Business Travelers Secrets for Successful Meetings has been created by the team that brought you ‘The Traveler’s Handbook’ – one of the world’s leading business travel publications. This comprehensive and practical guide is packed with essential information about the art of travel planning to help you make the most out of your trips.
When you work with a travel agency, they are the ones who book your flights, hotels, and car rentals. They are in charge of coordinating your meetings and ensuring everything goes smoothly. However, even though they have done their jobs, sometimes things go wrong. So, what should you do when your meeting isn’t going well? Here are some tips from successful travelers that will help you have a successful trip.
In the world of business travel, meetings have become one of the mainstays of the corporate experience. Meetings are usually scheduled well in advance and are considered an essential part of many business journeys. Travel agencies take care of your meetings by booking your flights, hotels, and car rentals. However, there are some common problems that arise when you work with them. But whether you are a seasoned pro or just starting out, business travel can often bring up some of the same challenges as other types of travel.
The dos and don’ts of business travel
When you work with a travel agency, they are the ones who book your flights, hotels, and car rentals. They are in charge of coordinating your meetings and ensuring everything goes smoothly. However, there are some common problems that arise when you work with them. While booking travel services with a travel agency might seem like a good idea, tha few problems occur.
Some of the most common issues include:
- The travel agency doesn’t understand your needs.
- They don’t have the time to plan your meetings.
- They don’t know how to communicate with you.
- They don’t have the skills to prepare your sessions.
- They don’t learn how to share with you.
While booking travel services with a travel agency might seem like a good idea, tha few problems occur.
The Business Traveler’s Playbook
1. Pick the right travel agent
When choosing a travel agent, you want to make sure they understand your business. If they don’t know your industry or industry jargon, then they are not going to be able to book the right flights, hotels, or cars for your meeting. The best agents are full-service travel professionals that can meet your needs from beginning to end.
2. Make sure you are booked for success
If you plan to attend a conference, you need to be booked in advance. You want to avoid last-minute cancellations and make sure you’re not stranded at the airport.
3. Meet your requirements
As a business traveler, you want to ensure that your meeting is successful. You’ll want to make sure you are meeting your objectives.
4. Be organized
You want to be as prepared as possible. You want to know what is going on in your meetings to make the most of them.
5. Check the details
Your travel agent will do a good job, but you want to ensure you know what you’re signing.
How to prepare for the meeting
One of the most important things you can do for your meetings is to be prepared. If you are unprepared, you will never have time to worry about anything else. When your itinerary is ready, you can go through it and ensure you have everything covered. This means ensuring you have everything on your schedule, including any meetings you may have booked for yourself. While going through your program, you should look at the locations you are visiting and make sure you have a plan for every venue. This means you have transportation options, directions, and a list of hotels you can stay at.
You should also make sure you have a hotel room booked. It would help if you looked into the different options, such as asking a friend, contacting the company, or going online to find the information you need. If you are having a meeting at a specific location, you may want to book a hotel room for that night. You also need to check on the sessions you are attending. For example, if you are having a business dinner, you may want to check on the restaurant you are going to. Finally, it would help if you prepared for any issues that might come up.
Gathering Business Cards
This is an essential step when meeting with new contacts. This step requires a little bit of planning. First, you need to decide whether you will take business cards or ask them for theirs. I suggest taking them. You can give your own later if you want. Once you have the business card, you need to figure out where you will put it. You can either place it on the table or inside your pocket.
Frequently Asked Questions Business Travelers
Q: How can business travelers keep their meetings from going wrong?
A: Make sure you are prepared for the meeting. If you are flying in and there are long layovers, pack a bag and plan on using the time to relax and prepare yourself for the meeting.
Q: Are there things business travelers can do to make the most of a meeting?
A: I always suggest people read something inspirational before the meeting. You never know what kind of mood someone will be in, so being positive and uplifting can help the session go smoothly.
Top 3 Myths About Business Travelers
1. Business travelers are always exhausted after meetings.
2. Business travelers can never attend meetings because they have too many things to do.
3. Business travelers can’t attend meetings because they have too much to accomplish.
Conclusion
Traveling for work is challenging. But if you do it right, you can make a living. The average professional traveler earns around $25,000 a month. That’s not bad for a job that doesn’t require a college degree. As a traveling consultant, I work with a wide variety of clients. Some are big companies that hire me to run conferences and meetings for their staff. Others are small businesses looking for help with their marketing. In addition to running these events, I travel and meet with my clients to teach them the ins and outs of working with a traveling consultant.
