How and why using Social Media within an effective travel management program is good business

1. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
SOCIAL MEDIA IN BUSINESS TRAVEL
MANAGEMENT
June 22, 2010

2. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
1
Panelists todayPanelists today
Christa Degnan Manning
Christa Degnan Manning is the Director, Research & Media, within the American Express Business
Travel Global Advisory Services Innovation group. She leads the eXpert insights research practice, which
seeks to objectively identify travel program optimization opportunities, analyze best practices, and
quantify improvement outcomes using extensive travel commodity, program, and transaction data
worldwide. Christa is responsible for identifying the meaningful trends in the industry, educating clients on
the impact of market changes to their programs, and publishing actionable advice to help companies
reduce travel costs, improve compliance, mitigate risk, enhance sustainability, and ultimately drive
desired business outcomes.
Catherine Keane
Catherine Keane is the Manager of New Media for American Express Business Travel. She leads the
development and evolution of the digital strategy for the business, including presence on popular social
media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as the creation and maintenance of
businesstravelconneXion.com (btX) - the industry's first social community dedicated to business travel
professionals. Her goal for btX is to provide a content rich experience as well as a networking opportunity
for clients, prospects, suppliers, competitors and industry experts. Catherine is regularly called upon to
speak on the topic of social media at local NBTA chapter events. Prior to American Express Catherine
owned her own business which she sold in 2008.

3. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
2
Panelists todayPanelists today
Tony Brice
In his current role as VP of Customer Success in Sabre’s new social media platform startup, cubeless,
Tony Brice strategizes with customers to create online business-oriented communities. Most of his
career has been spent in research and development, identifying opportunities to combine emerging
technologies with innovative business strategies. In Sabre’s Travel Studios, he led the company’s
research on trends in technology, business, and human behavior. Key focus areas included social
media, mobile, search, advertising, and Internet-driven business models. Brice spent two years as
Director of Strategic Architecture, helping to lead Sabre’s push into Open Systems and Service Oriented
Architecture. Prior to joining Strategic Architecture, he was a Director in Sabre Labs where he led the
concept and prototype development for several components of Sabre’s portfolio in areas as diverse as
Airline Inventory and Availability, Revenue and Yield Management, Pricing, and Merchandising
Karoline Mayr
Karoline Mayr is currently positioned in Herndon, VA, as Senior Manager, Global Travel Procurement, at
Deltek Inc., the leading provider in enterprise application software built specifically for project-focused
businesses. For over 15 years, Karoline has dedicated her career to the travel industry. With an
impressive track record of creating and implementing travel programs to dramatically reduce T&E
expenditures, as well as managing corporate credit card programs to reduce risks to the organization,
Mayr constantly strives to innovate and improve, and her expertise in relationship management,
communication, and change management enables her as one of the best leaders in the industry.
Currently, Mayr sits on the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Business Travel Association.

4. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
3What is Social Media?
Consumer Social Networking Sites
■ Facebook
■ MySpace
■ Twitter
■ Flickr
■ YouTube
Business Social Networking Sites
■ LinkedIn
■ Spoke
■ Plaxo
■ Yammer
Definition: Online communication and collaboration, typically
around a shared interest or context.

5. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
4Social Media in Business
Specific ways that companies are using
social media today
■ Support Customers
■ Engage Customers
■ Incent Customers
■ Create Content
■ Promote the Brand
Private communities are emerging as the
preferred mode of communication to
keep feedback confidential
Originally seen as a customer engagement tool or a means of communication,
companies are moving beyond these uses to enhance business functions and
even contribute to incremental revenue or cost controls
Success requires tailoring the specific
social media approach to client
preferences with a focus on their needs

6. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
5Social Media in Travel Today
■ Twitter following of over 1.6 million
■ Site used for customer service
purposes
■ Expanded its presence to include
promotional fares
■ Developed a social networking tool to
allow potential customers and locals
to connect
■ Now use Twitter and have a six-
person team dedicated to responding
to Tweets about its properties
Hotels and airlines have been active in social media for
branding and marketing purposes and many plan to incorporate
more social media and mobile tools in the future
Social Media in Practice

7. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
6Social Media in Managed Travel Primary Research Survey
Survey on the use of social media in
supporting travel management
■ eXpert insights partnered with
technology market research firm
AMR Research
■ Conducted in February and March
2010
■ Survey sought to better understand
how companies are currently
embracing social media
■ Understand how travel management
might use these tools in the future

8. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
7Survey Respondent Characteristics by Size and Function
Total Airline Spend
Among Survey
Respondents
Job Function Among
Survey Respondents
The survey generated 90 responses from individuals who are actively
involved in corporate travel management
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

9. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
8Survey Characteristics by Travel Management Influence
Involvement level in company’s purchase of
technology and services that support
Nearly half either solely
responsible or leader of a group
responsible for the decision
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

10. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
9Travel Management Organizational Breakdown
1140 or more
19
20 to less than
40
26
10 to less than
20
342 to less than 10
91
Number of Employees in
Business Travel
Management department
1140 or more
19
20 to less than
40
26
10 to less than
20
342 to less than 10
91
Number of Employees in
Business Travel
Management department
70% of companies surveyed had a
dedicated travel department
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

11. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
10Personal Use of Social Media Significant
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

12. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
11Business Use of Social Media Also Significant
13%
13%
17%
18%
24%
28%
33%
40%
44%
46%
49%
49%
51%
58%
64%
20%
15%
14%
22%
13%
14%
20%
14%
9%
16%
21%
11%
7%
18%
14%
9%
17%
9%
7%
11%
13%
10%
11%
4%
10%
6%
7%
11%
6%
2%
31%
35%
35%
30%
29%
25%
25%
20%
26%
15%
15%
25%
23%
13%
17%
Crowdsourcing
Vlogs
Mashups
Widgets
Tags
RSS
Podcasts
Location based services
Wikis
Forums
Online Video
Web chats
Blogs
Webcasts
Instant messaging
Currently Using
Plan to Use in 6 months
Plan to Use in the Next 12 Months
Have No Plan to Use
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

13. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
12Different Mediums for Different Messages
43%
45%
35%
37%
23%
25%
24%
20%
39%
51%
24%
21%
27%
29%
33%
3%
13%
38%
26%
30%
20%
34%
37%
12%
15%
19%
25%
24%
32%
16%
54%
43%
27%
34%
45%
53%
41%
43%
49%
34%
57%
55%
47%
35%
51%
Solely INTERNAL Communication &
Collaboration
Solely EXTERNAL Communication
& Collaboration
Both INTERNAL & EXTERNAL
Communication & Collaboration
Online Video
Forums
Tags (internet keyword or bookmark)
Mashups
Location based services
RSS (content syndication)
Widgits
Vlogs
Blogs
Wikis (collaborative writing)
Web chats
Webcasts
Podcasts
Crowdsourcing
Instant messaging
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

14. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
13Mid-size Companies Lead Use of Social Media in Travel
50%
33%
67%
50%
59%
41%
More than $10
million
$3.0 million to
$9.9 million
$500,000 to $3
million
NO, we do NOT use social
media to support buisness
travel management
YES, we use social media to
support business travel
management
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

15. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
14Types of Social Media Engagement to Support Travel
33%
35%
43%
45%
41%
63%
We passively scan external social media sites for
information relative to our managed travel program
We post corporate travel information in text form
to public social media site
We post video content to public social media site
We actively engage with a public community
We police public social media sites to ensure
corporate travel policy compliance
We have established an internal site and have built
a community to support improved travel
management
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

16. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
15Specific Platforms to Support Travel with Social Media
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

17. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
16Social Media Activity by Functional Role
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

18. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
17Benefits of Social Media in Managing Travel
3%
15%
6%
18%
25%
18%
8%
18%
34%
26%
42%
43%
44%
27%
I use social netw orking to netw ork w ith other
travel manager / procurement officer peers
I use social netw orking to uncover travel patterns
that could lead to better vendor rates and services
I use social netw orking to encourage travelers to
netw ork w ith each other
I use social netw orking to look for preferred
vendors and services from my travelers
I use social netw orking to learn and communicate
best practices/reduce business cost in travel
I use social netw orking to stay on top of the latest
travel information
I use social netw orking to provide visibility into
traditionally siloed business functions /
departments
Benefits of Social Media
Primary Benefit
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

19. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
18Benefits of Social Media by Company Size
Airline Travel SpendExpected Benefits when Investing or
Considering Social Media Platforms to
Support Travel Management
$500K – $3 Million $3 Million - $10
Million
$10 Million or
more
I use social networking to network with other travel manager
/ procurement officer peers
15% 17% 21%
I use social networking to uncover travel patterns that could
lead to better vendor rates and services
29% 25% 45%
I use social networking to encourage travelers to network
with each other
15% 21% 39%
I use social networking to look for preferred vendors and
services from my travelers
29% 50% 47%
I use social networking to learn and communicate best
practices/reduce business cost in travel
50% 38% 39%
I use social networking to stay on top of the latest travel
information
41% 46% 45%
I use social networking to provide visibility into traditionally
siloed business functions / departments
15% 21% 42%
None / Don't use 12% - 8%
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

20. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
19Panelist Perspective
Tony Brice, VP of Customer Success, Sabre
Karoline Mayr , Senior Manager, Global Travel Procurement, Deltek Inc
Catherine Keane, Manager, New Media, American Express Business Travel

21. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
20Main Reasons for Not Using Social Media to Support Travel
15%
35%
15%
33%
17%
15%
17%
20%
26%
7%
13%
4%
22%
15%
13%
4%
7%
15%
It takes too much effort / I don't have the time
Potential productivity loss / over-use during
w ork hours
Don't know how to use it
Company policy prohibits use / participation
I am not allow ed to access social media sites
w hile at w ork
I don't see the b'nefit
I don't know w hich one to use
They are too overw helming-information
overload and difficult to follow
I don't trust and can't validate the user-
generated content and comments
PRIMARY Reason for Not Using
MAIN Reasons for Not Using
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

22. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
21Limitations of Social Media Tools to Support Travel Today
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

23. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
22Barriers to the Use of Social Media for Travel
Source: American Express Business Travel eXpert insights Research 2010

24. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
23Panelist Perspective
Tony Brice, VP of Customer Success, Sabre
Karoline Mayr , Senior Manager, Global Travel Procurement, Deltek Inc
Catherine Keane, Manager, New Media, American Express Business Travel

25. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
24Recommendations
Listen, Learn, Engage, Repeat
• Be Responsive
• Encourage and Reward
• Define Success
• Beware of Corporate Speak
• Online to Offline
• Partner
• Know What’s Next

26. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
25
About eXpert insightsAbout eXpert insights
eXpert Insights is a dedicated research practice from Global Advisory Services
focused on primary industry research and mining American Express’s $100B+ in
aggregate travel information to objectively identify best practices and program
optimization opportunities for clients on an on-going basis.
In addition to monthly news analysis, eXpert insights publishes Best Practice
Roadmap reports, the annual Global Business Travel Forecast, and the Business
Travel Monitor, the industry’s leading pricing benchmark with detail on average
business traveler fares paid in air, hotel, and car by city and class of service for
hundreds of locations worldwide.
For more information on Global Advisory Services or eXpert Insights
research, please contact advisoryservices@aexp.com.

27. This document contains unpublished confidential and proprietary information of American Express. No disclosure or use of any portion of these materials may be made without the express written consent of American Express.
© 2004 American Express Company
26
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