Corporate travel is entering a new era driven by smarter data, seamless automation, and rising expectations for both personalization and efficiency. During our recent BTN In The Know webinar, Travel Manager 2.0: Navigating Data, Disruption, and Innovation, industry leaders Sarah Kuberry Martino of Direct Travel, Spotnana’s Bill Tillman, and Richard Clowes from SAS explored how this shift is redefining modern program management.
Below we highlight the major themes that emerged during the attendee Q&A, covering everything from AI’s real-world impact to global policy design. For travel managers, these insights offer practical takeaways you can apply to strengthen and future-proof your own program.
We also encourage you to watch the full webinar, which is linked again at the end of this post.
Data: Unlocking the Next Level of Intelligence
Data Reliability
Reliable data remains at the foundation of any forward-thinking travel program. While most organizations have no shortage of information, it often sits in outdated systems or disconnected silos, making it difficult to extract real-time intelligence. Modernizing this layer through data cleansing, governance, and next-generation architecture establishes the foundation for AI to give predictive insights and support smarter decision-making.
For travel managers, this shift opens the door to more accurate reporting, better forecasting, and a clearer understanding of program performance. But achieving it requires the right infrastructure and a partner equally committed to delivering unified, trustworthy data. Solutions like Avenir, which consolidate the full traveler journey, are moving the industry closer to this new level of intelligence.
Data Fluidity
Beyond accuracy, the most valuable data is also fluid—timely, connected, and easy to translate into action. When information flows freely across the entire journey, travel managers gain visibility into bookings, spend, traveler behavior, and engagement in a single, coherent view. With a modern reporting layer on top, insights that once took hours of manual work are now instantly available.
This level of transparency elevates program management. Real-time performance metrics make it easier to demonstrate progress to executives, uncover new efficiencies, and deliver high-impact travel experiences without adding complexity to the travel manager’s workload.
AI: Making Data Actionable
Balancing Traveler Experience and Manager Efficiency
With a modern data foundation in place, your travel program can begin layering on intelligent capabilities that simplify and personalize business travel. In fact, the right AI solution can streamline internal workflows for travel managers and also improve the end-to-end experience for travelers. Imagine tools that can:
- Remind travelers when they’re close to a loyalty milestone
- Build itineraries from calendar and preference data
- Assist travelers through natural-language interactions
Meanwhile, managers can bypass manual reporting by asking questions like, “Why are 20 employees traveling to Tokyo next week?” and receiving instant, insight-ready answers. By connecting these experiences, AI becomes a powerful enabler of smarter travel for everyone.
Delivering Real Value
However, AI is only as good as the data it’s built on. For AI to be impactful it must be grounded in clean, connected data and designed to solve real challenges. Travel managers should look for tools that reduce repetitive tasks, automate routine decisions, and provide proactive recommendations rather than just reactive information.
When booking, service, and spend data are consolidated, AI can anticipate disruptions, flag savings opportunities, and guide policy adjustments in near real time. This results in a more resilient, efficient program powered by insights that are actionable and trustworthy.
Personalization: Building Trust and Simplicity
Personalization starts with trust. Travelers want choice, and they also want to feel confident that they’re seeing the full picture. When corporate booking tools restrict visibility or hide content, it undermines that trust and drives travelers to search elsewhere.
The most effective path to both simplicity and satisfaction is transparency. Travel programs can strengthen trust by offering access to all relevant content, regardless of source, and presenting it in a way that feels intuitive and neutral. When travelers trust that they’re getting a complete view of available options, they’re more likely to book within policy. This reduces leakage, improves the user experience, and strengthens the relationship between the employee and the organization.
NDC: Navigating the Worldwide Complexities
As discussed in the webinar, personalization is also at the forefront of how suppliers and travelers interact with NDC (New Distribution Capability) content. Where suppliers once had limited visibility into who was booking, NDC now allows them to recognize traveler preferences and tailor content accordingly.
But as personalization increases, so does complexity. Regional differences in NDC adoption, standards, and connection models create uneven experiences across markets. To maintain a consistent booking experience worldwide, strong collaboration among airlines, technology providers, and TMCs is essential. For travel managers, this means choosing partners who can navigate these nuances and safeguard a frictionless traveler journey.
Global Programs: Balancing Enforcement with Local Relevance
Managing a global travel program requires striking the right balance between standardization and flexibility. A single set of rules rarely works across every market, especially since tax regulations, cultural expectations, and supplier availability vary widely. However, customizing each region independently can become unmanageable at scale.
With a unified global platform, policies can be applied universally and then adapted by country or region without rebuilding them from scratch. This ensures that local travelers see the content most relevant to them—NDC fares from Qantas in Australia, robust rail options across Europe—all within an interface that performs as simply as a consumer app.
For travel managers, embracing this balance of global standards powered by local nuance leads to a program that remains compliant and relevant no matter where employees travel.
Service: The Human Touch Behind the Tech
Avenir’s modern platform gives agents the same real-time visibility as travelers, leading to cleaner data and faster resolutions. Yet even in a tech-driven world, service remains the true differentiator. When a disruption occurs, travelers still need a caring, empathetic expert who can step in and solve problems quickly.
This blend of high-tech and high-touch is especially powerful for global programs. Agents can now assist travelers across markets, delivering a consistent experience that feels local everywhere. The result is not just operational efficiency, it’s trust, comfort, and a service standard that technology alone can’t replicate.
TMCs: Redefining the Partnership
Throughout the Travel Manager 2.0 webinar, a common theme emerged. Travel managers need partners, not just providers, who can help them navigate rapid change with clarity and confidence.
At Direct Travel, rather than stacking new tools onto legacy systems, our next-generation platform Avenir creates a unified, open ecosystem where content, data, servicing, and reporting work together. This gives travel managers cleaner insights and the ability to scale, whether they’re standardizing a small program or operating across dozens of countries.
To close out the webinar, the panelists shared their thoughts on the one mindset every travel manager should adopt to stay future-ready:
- Sarah Kuberry Martino, Chief Product Officer, Direct Travel: “Flexibility and curiosity to learn about the new options that are out there.”
- Bill Tillman, EVP of Sales, Spotnana: “Be product minded and experimental. Stay curious, run small tests, and scale what works.”
- Richard Clowes, Senior Director, Travel Operations, SAS: “Be willing and eager to learn and evolve. We have to evolve, and we can do it together.”
For today’s travel managers, this blend of curiosity and agility will be essential in the months ahead. To explore these insights in more depth and hear the full discussion, watch the webinar in its entirety.
