Corporate travel and event buyers from a broad spectrum of sectors experienced the first of Reed & Mackay’s series of user-experience enhancements to its proprietary online booking platform at the Business Travel Show Europe this week.
Unveiling the latest innovations in travel booking technology, at some of the world’s leading industry events, demonstrates Reed & Mackay’s continued commitment to integrating more than 60 years of dedicated service with revolutionary booking technology. This is designed to meet the needs of today’s travel managers, event planners, business travellers and delegates.
New technology delivering richer experiences
Demonstrating this deeper, better-connected shopping and travel experience to buyers was the kickstart to the global rollout of the platform’s new interface and functionality. This is part of ongoing investment into Reed & Mackay’s online booking tool. It’s also a continuation of building technology in close consultation with clients. The launch laid the foundations for further developments to the tool in the coming months.
In addition to a new look and feel, the platform will clearly showcase in-depth airline content global travel buyers require. This will enable users to easily make more informed travel decisions that will deliver cost effectiveness. Furthermore, it will enable the connected travel experience at the heart of Reed & Mackay’s heritage of delivering a premium, people-led service.
Evolving technology within the tool will allow for intuitive navigation. This makes it easier to compare and book air travel that best suits individual travellers, while remaining within clients’ travel programme policies.
User experience was a key driver behind the enhancements. Clients will be able to manage all aspects of air travel via this single portal, which will include pricing, sustainability data and flight experiences all across one view.
Client-focused technology
“The user experience for corporate travel booking tools is just as important as the platform’s core functionality. That is key to user adoption, so we’ve invested heavily in this area,” Reed & Mackay Global Director of Product Fahim Khan says. “We’ve re-designed the way we surface the content to our customers. This ensures they get the air fare that’s right for them, whether that’s the most cost effective, the most luxurious or the most sustainable. We’ve taken many different data points from the airlines and simplified it for the users of our booking tool.
“Our customers are telling us that having the most comprehensive content is important for their users. And we see that as a key differentiator for us. This is why we are going to great lengths to ensure they have the right fares; be that a scheduled airline, NDC content or a low-cost carrier, across both online and offline, through our proprietary technology.”
Meeting corporate buyer needs
This investment into an enhanced air booking experience will be welcome news for travel and event buyers. The need for more available airline content was a topic widely discussed at the Business Travel Show Europe’s conference sessions.
Better management of a multinational business travel programme was also covered at the conference sessions. Representatives from our European teams in France, Germany, Spain and Sweden at the show demonstrated to corporate buyers and event planners how Reed & Mackay supports with local, European and global travel programmes and events. This was particularly apt as Reed & Mackay’s European footprint continues to expand, following the recent acquisition of Italy-based Regent International.
With sustainability in business travel also a key focus throughout the show’s conference programme, Reed & Mackay’s launch of its latest technology enhancements builds on the momentum of other recent innovative technology developments in the sustainability space.
In January 2023, Reed & Mackay announced its partnership with SQUAKE. This made sustainable travel more accessible for its clients through enhanced sustainability data. SQUAKE’s enhanced sustainability data was then integrated across Reed & Mackay’s proprietary technology. This initiative launched at last year’s Business Travel Show Europe. Granular CO2 emissions data enables travellers and bookers to view and measure the carbon emissions of all aspects of their trip whether booking online or offline.
Reed & Mackay’s commitment to sustainable business travel will take another significant step forward this summer. The next series of technology innovations is earmarked for launch at the Global Business Travel Association Convention 2024. This takes place in Atlanta, Georgia next month.
Focus on events
Reed & Mackay Events also had a busy and productive Business Travel Show. Head of Growth James Kent and Commercial Director of Events Emma Chamberlain, along with Team Lead of Global Events Customer Success Manager Mat Browne, met a range of companies to discuss their group travel, meetings and events requirements. Conversations revolved around how Reed & Mackay can deliver excellence to their event programmes with its expertise and robust supplier relationships across the entire meetings and events spectrum.
Did you know…?
A busy Business Travel Show 2024 conference programme highlighted the major issues shaping the agenda for business travel and events. In addition to sustainability, the programme focused on topics including NDC, how to make business travel more accessible and the convergence of business travel and events.
Read more on how:
- We’re busting the most common myths about NDC
- We’re exploring how to better support business travellers with visible and invisible disabilities
- Combining business travel and event spend can bring significant benefits to a travel programme.
