Please contact us to receive the etm Savings Tree travel management health check tool. It is quick and easy to use, and benchmarks against best practice. It will help you to highlight those areas of travel procurement and supply management containing the “low hanging fruit”. We hope you find it useful.
To request, email: savingstree@etmcorporatetravel.com.au
Please contact us to receive a selected Best Practice article by Tony O’Connor, as published in The Business Travel Monthly. “Nine Ring Noose”, published in September 2009, looks at the perils of airline management, and explains some of the curiosities of airline pricing. It received a good deal of positive feedback when published.
To request, email: selectedarticle@etmcorporatetravel.com.au
BONUS ARTICLE: When “Last Party of the Decade” was published in March 2009, it seemed that the Western economies were beginning a slide to oblivion. The recession has been milder than expected, especially in Australia. But with debt levels still atmospheric, dire systemic risks remain. The article looks at procurement opportunities in a recession that may be yet to come.
To request, email: bonusarticle@etmcorporatetravel.com.au
The articles selected will change throughout the year. We will not inundate you with sales calls as a result of your email, but from time to time may offer you free tools and useful procurement ideas.
Please contact us to receive the latest edition of Travel Buyers’ Monthly. TBM alternates with the larger quarterly Travel Analyst Quarterly newsletter. They contain concise articles, charts and tips written for the benefit of the travel buyer. They are designed to help you to do your job. We will not inundate you with sales calls as a result of your email, but from time to time may offer you free tools and useful procurement ideas.
To request, email: TBM@etmcorporatetravel.com.au
Please contact us to receive the latest Travel Analyst Quarterly, our travel procurement quarterly that alternates with the monthly shorter Travel Buyers’ Monthly newsletter. They contain concise articles, charts and tips written for the benefit of the travel buyer. They are designed to help you to do your job. We will not inundate you with sales calls as a result of your email, but from time to time may offer you free tools and useful procurement ideas.
To request, email: travelanalyst@etmcorporatetravel.com.au
Please contact us to receive the PowerPoint notes from Tony O’Connor’s presentation at the ACTE Regional Conference in Singapore in 2008. “Travel Data – A Needs Based Approach” looks at travel data from first principles up, rather than considering the possible uses of reports that happen to be available from suppliers. “Start with clarifying what you want to achieve, and then source the information from whoever best provides it.“
The presentation selected will change during the year. We will not inundate you with sales calls as a result of your email, but from time to time may offer you free tools and useful procurement ideas.
To request, email: presentation@etmcorporatetravel.com.au
Please contact us to receive the Business Travel Glossary, as used at every BttB Conference and in every Year Book since 2004. It is a useful and quick reference that cuts through the opaque terminology used in travel. We will not inundate you with sales calls as a result of your email, but from time to time may offer you free tools and useful procurement ideas.
To request, email: glossary@etmcorporatetravel.com.au
etm travel consulting offers travel buyers a large archive of travel procurement and supply chain information. The articles listed below were published in the Business Travel Monthly, BttBulletin, Human Capital or Fast Company magazines, or in the AFR. A small number were directly issued Research Notes.
Whatever your travel procurement interest or issue, it is likely to be covered in an article below.
And please scroll down to see a list of recent conference presentation notes and larger research papers.
Also, from late 2010, please scroll down for the list of back issues of the Travel Analyst Quarterly and Travel Buyers’ Monthly, also available on request.
Please limit your request to two items. If you would like to receive more, please call Tony O’Connor of etm travel consulting on 03 9521 5355.
We will not inundate you with sales calls as a result of you making contact with us, but from time to time may offer you free tools and useful procurement ideas.
