In This Article
- What is Corporate Group Travel?
- Why is Corporate Group Travel Important?
- How do I Start Planning Corporate Group Travel?
- What Should be Included in a Corporate Group Travel Policy?
- How can I Ensure Duty of Care for Business Travellers?
- How Can I Make Corporate Group Travel more Sustainable?
- How Can I ensure a Successful Team Event during Corporate Group Travel?
- The Benefits of Using Good Travel Management
Organising corporate group travel can be a challenging yet rewarding experience for businesses. Whether you’re planning a team-building retreat, an important conference, or a client trip, the planning process can quickly become overwhelming. However, with the right knowledge and Good Travel Management, you can streamline the process and ensure a successful corporate business trip.
As corporate travel specialists, we have addressed some of the most frequently asked questions. By listening to our expertise, you can transform your corporate travel experience into an opportunity for team bonding, professional development, and lasting memories.
What is Corporate Group Travel?
Corporate group travel involves organising travel for multiple employees who participate in business-related activities such as meetings, conferences, and corporate events. This type of travel boosts team collaboration and builds relationships. However, meticulous planning is needed to ensure you meet strategic outcomes, consider sustainable options, and make it a seamless experience.
Why is Corporate Group Travel Important?
Business group travel is essential for many reasons, including team building, new business opportunities, and attending industry conferences. Travelling together helps employees bond, which is critical if your workforce works remotely and you want to bring them together to boost collaboration and improve communication internally.
Industry conferences offer updates on trends and networking opportunities, which can inspire new ideas and future partnerships. Additionally, group travel can spark creativity, leading to new business solutions. Incentive travel rewards hard-working employees, boosting morale and increasing productivity.
How Do I Start Planning Corporate Group Travel?
Define Clear Objectives
Begin by identifying the main purpose of the business trip. Are you focusing on team building, a conference or perhaps an incentive trip for employees? Setting clear objectives to begin with, will help guide your decisions throughout the planning process and ensure that the business trip aligns with your company’s goals.
Establish a Dedicated Travel Team with Diverse Skills
You could have a team specifically responsible for booking travel arrangements or you could use a Travel Management Company like Good Travel Management, that has knowledge and expertise in a variety of skills, from event planning to the logistics. Good Travel Management ensure that nothing is overlooked and all aspects of the trip are managed effectively and tailored to your needs as a business.
Research the Destination Thoroughly
Take the time to gather information about the destination. You should consider factors such as local attractions, weather conditions, culture, and safety precautions. Understanding the area will help you choose suitable activities and accommodation, as well as prepare the group of employees for what to expect.
Create a Detailed Itinerary
Develop a detailed itinerary that outlines each day’s activities, including meeting times, excursions, meals and free time. Providing this schedule will help participants manage their time effectively and ensure that everyone is informed of the plans.
Book Transportation and Accommodation Well in Advance
Once the itinerary is established, it’s important to secure ground transportation and accommodation early to get the best rates and availability. This is a benefit to having Good Travel Management booking your travel as they have specific cost effective rates with suppliers for flights and hotels, helping you also get early reservations that can reduce last-minute stress if you were to book it yourself.
What Should be Included in a Corporate Group Travel Policy?
A corporate group travel policy is essential for ensuring safe and efficient travel for business travellers. Below are key elements that should be included in your travel policy.
Types of Travel
It’s important to specify the various type of travel that are allowed, such as domestic or international. From this, making sure that business travel reasons are clearly defined. This could include corporate meetings, conferences, or other business related purposes. This will help business travellers understand the scope of what they can book within the organisation for business travel.
Safety Measures
Highlight the specific safety protocols that business travellers must follow, especially when travelling internationally or places with conflict. A bespoke travel policy should have guidelines on emergency contacts or health precautions.
Booking Guidelines
Provide detailed instructions on how to book flights, accommodations, and ground transportation. You will also need to specify the preferred companies or platforms to use and any restrictions such as, economy or business class. An issue you wouldn’t have to deal with yourself, if you used a TMC, is ensuring you have information on how to handle cancellations and changes to travel plans.
Travel Requests
Establish a clear process for submitting travel requests, including any necessary forms or documentation. You should have a clear individual who is responsible for reviewing and approving travel requests. To save the stress of booking travel, use Good Travel Management who will streamline requests and book tailored business travel for you and your business.
Meal and Accommodation Allowances
Have clearly defined allowances for meals and accommodations per day whilst travelling, including any variations based on location or travel class. For better communication, make sure expenses are specified for what is eligible for reimbursement and the required documents needed, such as receipts.
