Latest news with #Utrecht
Travel Daily News
a day ago
- Business
- Travel Daily News
BCD Travel: Data drives smarter travel management
BCD Travel survey reveals data is crucial for travel buyers, aiding cost control, compliance, supplier negotiations, and real-time decision-making through advanced analytics. UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS – BCD Travel surveyed 197 travel buyers from around the world in top industries including manufacturing, life sciences and financial services. The majority of travel buyers surveyed work for large companies with over 10,000 employees;48% have global responsibilities, and 41% report to procurement.The results clearly reflect the importance of using data as a tool to develop their travel programs, including boosting supplier negotiations, improving policy compliance and optimizing travel spend. Priorities When it comes to program priorities, travel buyers list savings and cost control (94%) as extremely or very important. Policy compliance (90%) and duty of care (86%) followed. Data analytics and business intelligence were also highly rated: 82% consider this extremely or very important. The top two data-related priorities include enhancing collaboration with TMCs and travel suppliers around data collection and analysis (48%) and improving data quality (47%). This is followed by consolidating data from different sources (44%), enhancing data analysis (42%), acting on insights (36%) and streamlining data collection (33%). The value of data Indeed, data adds value to travel programs, albeit in different ways. Travel data brings particular value when it comes to negotiating with vendors (65%), improving compliance (59%) and optimizing spend (57%). Challenges Collecting data for data's sake isn't the goal. Rather, understanding the story that data reveals, and turning it into actionable insights, is. Half of the participants struggle with using data proactively versus reactively. This is a significant opportunity for improvement since data can reveal areas for cost savings, traveler behavior trends, and out of policy bookings. BCD captures valuable data from the moment a traveler engages with the TMC. Its configurable technology platform collects, standardizes, normalizes, enriches and shares that data with customers – giving them complete control over their data in real time. APIs allow clients more customization to power their own solutions for traveler security, internet security, sustainability, and more. BCD also uses program travel data with messaging capabilities to influence traveler decisions. This can be used to address policy compliance throughout the trip and remind travelers of key benefits and inclusions, preventing unnecessary purchases like car insurance when it's already included. Further highlights of the report include: Most travel buyers regularly dedicate time to working with travel data. Whereas 74% of respondents have the skills and experience needed to interact with data, 56% prefer to leave working with data to professionals. Although 60% regularly check their dashboards and analyze new data, 40% interact with travel data only when absolutely needed. Lack of time (44%) was the main reason for infrequent interaction with data. TMCs are a major source of travel data for most travel buyers (89%). Respondents report payment and expense solutions (69%) and online booking tools (66%) as their top external data sources. Two in 10 use external data aggregators or consultants. Only one out of 10 use AI to collect, analyze and report travel data. The main reason for employing AI is to save time. Travel buyers consider real-time analytics that allows spotting trends (64%) as the most valuable feature of data analytic tools, followed by built-in dashboards (57%). 'BCD Travel is capturing more data from more sources than ever before,' says Heather Wright, BCD's Vice President, Digital Strategy & Advancement. 'We invest heavily in the consolidation, standardization and normalization of this data, ensuring the most accurate, quality data is provided back to our customers. We deliver this data through a variety of unique solutions that allow our customers to make decisions in real time.' By leveraging advanced analytics and new technologies, BCD offers clients accurate, actionable insights that support their evolving needs. Clients benefit from BCD's data solutions and access to its full-service analytics and insights teams. This empowers smarter decision-making across travel programs.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Romeny scores for Indonesia in World Cup qualifier
Oxford United striker Ole Romeny scored the only goal of the game for Indonesia in a 1-0 win over China in their World Cup qualifier on 24-year-old netted from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time in a victory which guaranteed Indonesia's progress to the fourth round stage of will now need to either win their mini three-team tiebreaker group or finish second and then win a two-legged play-off game to reach World Cup 2026 which is being held in the USA, Canada and strike against China is his third in three international games for Indonesia since gaining citizenship in February this was born in the Netherlands and represented the Dutch national sides at youth level but his grandmother is Indonesian, meaning Romeny was able to switch his scored one goal in 14 Championship games for the U's after signing from Eredivisie club Utrecht in January.
