In the past, the corporate travel industry was forced to rely on notoriously archaic technology. Systems were disjointed, data was fragmented, and platforms were closed. This created a frustrating environment for both travel managers and their travelers, especially when trying to coordinate and plan an in-person meeting. Outdated technology was little help when it came to the complications of meeting planning, so frankly, the burden often fell on an already overworked team member!

This is one of the many reasons why the release of Avenir (our intuitive and connected experience for travel, expense, and meetings management) will be such a welcome solution for our industry. This integrated tech platform sets a new standard for seamless travel, and each partnership is a critical piece.

Here at Direct Travel, we recently kicked off a blog series in which we dive into each of these key technology partners. We started with Spotnana, whose cloud-based travel platform provides the modern “plumbing” needed to drive this innovation. Next we have TROOP, whose intelligent meeting planning and group travel logistics platform supplies Avenir with an integrated and efficient solution for in-person meeting management.

Let’s take a look at how TROOP brings teams together:

TROOP Helps Organizations Plan In-Person Meetings

Note: This article was originally published on trooptravel.com, which we’ve republished and modified below to address the Direct Travel audience.

In-person meetings can include events such as team offsites, executive and board meetings, quarterly business reviews, and more. Unlike virtual settings, in-person meetings require significant time, effort, and resources to be successful. Depending on the type of in-person meeting, this could take dozens of hours to coordinate the logistics and ensure a positive outcome.

Those in charge of planning these events must keep track of many tasks, including:

• Researching, booking, and coordinating flights, local transportation, and hotel accommodations for multiple individuals all while adhering to corporate travel policies.
• Managing all meeting-related expenses including the meeting budget, assigning virtual expense cards, owning vendor contract negotiations and payments, and reconciling attendee expenses.
• Distributing the meeting agenda, developing key assets like presentations and reports, and organizing activities, scheduled breaks, and meals.
• Managing all communications to and from attendees before, during, and after the meeting so they have all the information they need to effectively contribute.

If your head is spinning, it’s for good reason. Planning in-person meetings in addition to daily responsibilities is a lot to ask of one individual, regardless of how talented or experienced they may be. This is why it’s essential to have the best tools at your team’s disposal. 

Luckily, the digital age hasn’t just transformed company roles, it’s also transformed the tools available to us. TROOP is a great example of one of the best tools a team can use to help stay organized when planning in-person meetings.

Does this sound familiar to you? You’re planning an upcoming in-person meeting, let’s say it’s the annual sales training. On one monitor, you have 50+ browser tabs open as you research potential locations, flight options, hotels, meeting venues, vendors, and more. On your other monitor you have several spreadsheets and word documents, one to track expenses, one to track attendee dietary restrictions and travel preferences, one for all your meeting related tasks, and one with a draft agenda and other deliverables you need to provide attendees. You’ve spent the last two hours switching between browser tabs and spreadsheets, trying to coordinate travel for 20+ attendees but feel like you haven’t even made a dent. Meanwhile, your inbox and chat are starting to overflow with unread messages.

TROOP eliminates the time-consuming and error-prone aspects of in-person meeting planning. Instead, users can wrangle every detail, from group travel logistics to meeting agendas, all in a single, simplified planning software. Below are 4 ways that TROOP makes in-person meeting planning as painless as possible.

1. Travel Logistics Made Simple

On average, companies report spending 10 hours a week managing travel logistics. TROOP reclaims that time by recommending meeting locations, flights, and hotels that comply with a company’s travel policies without sacrificing meeting attendee convenience and experience. TROOP can even suggest travel options based on preferences like flight duration, cost, CO2 emissions, and more.

2. All-In-One Budget and Expense Tracking

When planning in-person meetings, it’s easy to lose track of expenses which increases the likelihood of ending up over budget. No one wants to have that conversation with their boss. With TROOP, users can create an estimated budget using flight and hotel data to help make informed decisions on the meeting location and get approval before booking. TROOP also makes it easy to compare initial budget estimates against additional planned expenses to have a better understanding of meeting spend.

3. Streamline Attendee Coordination

Coordinating meeting attendees can be a job in and of itself. TROOP streamlines workflows and saves time trying to keep tabs on attendees. Invite attendees, track RSVPs, and get a comprehensive overview of outstanding action items like travel requirement preparations, transportation, and accommodation bookings. TROOP can even generate a master attendee arrival and departure schedule for easy transportation coordination.

4. All Your Meetings In One Place 

Planning multiple in-person meetings at the same time? TROOP gives users a birds eye view of every meeting that they’re managing. Quickly see an overview of all current meetings, outstanding action items, and key details. TROOP also makes it easy to track important data like individual and total meeting spend, cost savings, time savings, and more.

Just as team members’ roles have evolved to meet the demands of the digital age, so have the tools available to them. TROOP isn't just another software solution; it's a partner in streamlining the complexities of meeting planning, empowering users to reclaim time and elevate their impact.

The Perfect Trip is Within Reach

TROOP is one of the innovative technology partners to join the Direct Travel team in streamlining all aspects of travel, expense, and meetings management into one best-in-class solution, Avenir.

Join me next time as we explore Avenir’s advanced expense management made possible by Center. In the meantime, sign up for our newsletter to see how Avenir can transform your travel program.