Juan Carlos González es Managing Director en BCD Travel España, la organización empresarial de referencia en materia de viajes de empresa en España. En su entrevista nos habla de su trabajo al frente de esta entidad, de la sostenibilidad y de la actualidad del sector.
Mar 06, 2020
After my degree in Business Management, I took a postgraduate in Business Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology, in the States, which is something not very conventional in this sector. I came back to Spain and I settled in Palma de Mallorca. In this city you would probably end up working in the tourism industry. This is how I started working as New Projects Director at Barceló Viajes. It was the beginning of the 2000s and, with the new century, we started Rumbo, Wanadoo Viajes and a bunch of super cool technology projects with partners as mobile operators, large audiovisual groups or editorial hubs such as Planeta. I can tell you that we even thought of teletext as a powerful travel sales weapon… just imagine! Everything has changed quite a lot since. After this fun but exhausting stage, I moved to positions in General Management at Iberia Travel and later on at BCD travel, so I share a deep knowledge of the sector from many points of view: vacation, business travel, events…
Sustainability is a key trend in the business travel sector, as well as in MICE. And it is not a pose: it is an absolute responsibility towards our planet and our society.
About business travel, in BCD travel we are leaders in sustainability: we are not only carbon neutral (thanks to the compensation of our carbon footprint through a smart reforestation project). We also offer tools to identify and balance the carbon footprint of their corporate trips. In addition, we carry out environmentally responsible consulting services, so we advise on ecofriendly alternatives to improve the travel policy of our clients.
Regarding corporate events, our commitment is designing corporate experiences through technology. These experiences allow us to minimize the use of natural resources and consider the adoption of biodegradable or reusable elements in each and every phase of the event.
In a nutshell, we should keep in mind that the return of our trips and corporate events should not only translate into the income statement of our companies, but also into an environmentally and socially positive impact
The Spanish MICE sector has a great international projection. The professionalization of corporate events is our trademark. The security of our main cities and the public infrastructures also help to put Spain between the top destination for business meetings, conferences, incentives and fairs.
The security of our main cities and the public infrastructures also help to put Spain between the top destination for business meetings, conferences, incentives and fairs.
Perhaps our location and our culture make Spain a competitive destination regarding beach or nature incentives. Despite spring and autumn concentrate most of the events, seasonality is not so clear, since we are lucky to enjoy a nice climate throughout the year.
In BCD travel we simplify business trips management, combining skills and services to meet or improve the objectives set in the travel program.
We have various solutions to fill any need, but if I had to highlight one, I would focus on our comprehensive travel management platform. Two tools stand out in it:
TripSource® is our app. A development designed for BCD travelers. It provides detailed itineraries, pre-trip notifications, flight updates and the best booking options. Accessible from any device, TripSource® gives its travelers access to the policies marked in the travel program.
DecisionSource @ is the platform that we make available to travel managers. It is composed of a wide range of solutions that help data consolidation, statistical, analytical and predictive analysis; In this way, savings in travel programs can be promoted, increased compliance with internal policies and facilitate decision-making.
BCD travel is a leader company in the Spanish business travel sector. We have focused in specialization and early adoption of new trends, identifying and matching market demands. We have evolved from a conventional agency to a Travel Management Company (TMC). This means that are not only responsible for the management of the trip itself, we also provide a wide and transversal consultancy. To achieve this goal, technology and innovation are fundamental, always keeping in mind that we are a 100% customer-oriented company: our clients are the center of the structure.
The business traveler demands from his TMC speed, efficiency, a competitive price, security, customization … and in BCD travel we have been pioneers in meeting these demands with an offer based on excellence. Nevertheless, we consider the importance of the immediacy and the ability to access all types of information without barriers. Nowadays, the traveler wants an exclusive, a customized human relationship: contact with a real individual, who knows his preferences and works to satisfy them. This is the “new luxury”; personalized attention becomes a value proposition and a plus, a concept the corporate traveler demands in his day-to-day life. This is another of the great value proposals of BCD travel and also one of our strengths for customer retention.
A customized human relationship: contact with a real individual, who knows his preferences and works to satisfy them.
The first milestone I considered was including in our association more than 75% of the sector. Once achieved, GEBTA is clear about having the same goals as industry. One of the principles of our organization is improving the efficiency of the business travel sector in Spain. For us, only the efficient operation of all the different actors in the chain of value can assure the optimal development and maturity of our industry. This implies working together with all the business players, from suppliers to the final customer.
This perspective is quite unique. GEBTA a different organization, with a strong culture of collaboration and knowledge transfer. From a practical point of view, the positioning and activity of GEBTA fundamentally translates into the ability to generate and share both knowledge and market intelligence, as well as promoting desirable industry practices. This focus, part of GEBTA’s DNA, has been reinforced in recent years.
As a starting point, we should analyze our company and interest groups, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. Then, we should develop ethical codes and policies that clearly reflect the objectives and public commitments of our company, while identifying the risks inherent to our activity.
Supporting global initiatives, such as the United Nations Global Compact, is a voluntary commitment as well as an opportunity to strengthen development cooperation. One of the fundamental pillars of any CSR strategy in our sector must be to align its activity with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an initiative promoted by the United Nations that integrates economic, social and environmental aspects.
The tourism sector plays a fundamental role in achieving the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, not only through responsible and sustainable behavior but also generating profitability and growth efficiently. The achievement of these SDGs must be measurable objectives. This is the most realistic way to check the development and progress of our company.
In addition to these public commitments, we can work in our own initiatives that go beyond the establishment. Creating strategic alliances with other public and private sector entities is an alternative. In this way we will achieve higher levels of innovation and expand the scope of our sustainability policy.
Any manager would like to lead the market. We have made BCD travel one of the great TMCs in the Spanish market, besides being one of the three major global brands. The long-term objective of BCD travel is being a reference for our corporate clients, both in the large corporate segment and in the SME segment, in business travel and in MICE. This is the main purpose that moves the entire team of our company.
We want to be a 360º partner and this involves focusing on the customer, offering customized solutions with the global leadership of an international reference company with the same flexibility that a local supplier would provide. Similarly, the goal of GEBTA as a reference organization in business travel is to continue supporting the business travel sector through the fast transformation of the business, from a specialized advice perspective, as well as through the good sector practices in the market. This work is closely linked to the ability to transfer to the different areas and departments of companies the strategic value of business travel as a lever for growth and development of the economy. It’s also important to enhance the professional development of the employees, and with it the talent retention.
We are optimistic and believe that we can achieve our goals, but we have to be cautious with the market situation: global economic and political instability has obvious effects in every field and we cannot turn our back upon this context. However, companies that understand travel as an investment have a better position to face crisis and uncertainty: that is why business travel professionals should keep optimistic.
In the case of the MICE sector, we would have to follow closely the effects that of cancellation of large events result from the coronavirus. Right now, we are dealing with cancellations or delays as a result of outstanding international events, something that until the case of Mobile World Congress seemed impossible.
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