Emerging technologies and travel management

Discover a collection of reports created by BCD Travel’s Research & Innovation team, designed to address specific topics and provide valuable insights in a user-friendly format. Whether you prefer to read a single report or dive into a series, these resources offer the opportunity to explore a wide range of topics, keeping you informed and up to date on the latest industry trends and developments.

All Reports:

Written from a travel manager’s perspective, these papers aim to bridge the knowledge gap within the travel industry by shedding light on the impact of digital technology. With real-world insights, this series of Inform reports provides practical information tailored to real travel programs.

Dive into this series of Inform papers to explore how these technologies intersect with six key areas of travel program management:

Emerging technologies and travel management reports

N° 1 – Sourcing

Learn how technologies like machine learning, chatbots, and blockchain can transform procurement by making it more dynamic and enabling real-time engagement with travel management.

N° 2 – Policy

Emerging technologies mean the days of using policy as a blunt instrument to ensure travelers book cost-effectively and stay safe are numbered. Read the paper to learn more.

N° 3 – Communications

Learn how today’s tools can deliver personalized messages that engage travelers at the right time and give travel managers new ways to drive engagement and compliance.

N° 4 – Duty of care

Discover how technologies like machine learning, chatbots et al can offer better options for not only tracking and assisting travelers, but more importantly, keeping them safe in the first place.

N° 5 – Payment & expense

screenshot Payment and expense

Find out how emerging technologies like machine learning, chatbots et al can radically simplify payment and expense management, not just for travelers, but for their employers, too.

N° 6 – Performance Management

Blockchain, chatbots, machine learning, virtual reality (VR) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are among the emerging technologies capturing the imagination of the business travel community.

Managing business travel risk reports

As business travel risks increase, so do travelers’ expectations of how companies should help them stay safe and manage disruptions. Strong partnerships between corporations and their travel management companies pave the way for risk mitigation, due diligence and traveler satisfaction.

2020 Travel risk survival kit

This Travel Risk Survival Kit warns of the economic, geopolitical, health and safety, and cyber risks that lie ahead for business travelers and corporate programs. Because of the COVID-19 coronavirus, traveler preparedness is top of mind. But other business travel risks haven’t gone away. Get strategic guidance on what’s ahead and how to mitigate risks, manage through crises, and keep travelers safe and informed.

Managing air quality risk

This new Inform report on air quality and business travel helps travel managers learn about air pollution, find out if travelers are at risk, and get advice on how to respond to meet their duty of care obligations.

A blueprint for travel managers

The role of the travel manager is constantly changing. New technologies, new laws, new threats, and new employees entering the workforce keep the job exciting and challenging. So does the trend toward redrawing corporate reporting lines. Today, responsibility for travel may lie with procurement, security, finance, information technology or human resources (HR). And regardless of the reporting structure, a travel manager must work with all of these departments to be successful.

Partnering with HR

This report guides travel managers through the opportunities and challenges their HR colleagues face, how HR and travel program objectives align, and how travel and HR can work together to drive overall business objectives.

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Meet the Research and Innovation team behind the reports

Mike Eggleton
Senior Manager, Analytics & Research

We’re just beginning to see how machine learning helps travel programs save money.

Miriam Moscovici
Senior Director, Research & Corporate Innovation

You can read about AI and the IoT anywhere, but do you know the direct tie-in to managed travel?

Natalia Tretyakevich
Senior Manager, Research & Intelligence

Self-executing contracts? Bots requesting bids from airlines? It’s all possible with digital technology.