To request, email: archiveselect@etmcorporatetravel.com.au
Document ID |
Name | Release Date | Description |
A79 |
Deep in the Heart | October 2010 | A report from the NBTA Global Conference in Houston, with a discussion of the key topics; mobile applications, social networking and unbundled airline fees |
A78 |
Myth Busters | August 2010 | Several misconceptions hanging around the supply chain that can cost you money .. busted |
A77 |
Think Global. Act Logical | May 2010 | Global TMC networks are far from as seamless as they seem. A guide to stitching together best global and regional supply arrangements. |
A76 |
The Seven Year Itch | November 2009 | After seven years of Best Practice articles, an industry review and forecast. Why did TMCs survive, and how might they change and prosper? |
A75 |
Bundled Buyers Beware | September 2009 | The Whole of Government travel consolidation project needs to heed the history of buying groups. Why and how has nearly every buying group failed? |
A74 |
Isn’t There One Best TMC? | August 2009 | One TMC must be best mustn’t it? Why do TMC offers and their performance vary so much? |
A73 |
Sydney-Melbourne Airfares Dissected | July 2009 | Is Tiger really that cheap? How do the airlines compare. How do our fares compare to a similar route in the US? |
A72 |
Profiling Problems | July 2009 | Profile uploading options and portals |
A71 |
Show Me The Money | July 2009 | How internal travel managers can demonstrate and prove their value to the organisation in difficult times. |
A70 |
The Nine Ring Noose | May 2009 | Looks at the perils of airline management, and explains some of the curiosities of airline pricing. |
A69 |
When is it Cheapest to Travel to the US? | April 2009 | Analysis of airline loads reveals some useful seasonal dips in demand. |
A68 |
When in Rome | November 2008 | Report from the Global ACTE Conference in Rome. |
A67 |
The Gap | November 2008 | Exactly why do TMCs often fail to deliver on promises made in tenders, and how can you minimise the risk? |
A66 |
We’re at a Turning Point | October 2008 | Tips for increasing your visible internal value as a procurement manager during a recession. |
A65 |
The Way Things Are – And Once Were | September 2008 | A big picture look at the history of the travel supply chain, and where it may be headed. |
A64 |
Please Buyer Please | August 2008 | Some advice and feedback from TMCs to travel buyers, especially regarding tenders. |
A63 |
More Than Snazzy Graphics | July 2008 | Data dashboards proliferate. But don’t let presentation distract you from content. |
A62 |
Things That Go Clunk In The Night | June 2008 | How and why lack of monitoring and attention almost ensures that your travel supply will hiccup, and what to do about it. |
A61 |
Lowering Domestic Air Costs | May 2008 | Using sophisticated modelling, the summary results of several real client exercises in modelling air savings. Which strategies are most effective? What are the dangers? |
A60 |
And The Envelope Please ... | April 2008 | A statistical look at TMC tender win and loss results, who was successful, and what the results do and don’t mean. |
A59 |
QBT Breaks Away - Sort Of | March 2008 | The real deal and implications for buyers of Qantas’ “sale” of QBT |
A58 |
Smaller Buyer Blues | February 2008 | Many SMEs and smaller travel buyers pay exorbitant fees when all is tallied up. Here’s how. |
A57 |
The Real Cost of Flying | October 2007 | An examination of fare type usage |
A56 |
Turbulence Ahead | September 2007 | How to identify travel savings and strengthen your job security |
A55 |
Do Your Sums on Fees | August 2007 | An examination and explanation of TMC pricing, and avoiding the pitfalls |
A54 |
Opt In or Opt Out | July 2007 | There are now 2 types of relationship with Qantas. Which type has your TMC arranged? |
A53 |
Room for Improvement | June 2007 | The opportunities and risks involved in hotel pricing |
A52 |
Deal or No Deal | May 2007 | 90% of airline pricing effort goes into yield management. How can it work for you? |
A51 |
Values and Value | April 2007 | It’s said that procurement and travel management clash. Why they should not. |
A50 |
Do LCCs Suit the Suits | March 2007 | An outlook for the 150 low cost carriers, and the challenges for travel managers. |
A49 |
What Lies Ahead | February 2007 | Travel managers tend to focus on detail, but also need a broader industry view. |
A48 |
Where Do I Start? | November 2006 | Where and how to start a complete travel review and rationalisation program. |
A47 |
The ABC of GDS Deregulation | October 2006 | Who owns the GDSs and how they operate and compete may change your travel costs. |
A46 |
Commissions and Omissions | September 2006 | An update from the battle front of commission retention. |
A45 |
Survey Points The Way | August 2006 | An NBTA survey indicates gaps and gains among buyers and suppliers. |
A44 |
Rules for Dealing With Rulers | June 2006 | Publics sector buyers’ processes and requirements, and how best to fit with them. |
A43 |
Takeover Challenges | May 2006 | What happens internally when TMCs merge, and how their clients can survive it. |
A42 |
Being Smarter With Data | April 2006 | The 3 issues: Which data is useful? Who owns the data? And, how is the data used? |
A41 |
Measuring Those Middlemen | March 2006 | A frank assessment of where most TMCs sit in the supply chain and which way they lean. |
A40 |
