151 and 9!

Just a few numbers to think about:

303 Days until Christmas

273 Days until Black Friday

151 Days until GBTA convention 2015

9 Open seats up for change on  the GBTA Board of Directors

That’s right, in 151 days, GBTA will be electing a new President, Vice President, 3 seats on the Direct Member side, 1 seat on the Allied side, 1 seat from the Chapter Presidents Council and the ALC leadership is up for grabs after a new President is elected so that is 2 more seats. 

This is HUGE for the organization.  If you are thinking about running, know of people who are thinking about running or think there are people who should be running, now is the time put those thoughts to action.  My 1.5 years on the board have been both eye opening and learning.  We are losing some tremendous leaders off the board and I would encourage people to think about this opportunity and join me on the board.  If you have questions or simply want to chat about the opportunity, by all means, please reach out to me.  I am happy to share my insight!  As I am getting ready to head into a board meeting, I keep going! 

Book From My Past

When I started with Rosenbluth International in 1994, I met Hal Rosenbluth and then, throughout my 10+ years with the company, I was able to interact with him on a number of occasions.  He left the industry in good hands with many people to Live the Spirit and keep the industry moving forward, but he also left us with a book that I still reference today.

"The Customer Comes Second" is a book about how Hal ran his company.  He knew that taking care of his employees, meant they would take care of his customers.  I remember at a Live the Spirit in Philly, Hal said, "I am the CEO of sleep."  He went on to say that the decisions he makes for his company will impact how his employees sleep at night.  Will they worry about their jobs, their families, their commitments and their communities?  His job, as he saw it, was to make sure people were able to rest well knowing that someone had their back.

I am a firm believer in the customer coming second mentality.  Whether I am on a plane, in a hotel or at the local grocery store, I can tell who loves or hates their jobs.  People who love their jobs are confident in their company, the leadership and their product and they want me, the customer to be happy.  People who hate their jobs are unhappy about something and therefore, I, as a consumer, feel it! 

While the book isn't Pulitzer Prize winning book, its worth a read for anyone who is trying to meet customer needs.  Trust, I am not giving up my Hal Rosenbluth autographed copy but I encourage you to find a copy, read it and enjoy it. 

As I continue to Live the Spirit, I also keep going. 

Love is in the Air

This week, many are planning a romantic night out with their soul mate, looking for the perfect card and the gift that says, "I love you!"  Augh...I am NOT a fan of Valentine's Day, never have been!  The love I am talking about is the love of travel managers with their data! 

Sad spin?  Probably, but its true!  When travel people gather in a room, many of the conversations are around data, how they are using it, how they are pulling it, where are they getting it, what are they doing with it, what are the KPI's they are measuring, etc. 

Here are some data points that I believe are sometimes overlooked and valuable when looking at a travel program.  (Note, these are not in order of importance!)  Also, they do not take the place of things like ADR, ATP, top destination, etc.  They should be looked to augment the travel data you are already receiving. 

1 - Supplier survey data.  In that detail, our travelers are telling them exactly what they feel about them and their products.  I don't have time to ask each traveler how they feel about airline ABC or hotel XYZ.  They are doing that and that is valuable to me and understanding traveler satisfaction is important to our decision process.  

2 - Buying patterns.  This one is can be vast and broad!  It can range from advance purchase to how/where they are buying.  They could vary based on regional variations to seasonal changes.  This is where the rubber meets the road and you can get understand what is happening and why. 

3 - Compliance information.  Some take compliance data with a grain of salt and some take compliance data with a whip!  However you use it, it needs to be consistent and supported.  If you simply gather the data to have and not use, that's fine because at least you understand what is going on.  If you use to show how some groups can improve behavior or compliance, that's fine too.  As long as you know what you are dealing with, you are ahead of the game. 

4 - Understanding of internal data metrics.  In this I would include things like regional headcount, roles of highest traveling population and what drives travel needs.  You have to know what your internal customer needs so you can meet those. 

So, whether you love or hate Valentine's Day, know that data is here to stay and maybe by looking at things through a different reporting lens, you might learn something about your program that you never understood or knew.  While trying to help my daughter create the perfect Valentines box, I keep going!