Sustainability, Data and the Reality of Modern Travel Management

🏨 Insights, Sustainability and the Reality of Travel Management
On 3 July, NATM members gathered at Hilton Garden Inn Oegstgeest for the third NATM Member Meeting of 2025 — an afternoon firmly rooted in real-world practice, data-driven insight and forward-looking education.

🌿 From Ambition to Action: Sustainability in Travel
The programme opened with Glenn Thorsen, Head of Global Business Development at Envest Global.
In Making Sustainability a Real Travel Strategy, he challenged prevailing assumptions with hard data, showing where progress is being made — and where it is not. His message was clear: sustainability only becomes meaningful when it is embedded in airline selection, contracting and policy decisions, supported by transparent, comparable data and long-term monitoring.

🎓 Investing in the Next Generation
A key milestone during the afternoon was the official kick-off of the NATM Business Travel Masterclass, developed in collaboration with Inholland University of Applied Sciences. The roadmap underlined NATM’s commitment to bridging education and practice, and to actively involving travel managers and suppliers in shaping future talent.

🏨 Hospitality in Motion
As host, Thomas Plug offered insights into Hospitality in Motion, sharing how hotels are adapting to changing expectations from corporate clients — balancing flexibility, sustainability and experience.

🧠 Inside the Mind of a Travel Manager
One of the most appreciated sessions came from Priscilla Blokzijl of Enza Zaden. In Behind the Scenes of Corporate Travel, she gave a candid, hands-on view of the daily realities of travel management: stakeholder pressure, policy dilemmas, operational complexity and the constant need to balance cost, care and compliance.

🤝 Co-creation and Dialogue
The afternoon was deliberately interactive, with members working on travel-manager scenarios, buyer and supplier personas, and real-life decision trees. These sessions reinforced a shared understanding: travel management is far more than booking — it is strategic, interdisciplinary and deeply human.

🍽️ Connecting Beyond the Programme
The meeting concluded with a relaxed networking BBQ, providing space for continued conversation and connection in an informal setting.

🙏 With Thanks
Our sincere thanks to the team at Hilton Garden Inn Oegstgeest for their warm hospitality and professional support.

✨ Looking Ahead
The third NATM meeting of 2025 reaffirmed the association’s role as a platform where data meets dialogue, and where today’s challenges are translated into tomorrow’s solutions — together with our members.

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