Will You Still Own Me Tomorrow? | February 2006 | An explanation of the tectonic shift among global TMCs. Who now owns who where? |
A39 |
Why Can’t I Book My Own? | November 2005 | There are very good reasons why 99% of corporates use a TMC. Here are 8 of them. |
A38 |
California Dreamin’ | October 2005 | The latest developments from the world’s largest business travel conference. |
A37 |
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do | October 2005 | Uncooperative TMCs can be disruptive and costly on the way out. What to do. |
A36 |
University Review | September 2005 | With high booker autonomy and high leakage, universities are a useful school of hard knocks for travel management. |
A35 |
Look Under The Bonnet | August 2005 | Rental car tendering is overlooked. There are several important things to tie down. |
A34 |
No Clear Winner. Why Tenders Vary | July 2005 | Why isn’t there a consistent winner of TMC tenders. The reasons why are informative. |
A33 |
Travel Manager’s Role Defined | June 2005 | What can and should a travel manager do? Defining the role can improve outcomes. |
A32 |
Privatised Airports. Seven Cons and One Pro | June 2005 | Private monopolies are rarely good for the customer. Privatised airports add to your travel costs. |
A31 |
Commissions. The Other Side of the Ledger | May 2005 | It is best to be rigorous and wary when comparing TMC pricing. |
A30 |
The True Worth of Travel Management | April 2005 | What is the true worth of a TMC. Can you do without them? Should you try? Is this heresy or are these basic questions? |
A29 |
Fares Could Get Fairer | March 2005 | “It was consultant and BTM columnist Tony O'Connor who first alerted many business travel professionals to one of the most significant changes in international travel booking which had slipped by almost unannounced.” |
A28 |
Transaction Fees: Friend or Foe? | March 2005 | The arrangement is becoming common but carries risks to both parties. |
A27 |
Think Global. Act Local | February 2005 | You have substantial offices overseas. You book travel in these offices. It makes sense to bring all your local and overseas travel procurement under the one umbrella. It makes sense to arrange regional or global deals with suppliers. Or does it? |
A26 |
How Do The Best Fares Fare? | November2004 | An explanation of BFOD. It can cause fudging and expense if not crisply defined. |
A25 |
Separating Tools From TMCs | October 2004 | Should combine TMC and online booking tool tenders? The pros and cons. |
A24 |
Divided We Stand. United We Fall | September 2004 | Why combined airline and TMC procurement is outdated, costly and wrong. |
A23 |
A Decommissioned Future | August 2004 | Is it just a matter of time until airline commissions go the way of smoking seats and metal cutlery? |
A22 |
Laying Down The Law | July 2004 | Should you firmly mandate or use a light hand? And how to raise compliance? |
A21 |
Fare’s Fair | June 2004 | “Best Fare of the Day” is over-used and under-delivered. Here’s why. |
A20 |
Smaller Agencies Add Options | May 2004 | Mid-sized TMCs can add features and enrich your tendering process. |
A19 |
The Sun Slowly Sets on Rebate | April 2004 | Farewell opaque TMC pricing and barriers to direct airline deals. |
A18 |
Open Book – Wrong Chapter | March 2004 | “Transparency” is a word misused by some TMCs. What we really want to know is ... |
A17 |
Online Is Here To Stay | February 2004 | The spread and impact of online booking tools. Should you use a global tool? |
A16 |
The Atlantic Divide | February 2004 | Europeans are outsourcing completely to TMCs. Americans are not. Who is right? |
A15 |
One Room. One Bed. Thirteen Prices! | November 2003 | A discussion around my snap test of prices from different sources at one hotel. |
A14 |
TMC Win Loss Record | August 2003 | Which TMCs were successful at tender over the last year, and which lost business? |
A13 |
Fee Lines and a Dog’s Breakfast | October 2003 | Why do TMC net fees differ by up to 100% when accurately calculated? What’s going on? |
A12 |
Net Fees Are Gross | October 2003 | Management fees based on net air only spend are bad for travel buyers. |
A11 |
Are You Being Served? | September 2003 | How to best assess and acquire good human services from TMCs. |
A10 |
CTDs for Asia Pacific | August 2003 | US –style in-house TMCs, or CTDs, are not realistic in Australia |
A9 |
Benchmarking. It’s all Relative | June 2003 | Benchmarking is not necessarily accurate. Only TMCs have the data. They also need the method. |
A8 |
Who Fares Best? | February 2003 | An analysis of best-fare audits. Historic audits are a sham. Only real time audits are meaningful, and needed. |
A7 |
Tips For Dealing With TMCs | December 2002 | Ten quick tips for selecting, contracting and managing the most important entity in your travel supply chain. |
A6 |
KPIs. The Good. The Bad. And The Immeasurable | October 2002 | How many KPIs do you need? Which ones? Are they measurable and meaningful? |
A5 |
Technology Adoption Tips | September 2002 | Ten quick tips for selecting, integrating and getting the most out of the travel software. |
A4 |
Days Are Numbered For Loss Making TMCs | July 2002 | The last article continued in more depth. What does fair TMC pricing and good value look like? |
A3 |
Boom or Bust for the TMC | June 2002 | Are TMC fees too high or too low? Will TMCs prosper or fall. An outlook for their clients. |
A2 |
The Future - What’s in Store | May 2002 | Comment on the prognostications of the future directions panel at the 2002 BttB Conference |
