Last week we all packed off down to Brighton Beachfront to experience everything from 500m morning yoga, to evening glitzy dinners, and plenty of industry insights in between. In a non-stop two-day whirl of everything Travel Management, it wasn’t surprising to see AI dominating conversations, but there were more than a few surprises also in store...
Gen Z wants human help in a crisis.
- Are We in a World of Shift? - Kelly Beaver CEO | IPSOS
Kelly brought 50 years of data along to her session to nail industry pain points and figure out where they fit in Britain (and the rest of the world’s) growing poly-crisis, which is the result of a staggered build-up of multiple smaller disruptions, such as rising cost of living rates, slowly declining public service standards, and fissures in political tension in the UK. In periods of elevated turbulence, businesses brace for crisis and insurance becomes a top topic at board level, however, workforce sentiment is changing before our very eyes.
Now emerging into the business travel world is the most technologically literate generation yet, but when facing disruption, Kelly shared that what Gen Z truly want is a real person at the other end of the phone. Instead of a self-serving assistant, younger business travellers are showing clear preference for intuitive human touch, which is a significant finding for an industry weighing up how far to automate customer-facing services.
The next frontier for AI in travel isn’t booking. It’s getting ahead of disruption before it happens.
- The Art of Conversation: How to Talk to AI Agents - Sara Andell and Dan Kelly / Amex GBT
Dan Kelly described a near-future that is closer than most people in the room realised: AI that doesn’t just react to disruption, but anticipates it - informing travellers before they even reach the gate, and automating the response across not just flights but meetings, ground services, and the entire journey. IDC predicts that by 2030, 30% of travel bookings will be AI-driven. The direction of travel is clear. The programmes investing in that capability now will be the ones spending less time firefighting - and more time delivering the experience their people actually deserve.
The conversation travel managers need to be having with their CFO
- Global Trust Is Broken – Mike Boult and Mark Parker / ALTOUR
In the Q&A, Mike Boult landed what might have been the most quietly radical idea of the two days: 80% of the savings potential in a corporate travel programme sits inside the corporation itself, not with the supplier. And the way to unlock it is to stop presenting travel as a cost to be cut, and start connecting it to revenue. His suggestion - link your travel and expense data to your CRM, map spend against specific client relationships, and reframe the CFO conversation entirely. Not "we need to cut 10% from the travel budget" but "cutting 10% from this programme would have a $15 million impact on our pipeline."
Morning seafront yoga at 5000m!
AI works best when it stays human-first.
- The Art of Conversation: How to Talk to AI Agents - Sara Andell and Dan Kelly / Amex GBT
Insightful discussions between Karen Hutchings (Partner, Kintela), and Paul Abbott (CEO, Amex GBT)
Final Thought
Attending events such as the ITM Springboard are not only an incredible opportunity for our team to connect with partners and industry leaders, but to be informed and empowered by the shared insights.
Using our growing network to bolster our industry knowledge further helps us predict and support our clients. To get in touch with our expert accounts team for more information about properties that should be on your radar, contact us today! We’ll be sure to be keeping an eye out for what’s on the radar coming into summer…
