10 Event Trends Shaping the Future of Corporate Travel in 2025
The prospect of corporate travel management in 2025 is marked by changes stemming from innovative practices, technology changes, sustainability challenges and changes business needs.
The two trends outlined will be important for Indian businesses to move towards, if they are to remain relevant in an increasing globalised world.
Let’s look at how the top 10 trends in the advancement of the corporate world will influence more business-related travel and event orientations.
1. Increased Focus on Sustainability
Sustainability has now emerged as a
business central aspect of travel management. Organizations are adopting
eco-friendly practices to reduce their carbon footprints, such as:
●
Working only with
environmentally friendly airlines and hotels.
●
Promoting other forms of
transport from among the employees, such as taking a train instead of a flight
for a neighboring country.
●
Venue: Semi-virtual as a means
of reducing traveling to other cities or countries.
In India too many IT companies like Infosys and TCS have adopted green travel policy such as carbon offset programs to meet international standards.
The targets in planning events now include green event venues, digital event deliverables, and locally sourced materials.
2. Hybrid and Virtual
Events
The outbreak changed the direction to
online proceedings, and online solutions are still trending. Hybrid events—a
blend of in-person and virtual experiences—allow companies to:
●
To develop ideas that would
help increase the impact of the conferences beyond the physical attendees.
●
Maintain expenses on big
attendance logistics.
●
Be as open as possible for
participants who are constrained by travel limitations in some way.
Many companies worldwide, including
those based in India, like HCL Technologies, have adopted hybrid events for
product unveiling and global conferences that improve audience engagement
through the use of tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
3. Personalized Travel
Experiences
Multinational companies are
increasingly appreciating the need to integrate employee’s individuality into
packages for their consumption. Tailored travel programs are now focusing on:
●
Allowing employees a choice of
airlines and accommodation, besides the choice as to what routes they take on
business.
●
Introducing fun in business
purposes or productivity in leisure time known as ‘leisure travel’.
●
Applying AI software to
forecast customers’ needs and demands regarding traveling.
Currently established Indian startups such as MakeMyTrip use AI to offer business travellers’ preferred recommendation options.
4. Advanced Information
Technology
Corporate travel management is vastly
changing because of technology. AI and machine learning are being employed to
handle work that contains spending, appointments, and regulation of conformity.
Blockchain technology is bringing about increased transparency and security
through payment system. There are several consumer touch points which are being
moved to contactless to allow for efficient operations hence there is the
check-in and contactless payments.
Some leading travel websites from India have incorporated the use of AI technology in Yatra and EaseMyTrip in offering the best quotes and forecast to small businesses at the most competitive price.
5. Focus on Employee
Well-being
Today employee well-being has become
the most important concern for quite a number of organizations. Travel policies
are being rewritten to avoid such trips at night, accompanied by comfortable
accommodation and availability of wellness programs. Programs like yoga
classes, acts of mindfulness and proper diet during functions are no longer a
rarity.
Wellness-travel-learning policies have been adopted by Indian conglomerates like the Reliance Industries so as to sustain high levels of morale and productivity among employees.
6. Enhanced Safety
Protocols
Latter issues of the pandemic have
prolonged significant concerns for effective safety precautions in business
travels. With travel risk management firms, businesses are being contracted to
track global health notices and the hotel and transport service providers
especially in the aspect of hygiene measures. Other accommodations have also
emerged and includes round the clock support systems for those employees who
travel from one place to another.
Thus, companies like IT and
pharmaceutical industries have already laid down great standard policies
implemented on corporate travel safety in India.
7. Rise of Regional Travel
Thus, as globalization is moving
towards inclusiveness, people travel more often within the India and
neighboring countries. The trend also proffers lower general costs than
international flights, allowing more cultural markets exploration across Asia,
as well as local supply chain enhancement.
Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kochi have taken the leadership of connecting regional nodes and facilitating corporate event-based innovation.
8. Data-Driven Decision
Making
Corporate travels and event management has its nucleus in data analytics. Organizations are applying analytics for monitoring their traveling expenditure, understanding employees’ tendencies and assessing the effectiveness of occasions. SAP Concur and Zoho Expense are real-time analytics tools used in India to assist organizations with intelligent travel management.
9. Green Certification for
Event and Festival
More and more, there is talk of
certifications such as ISO 20121 (Sustainable Event Management), etc. These
standards are being used by Indian event planners as a way to show consumers
and industry stakeholders that they are environmentally conscious and to
position themselves as unique within the saturated market.
This is because there are now many convention centers that are green certified like the India International Convention and Expo Centre in Delhi.
10. A paper on diversity
and inclusion in event planning
Corporal travel and events are
becoming a mirror of diversity and inclusion policies in organizations. It has
become a common trend of every organization to audit to make sure that it picks
venues that are accessible and accommodation which is provided by working with
vendors who support the diversity while at the same time making sure that they
work cultural savvy on the event that is planned and its themes.
Some Indian corporates such as Mahindra Group have over time established good practices by holding colourful events that embrace the diverse employees in India.
Actionable Takeaways for Organizations
Before the end of this text, readers
will be equipped with insights that can help organizations.
To adapt to these trends, Indian
businesses should:
- Develop Green Travel Policies: Integrate the carbon offsets and
promote the companies that care about our environment.
- Invest in
Technology: AI travel management, blockchain, analytics travel management:
New advances in travel management.
- Prioritize
Employee Experience: There must be a balance between working on the job,
and working on personal activities, engaging in recreation.
- Adopt
Hybrid Models: This means that you should always co-host physical and
online events to reach as many people as possible while incurring minimal
expenses.
- Emphasize Safety and Inclusion: Strengthen policies and
diversity at all moments when business travels and events are planned.
By adopting these trends, the
organisations shall be able to improve the efficiency of their operations
whilst at the same time conforming to the international standards in the
turbulent world of corporate travel by the year 2025.
