Big data and visions of the future center discussion at the GBTA Europe conference

There’s been a lot to think about, from a hard-to-imagine corporate travel future with virtual travel, holograms and 3D robots, virtual workmates (colleagues from global offices plugged into video sets on a human frame!) that accompany you on trips, to more current trends like user reviews and big data.

Big data was clearly a hot topic, and attendees and speakers saw that information superiority is not a sustainable advantage. Better data is only a temporary advantage and means nothing if you do not use it to add value. Moreover information superiority is becoming unattainable, human knowledge is critical to create advantage. This fits with the findings in areport we commissioned recently.

The panel discussion I participated in touched on the future of all players in the corporate travel world and touched on the future of the GDS, the open bookings dilemma, and even new entrants in the market. My own view on the future is that it is up to each of us to defend our own value, and we should focus on how we can all work better together.