A1 |
Gently Gently With Those Tenders | February 2002 | A rounded and reasoned view, from both sides, of best TMC tendering |
recent conference presentations
P13 |
Cost Reduction versus Traveller Satisfaction | Corporate Travel World NBTA Conference, Bangkok, 2010 | A framework for measuring and prioritising cost reduction initiatives according to their impact on the traveller |
P12 |
How to Measure Your TMC | BttB National Conference, Sydney, 2010 | A workshop on how to assess the many financial and qualitative variables of TMCs |
P11 |
Asia Pacific Economic Review and Forecasts, and Corporate Travel Outlook | ACTE Global Conference, Prague, 2009 | The region explained and compared, the economic outlook of the major economies, and issues and opportunities for regional travel managers |
P10 |
Consolidated Procurement | NBTA National Conference, Canberra, 2009 | Can travel buyers group together for better travel deals? What are the pros and cons? What can and can’t you do in different supply areas? Why have most buying groups collapsed? |
P9 |
State of Play | BttB National Conference, Sydney, 2010 | A brief history of the travel supply chain. The 6 phenomena that are shaping and changing the industry. |
P8 |
Catching the Salmon: Making Travel Management Work in Russia | ACTE Global Conference, Rome, 2008 | And for something a little different ... The 5 key challenges to managing corporate travel in Russia, and the lessons for travel management generally |
P7 |
Metrics That Matter | ACTE Regional Conference, Singapore, 2008 | The 4 types and uses and sources of travel data. Start with outcomes and purposes. |
P6 |
Travel Data. Cutting a Straight Line Through the Confusion: A Needs Based Approach | BttB National Conference, Sydney, 2008 | A detailed look at the data you need and its sources per supply area |
P5 |
Best Hotel Buying and Management | Marcus Evans Regional Conference, Shanghai, 2008 | The five basic determinants of your accommodation costs and how to rationalise this supply area |
P4 |
Travel Management + Procurement = Better Travel management | Marcus Evans Regional Conference, Shanghai, 2008 | When procurement strategies and processes combine with rather than replace detailed understanding of the travel supply chain, the result is the best of all possible travel management models. |
P3 |
Unravelling the Complexities of Travel Management and Procurement | NBTA Global Conference, Chicago, 2007 | The 6 Savings Generators: Airline terms, Accommodation terms, TMC pricing, OBT pricing, OBT connectivity and functions, TMC systems, processes and people |
P2 |
Shanghai Soup. Travel Management Tips and Knowledge from the West | Marcus Evans Regional Conference, Kuala Lumpur, 2007 | The services and uses of a TMC. Why 95% of Western corporate use them. The structure of hotel pricing. The determinants of travel costs. Distribution channels compared and explained. How to go to market. |
P1 |
TMC Pricing | BttB National Conference, Sydney, 2007 | A detailed look at how and why TMCs charge for their services, and ideas on best approaches for travel buyers |
etm newsletters
N5 |
Travel Buyers' Monthly | February 2011 | Article: TMC Tender Traps: The TMC tender is the most important process in travel procurement. Frank advice and opinion based on experience on both sides of the fence. Chart: The long and short term movements in domestic airfares, and the times of the year when cheap fares are cheapest. |
N4 |
Travel Analyst Quarterly | December 2010 | Article: Best fare of the day; what does it mean and how best do you get it? Chart: The price and choice advantages of booking domestic flights early. Travel Tip: When assessing tiered net fare offers, use conservative availability estimates. |
N3 |
Travel Buyers’ Monthly | November 2010 | Article: Frequent Flyer Points versus Managed Travel: A look at the origins of the frequent flyer industry and how it operates, and how to manage the challenges it presents to managed travel programs Chart: How have domestic fare levels performed since the outbreak of the GFC, and in which months is it cheapest to fly? |
N2 |
Travel Buyers’ Monthly | October 2010 | Article: Hotel Rate Loading, The Hidden Savings Assassin: Why your negotiated hotel rates might not be loaded and what to do about it |
N1 |
Travel Analyst Quarterly | September 2010 | Article: Cutting through increasingly complicated TMC fees. Chart: Long term, are domestic fares cheaper? Travel Tip: Simple analysis can reduce road costs. |
research “orange papers”
R1 |
The Benefits of Structured Internal Travel Management (written for and published by the NBTA) | January 2011 | Even corporations with smaller expenditures benefit from a well defined and structured travel procurement and management function internally, with tasks, processes, responsibilities, goals and targets clearly defined. |
send us a comment or enquiry
Please let us know if you have a comment, or if you would like to ask us a question of any sort. A TMC can be an excellent provider of information to travel managers and procurement professionals. We sit at the junction of all travel supply, and see all the product, service and financials variables and flows.
We will not inundate you with sales calls as a result of your email, but from time to time may offer you free tools and useful procurement ideas.
To request, email: question@etmcorporatetravel.com.au
