Travel management is a specialized business function that balances employee needs with corporate goals, financial and otherwise. Travel management ensures cost tracking and control, facilitates adherence to corporate travel policies, realizes savings through negotiated discounts, and serves as a valuable information center for employees and managers in times when travel is not as smooth and carefree as it used to be.

The economic downturn has allowed travel managers to take a front and center role within their companies and has made travel management, as a profession, an important component of every company executive’s strategic planning. In many cases, travel managers have been asked to lead company-wide efforts to reduce travel costs, track expense savings and report results back to executive management.

Today, the responsibility of managing business travel is now more critical than ever. Travel managers, travel arrangers, procurement and purchasing managers, travel suppliers and travel management companies all must work together to create a win-win-win partnership that produces maximum return on investment for all parties.