Whether it’s an upcoming conference, client meeting or exhibition, the question remains the same: Should your event planner also manage your event travel booking? 

When planning a business event, no matter what section of the MICE industry that event falls under, there are some key players involved; notably, at the head of it all is your event planner. You may have an in-house individual performing this role. You may be working with a third party. Or you may be working with a professional provided by the event venue. 

However, should this individual, as helpful as they are in coordinating all the logistics of your event, also be the one managing your event travel booking? Or is that task better suited to a  Travel Management Company (TMC)?  

Organizing business events and event travel booking are two very distinct tasks, and managing them separately can improve efficiency, control and attendee experience. A TMC can optimize your travel logistics above and beyond what an in-house or specialized event planner could do. 

After all, think of everything that plays into event travel booking. There’s the planning, the actual booking, coordinating transportation and finding accommodations. On a more granular level, the to-do list can include finding and booking flights, arranging ground transportation between the airport, hotel, and event venue, ensuring that all travel adheres to internal travel policy guidelines, tracking travel expenses and providing support during the event. In other words, it’s a pretty comprehensive task that goes far above and beyond simply booking a block of hotel rooms, like an event planner might be likely to do. 

If you’re thinking of designating a TMC to manage your event travel booking, rather than relying on an event planner, here’s what you need to consider.

Key Takeaways:

• Consider company needs, budget, event size and travel priorities when deciding whether or not to separate event planning and event travel booking.
• Event planners, Travel Managers and TMCs all have very different roles, but all are important to ensuring a successful event experience. 
• Event planning and event travel booking best practices, reliant on clear, consistent communication, can ensure a seamless division of tasks. 

Event Planning and Event Travel Booking Roles Defined

While event planning and event travel booking may sometimes fall to the same individual, these tasks more often fall under the purview of three distinct roles: that of event planner or venue coordinator, a TMC and Travel Manager or Arranger. 

• The event planner or venue coordinator ensures that all aspects of your event run smoothly, during the actual event and while your Travelers are on the venue premises. 
• A TMC can oversee the entirety of your Travelers’ travel process, from the point of booking airfare and accommodations to booking ground transportation between venues, while also offering 24/7 support and Duty of Care.
• Your company Travel Manager or Arranger is the link between your Travelers and the TMC, ensuring the process best fits your traveling team’s unique needs. 

When to Separate Event Planning and Event Travel Booking

While event planning and event travel booking require many different tools and skillsets, they’re not always automatically best separated. So, when should you decide to assign these roles to two different parties?

Think about a few factors. What kind of budget and internal resources do you have, for example? How large is the event? If the budget and resources simply aren’t there to separate the two tasks, then it may not be a possibility at the moment. Likewise, if the event in question is notably small, it may not be quite so overwhelming for the same individual to plan the event and also book travel. 

Then, consider what matters most to your team. An event planner and TMC have wildly different specialties. An event planner’s expertise, for instance, might be in crafting agendas, finding and booking venues, and choosing vendors like caterers. They might not be as adept, though, in crafting travel experiences. If the travel experience truly matters to you, then you might choose to allow the event planner to focus on their strengths, while allowing a TMC to show off their aptitude for travel logistics.

Additionally, if you’re concerned about budget—after all, MICE spending is up — but still want to ensure a positive travel experience, it’s worth noting that TMCs, though an upfront investment, can save you money in the long run on your business travel. TMCs can enforce travel policies related to budget, optimize your costs and track your expenses. If you’re still unsure of the value that a TMC can provide your team, note that some may have a la carte-style offerings that allow you to give their services a test run, for a single trip. After working with a TMC once, you may decide a broader, long-term relationship is a smart investment. 

Lastly, a dedicated travel team will mean that, while your Travelers are on the go, they’ll enjoy real-time Traveler support and Duty-of-Care management—two services that an event planner is not going to provide. 

Best Practices for Separation

When you do separate event planning and event travel booking, there are a few best practices to follow for the most seamless, convenient process possible.

First, clearly and specifically define who will handle which necessary tasks. For example, who handles booking? Who oversees attendee logistics?

While separating event planning and event travel booking, still make sure to engage your Travel Manager with your event planner to ensure all travel aligns with the event schedule and venue specifics. 

Keep your Travelers in the know, too, providing them with all necessary travel and event information. 

For better tracking of event and travel budgets, ensure those budgets are indeed separate, rather than lumping all the event and travel costs into one sum. 

Lastly, use centralized calendars and platforms to synchronize plans between travel booking and event planning parties. 

Rely on a TMC Like JTB Business Travel for Your Next Event

For your next event—whether it’s a meeting, conference or exhibition—rely on JTB Business Travel to ensure the actual travel to and from that event goes perfectly. From ensuring travel stays on budget to providing duty of care, JTB Business Travel will do it all. Get in touch today to learn more.