At GBTA Convention in Denver, a session hosted by Lora Ellis, Head of Consulting at Festive Road, brought together industry pioneers including Tracey Horrocks at GE HealthCare, Julia Sullivan at Shell and Amy Pessina Williams at Festive Road to tackle a question that sits at the heart of modern corporate travel strategy: How can organisations strike the right balance between traditional travel management and transformational innovation?
The answer isn’t binary—it’s a spectrum. Where a programme sits depends on an organisation’s appetite for change, complexity, and control.
So how much control do you want over your corporate travel programme?
The Spectrum: From Procurement to Possibility
On the left, sits the classic procurement-led model—cost-driven, compliance-heavy, and comfortingly predictable. Think of it as a vinyl record or cassette: the playlist is pre-determined, the order is fixed, and every listener gets the same experience.
On the right, a more fluid ecosystem emerges—buyers crafting their own tech stacks, owning their data, and embracing open programmes. Think of it as the Spotify of travel management: curated, personalised, and a little rebellious.
And in between? A whole lot of nuance.
It’s Not Just Travel—It’s Transformation
Comfort Zones & Corporate DNA
Your company’s culture shapes how much transformation it can embrace, for example:
- Financial Services: InfoSec may take the lead.
- Tech Firms: User Experience leads and bold moves encouraged.
It’s not about right or wrong—it’s about what fits your organisation.
The Buyer’s Quandary: Global Scale vs. Innovation
Can you have global consistency and innovation? Perhaps—but it often means piloting transformational ideas in one market while the rest of the organisation implements over time.
At the session, we asked the audience this very question. The majority said they’d be open to piloting new approaches. But here’s the catch: most hadn’t actually done it.
It’s a bit like planting seeds in one corner of the garden—while still debating whether to re-landscape the whole garden.
We’ve laid out a key decision that needs taking in every travel programme, will you Buy, Partner or Build?
Each was illustrated with real-world examples from GE Healthcare, Shell and a Technology expert, showing that no matter your path, there’s a way forward.
So… Can Buyers Have Both?
“Yes. But it requires clarity, courage, and a willingness to colour outside the lines. The future of travel management isn’t about choosing sides, it’s about choosing what works for your organisation. So the question is, which path will work best for you, because change is certain and future-proofing your programme is no longer an option.”
– Lora Ellis, Head of Consulting
Curious where your organisation sits on the spectrum, and how to balance traditional and transformational travel management?
