Accor has launched a new Global Leadership Council whose goal will be to “design and shape a new era of corporate travel and meetings for 2025 and beyond”.
The council includes executive travel managers and buyers from 17 leading international corporations, with delegates including representatives from sectors such as financial services, engineering, manufacturing, transportation, energy, professional services and technology.
In total the council delegates have a combined employee base of more than 2.7 million travellers.
Accor said that the GLC had been established “to create a forward-looking vision for business travel and corporate meetings” – the council’s first session was hosted by Accor’s chief sales officer Sophie Hulgard, and covered areas including:
- shifting corporate and traveller expectations
- the importance of recognition, personalization and B2B-focused loyalty
- the evolving importance of sustainability
- emerging traveller trends
- the role and impact of distribution and pricing.
In August 2022 Accor published a report which stated that “20 per cent of business meetings may have gone forever, to be replaced by virtual equivalents or the realisation that they simply weren’t necessary in the first place”.
Accor: “Twenty per cent of business meetings may have gone forever”
Accor said that the council had “unanimously agreed” that the top three priorities for business travel were “Traveller experience and well-being”, “Cost management and optimization”, and sustainability.
The group plans to compile a comprehensive report detailing the council’s finding later this year.
Hulgard said that “The dynamics of corporate travel are evolving rapidly”, adding that “it is essential for both our clients and hospitality businesses to adapt to new demands and priorities”.
“The GLC is a critical forum for sharing insights and collaborating on solutions that meet the changing needs of business travellers and delegates.”
What topics would you want to see discussed on the Global Leadership Council? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
