The trend of business travel roles being merged with
meetings and events management is slowing, according to a new survey.
This year’s survey of Business Travel Show Europe buyers
revealed that 22 per cent of respondents think that they will soon be made
responsible for meetings and events – down from 32 per cent last year.
Accordingly, the number of business travel buyers who have
had meetings and event management added to their roles in the last 12 months
was 12.5 per cent, up from 9 per cent last year. This suggests that some respondents
who thought last year that they would soon be made responsible for meetings and
events did indeed see this come to pass.
However, the number of people who are not responsible for
meetings and “can never see it happening” rose from 13 per cent to 24 per cent
in the same timeframe.
Cost savings are seen as the chief benefit of integrating
travel and meetings, cited by 60 per cent of respondents.
This is followed by efficiencies (45 per cent), greater
visibility and control (40 per cent) and data and analytics (27 per cent).
The biggest changes in sentiment were seen in a 5 per cent
increase to those who thought that integration improved compliance (20 per
cent) and a 7 per cent fall in those who thought it brings enhanced employee
experiences (8 per cent).
The Business Travel Show Europe is co-located with The Meetings Show at London ExCeL on 25-26 June 2025.