Sustainability Considerations
It’s important to encourage environmentally friendly travel decisions, opting for eco-friendly hotels, and minimising travel-related carbon footprints. An example could be choosing to mix 6 months of 6 business trips into a week and therefore, reducing the flights across the year.
Post-Travel Reporting
Not many companies do this, yet it’s critical to do post travel. Make sure to introduce expectations for business travellers to report on trip outcomes, including the success of the travel, meetings, or events. It’s even more key to encourage them to share their challenges faced upon the trip that you can take into consideration and amend your business travel policy.
How can I Ensure Duty of Care for Business Travellers
To ensure your duty of care for business travellers, it’s important to take a detailed approach. We’ve given you steps to help fulfil these obligations.
Prepare a Safety Travel Checklist
Create a detailed checklist that includes essential items such as travel documents, insurance information, packing lists, and safety guidelines specific to their destination. Include tips for avoiding common travel risks and recommend appropriate clothing based on the climate or environment.
Stay Informed about Employees’ Movements
If you use a corporate travel management company like Good Travel Management, you will have access to travel tracking tools to monitor employees’ itineraries and locations while they are travelling. This could involve regular check ins or using GPS technology, depending on the nature of your organisation and privacy policies in place.
Innovative technology like this can make a huge impact on the safety of your employees whilst travelling. It’s also important to encourage employees to regularly update their status and share their itinerary with relevant team members. This can help ensure that someone knows their whereabouts in case of an emergency.
Develop a Backup Plan
Prepare for unforeseen circumstances by creating a clear response plan for various scenarios such as political unrest or medical emergencies. Include alternative accommodations, transportation options, and procedures for getting assistance from local authorities or the company.
How Can I Make Corporate Group Travel More Sustainable?
To consider the carbon footprint of corporate travel, consider implementing the following:
Choose Eco-Friendly Accommodation
You should look at different types of accommodation that prioritises sustainability. Look for establishments with green certifications, such as LEED or Green Key, and the use of environmentally friendly products.
Encourage Virtual Meetings when Appropriate
An advantage of innovative technology is that it can be used for virtual meetings or hybrid options whenever possible. This can significantly reduce the need for travel while maintaining productivity and collaboration. For meetings that need in-person attendance, consider combining them with other business activities to minimise the overall travel frequency.
Select Direct Flights
When air travel is unavoidable, choose direct flights whenever possible. Taking fewer flights can help to minimise the overall emissions. You could also look at considering to fly on airlines that utilise newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft, or those that have made commitments to sustainable aviation practices.
How Can I Ensure a Successful Team Event during Corporate Group Travel?
To ensure a successful team event during corporate group travel, it is essential to align activities with the trip’s objectives. Before planning any activities, make sure to clarify what you hope to achieve from it. Whether the goal is to strengthen the team dynamic, increase creativity, or improve communication, make certain that the activities directly support your aim. For instance, if improving collaboration is a priority, workshops or group challenges that require teamwork and problem solving can be particularly effective in achieving this.
Tailoring your activity to the unique offerings of the destination you’re in can make the experience more engaging. If the area is known for outdoor adventures, consider activities like zip-lining or team sports. On the other hand, if the destination has a rich, antique heritage, a scavenger hunt centred around local landmarks can provide both fun and learning opportunities. By incorporating local culture and attractions, you can make long lasting memories for your team.
It is equally as important to include leisure time, allowing team members to relax and explore the destination on their own. This balance encourages informal networking and personal connections, both are vital for team work. Also, leisure time gives business travellers the opportunity to unwind and recharge, ultimately leading to a more productive and enjoyable overall experience.
The Benefits of Using Good Travel Management
A corporate travel management company or corporate travel expert like Good Travel Management, can offer a range of benefits that enhance the travel experience for businesses.
We understand that every business is unique and has different travel requirements. Our travel experts are able to tailor travel programmes to reflect your company’s culture, travel policies, and budget constraints. This level of personalisation ensures that all travel arrangements not only meet your logistical needs but also aligns with your company’s values and goals. Whether it’s booking accommodations in preferred hotels, a tailored approach can make the travel experience much smoother.
Navigating the complexities of corporate travel can be daunting. Our travel experts have extensive industry knowledge, enabling them to provide insights into common challenges, such as shifting travel restrictions or cost changes. We are able to suggest alternative travel routes, advise on the best times to book flights, and help you understand policies regarding cancellations and refunds. Using a corporate travel management company can ensure you prevent yourself from making costly mistakes.
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