A company may need to send several employees on a business trip at once – for example, to attend an industry event, conduct team building or business training, undergo special training in other branches of the company, and so on.
When arranging a group business trip, a number of questions arise related to a large number of seconded employees, in particular, how to properly book tickets and hotel accommodation. In this article, we answer these questions and also tell you how you can save on your bookings.
Group travel formats
Depending on the purpose, group business trips can take place in the following formats:
Team building, business training
Off-site team building activities are a great way to improve relationships within a team, increase employee competencies and increase their loyalty. As a rule, this format involves the participation of a large number of company employees, in some cases, one or more departments. The main requirement for the design of such an event is that it should not be exclusively entertaining in nature, but should have a business focus.
Employee training
In contrast to the training format, corporate training, as a rule, is longer in time. For example, a company may send several employees to one of its branches in another city or to a partner company for advanced training or special training.
On-site strategic session
Conducting on-site strategic sessions is a fairly common practice among top management of companies. A change of environment often helps you look at a situation from new angles and helps you find creative solutions. In addition, such sessions on “neutral territory” are a good solution if their participants work in different branches of the company or involve the participation of third-party specialists.
How to book tickets and hotels for a group
A team of employees that goes on a trip for official matters is issued a single business trip. Accordingly, purchasing tickets and booking accommodation are also subject to business travel regulations. What is important to take into account?
As a rule, tickets and hotel accommodation are booked at once for the entire group of employees, and this can be done either by one of their seconded employees or by any other person who has been appointed as a reporting person.
To do this, the employee writes an application to receive the amount for purchasing tickets and booking accommodation for business travelers addressed to the general director. After the purchase, this employee must provide an advance report to the accounting department with all supporting documents attached (tickets, booking confirmation, checks, etc.)
Group booking with One Two Trip for Business
If you use the One Two Trip for Business booking system, you have the opportunity to take advantage of group bookings. A group reservation is considered to be a reservation for 10 or more passengers who plan to travel on the same flight.
When booking a group, you can get a special rate and more favorable conditions than when booking separately. In particular, the following benefits are available to you:
- The same ticket price for all passengers.
- A preliminary passenger list is not required for booking. You can subsequently change passengers in the booking.
- No penalties apply when group size is reduced to 10%.
- Payment can be made in stages.
- Possibility of joint seating of group members even before check-in for the flight.
- For groups of more than 90 people, it is possible to provide a separate check-in counter at the airport.
- You can book tickets for a group 12 months before departure.
- If there are more than 30 people in the group, the airline may provide a free ticket for the guide or group leader.
Make an order for a group
