April 2017

8 APAC / April 2017 , 1702AP08 Taking Great Care of Business Gary Bender of World Corporate Travel talks to us about the travel industry and how the firm differentiates itself from the competition. For more than 20 years corporate companies of all sizes from a cross-section of industries have been using World Corporate Travel (wct) for Corporate Travel and Event Management services. Wct has proven that these two core components of the business work hand-in hand and there is a dedicated team for each that offer a comprehensive range of services. Gary Bender tells us more. “Our Corporate Travel Management expertise provides clients with peace of mind that their travel requirements are being looked after efficiently and effectively to ensure financial goals are being met, the companies travel policy is being adhered to and that travellers are provided with seamless itineraries for their business travel. Risk management and duty of care is part of our service and very important to wct and our clients. “Event Management services include destination research, budgeting, registration, production and onsite management for conferences, incentive programs, group travel, road shows, awards dinners and more. A crucial part of what we do for our clients is to provide a concept that will win the hearts and minds of their delegates to reinforce their brand. The firm’s overall mission is to provide clients with a customer experience that reflects its passion for travel, events and personal service. “In our eyes it can be the small things that make a difference,” Gary elaborates. “Our team know our clients, know our business and are experts in what they do. “Wct invests in technology that allows us to provide our clients with the highest level of service and invests in staff that are creative, strategic and experienced, therefore our travellers feel like VIPS and receive a level of service not available with larger travel companies. “For events we strive to win the hearts and minds of delegates to create life long memories that they associate with our client’s brand. When undertaking a new project, each company wct works with has different corporate travel objectives and no two events are ever the same. “We are well- adapted to working with a diverse range of requirements,” explains Gary. “However, our fundamental steps for each new project are the same. We begin by asking clients what their objectives are and from this foundation we create a strategy using our team’s knowledge, experience and global contacts. “The best possible outcome is achieving and exceeding our clients’ objectives and expectations. “In our industry where trends are always changing and it is competitive not many companies can say that they have had clients for over 20 years, that’s the difference – wct care and move with our clients trends to ensure we are always providing longevity and forward thinking. “In a world where there are so many options clients can find it hard to choose the right fit for their travel and events’ needs, wct provides an option that gives peace of mind and our clients investments are protected by means of wct’s comprehensive insurances and the fact that we are IATA licensed, ATAS and Magellan Group members.” Gary has a very strong presence within the industry. He is the Chairperson of the Meetings Events Australia NSW PCO special interest group and attends regular senior industry meetings. The GM, Simone King, also travels to various, relevant events to stay abreast with current information and travel developments. “The team are very proactive in providing our suppliers with feedback, requesting updates and are very proactive with professional development,” says Gary. To this end, Wct has a team which shares the same vision and values, and embraces the company’s practices. “We have a low turnover of personnel and great length of service. We provide a nurturing working environment and develop our team to achieve their best. An asset and strength of wct is that we are a close team, all with strong work ethics, inter- communication to benefit each other’s strengths and the skills to create a personal rapport with our customers. In terms of hiring staff we have a number of freelance personnel to call on if we need additional hands on deck.” The future for the firm looks very bright indeed, as Gary enthuses: “Wct is working on an exciting project in partnership with Tourism Portfolio. We are launching a new industry tradeshow in July 2017. Get Global provides an effective and efficient business platform for international suppliers to connect with corporate meeting planners, incentive houses, PCO’s, travel companies and anyone else that has international group business from Australia. We are excited about the opportunities that businesses will have to connect and this is one example of how we stay ahead in our industry – we create ideas and make them happen. “The world is changing at a fast pace and this can affect the way in which business is done. Wct knows that there is a need to be mobile with applications linked to the agency and we have the foresight to know when we need to be proactive in case of an emergency rather than reactive.”