deals.
So, where does this take us in relation to business travel?
There are a number of specific areas that are still absolutely relevant to modern business requirements. In fact corporate travel isn’t one-size-fits-all; it serves various purposes like developing relationships, promoting products, and services. Each type of business travel has unique characteristics and advantages. There are many areas in which business travel addresses post-COVID needs that are just as relevant now as before:
Retreats
Companies have always invested in team-building and employee engagement through retreats. These events, held away from the workplace, reinforce company values, foster relationships, and unite teams. Changing environments can spur creativity and innovation. A weekend away from familiar surroundings can bring important realisations and appreciations of the need for a working team to bond, to unify. Planning is key to creating effective retreats. They require thorough planning of travel, accommodation, meals, and activities. Many team-building destinations actually offer affordable group rates, and specialist organisers can maximise your budget.
Bleisure
Combining business and leisure, bleisure travel is on the rise. Allowing employees to enjoy leisure time during business trips enhances their appeal and motivates employees. The idea focuses on productivity. Employees can concentrate better on work when leisure activities are scheduled separately. As a cost-effective perk, companies only need to coordinate the details; employees usually cover their leisure expenses. Also, with flexible arrangements including remote work capabilities, employees can extend their stay for leisure without impacting their holiday allocation.
Client Meetings
Globalisation and the internet have expanded the client base beyond local boundaries, necessitating travel for in-person client interactions. This isn’t something new. The ability for a company to market themselves internationally has always added the need for face-to-face relationship building meetings to strengthen long-term client relationships.
Conference Travel
Attending conferences and trade fairs is crucial for networking, promoting products, and staying updated on industry trends. Despite high costs in all these areas, sending staff overseas to these events, and also sending teams to exhibit, can result in the benefits often justifying the expenditure. As an added bonus many of the conference organisers can often handle logistic requirements for exhibiting, which mean companies can find it easier to manage these aspects to control costs. Combining conference travel with bleisure or retreats can further enhance value too.
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