Hospitality Net
5 days ago
- Business
- Hospitality Net
BCD Travel's latest travel buyer report highlights the importance of leveraging travel data to meet program priorities
UTRECHT, The Netherlands – BCD Travel surveyed 197 travel buyers from around the world in top industries including manufacturing, life sciences and financial services. The majority of travel buyers surveyed work for large companies with over 10,000 employees; 48% have global responsibilities, and 41% report to procurement. The results clearly reflect the importance of using data as a tool to develop their travel programs, including boosting supplier negotiations, improving policy compliance and optimizing travel spend. Priorities When it comes to programpriorities, travel buyers list savings and cost control (94%) as extremely or very important. Policy compliance (90%) and duty of care (86%) followed. Data analytics and business intelligence were also highly rated: 82% consider this extremely or very important. The top two data-related priorities include enhancing collaboration with TMCs and travel suppliers around data collection and analysis (48%) and improving data quality (47%). This is followed by consolidating data from different sources (44%), enhancing data analysis (42%), acting on insights (36%) and streamlining data collection (33%). The value of data Indeed, data adds value to travel programs, albeit in different ways. Travel data brings particular value when it comes to negotiating with vendors (65%), improving compliance (59%) and optimizing spend (57%). Challenges Collecting data for data's sake isn't the goal. Rather, understanding the story that data reveals, and turning it into actionable insights, is. Half of the participants struggle with using data proactively versus reactively. This is a significant opportunity for improvement since data can reveal areas for cost savings, traveler behavior trends, and out of policy bookings. BCD captures valuable data from the moment a traveler engages with the TMC. Its configurable technology platform collects, standardizes, normalizes, enriches and shares that data with customers – giving them complete control over their data in real time. APIs allow clients more customization to power their own solutions for traveler security, internet security, sustainability, and more. BCD also uses program travel data with messaging capabilities to influence traveler decisions. This can be used to address policy compliance throughout the trip and remind travelers of key benefits and inclusions, preventing unnecessary purchases like car insurance when it's already included. Further highlights of the report include: Most travel buyers regularly dedicate time to working with travel data. Whereas 74% of respondents have the skills and experience needed to interact with data, 56% prefer to leave working with data to professionals. Although 60% regularly check their dashboards and analyze new data, 40% interact with travel data only when absolutely needed. Lack of time (44%) was the main reason for infrequent interaction with data. TMCs are a major source of travel data for most travel buyers (89%). Respondents report payment and expense solutions (69%) and online booking tools (66%) as their top external data sources. Two in 10 use external data aggregators or consultants. Only one out of 10 use AI to collect, analyze and report travel data. The main reason for employing AI is to save time. Travel buyers consider real-time analytics that allows spotting trends (64%) as the most valuable feature of data analytic tools, followed by built-in dashboards (57%). 'BCD Travel is capturing more data from more sources than ever before,' says Heather Wright, BCD's vice president, Digital Strategy & Advancement. 'We invest heavily in the consolidation, standardization and normalization of this data, ensuring the most accurate, quality data is provided back to our customers. We deliver this data through a variety of unique solutions that allow our customers to make decisions in real time.' By leveraging advanced analytics and new technologies, BCD offers clients accurate, actionable insights that support their evolving needs. Clients benefit from BCD's data solutions and access to its full-service analytics and insights teams. This empowers smarter decision-making across travel programs. To view the full data survey report, click here. About BCD Travel BCD Travel helps companies travel smart and achieve more. We drive program adoption, cost savings and talent retention through digital experiences that simplify business travel. Our 15,000+ dedicated team members service clients in 170+ countries as we shape a sustainable future for business travel. BCD's leading meetings and events management and global consultancy services complete our comprehensive suite of solutions for all aspects of corporate travel. In 2024, BCD achieved US$22.9 billion in sales. For more information, visit
CNA
6 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
Dutch car sharing firm adds Renault EVs capable of powering local grid
LONDON/PARIS :Dutch car sharing firm MyWheels will plug in the first of 500 grid-connectable Renault EVs to its fleet in the Netherlands this week, expanding the number of vehicles in Europe capable of strengthening the power grid as the technology gains traction. Vehicle-to-grid technology, known as V2G, allows electric vehicles to store power and provide it to the electricity grid at times of peak demand. The technology has been available for several years but only recently became commercially viable after the introduction of smart charging technology and batteries able to sustain intensive usage. The rollout by MyWheels will be the largest V2G car-sharing scheme in Europe and the largest addition of V2G-enabled cars in the region. It follows growing concern about grid stability after a major blackout in Spain and Portugal this year, and sabotage to power supply in southern France during this year's Cannes film festival, which have triggered more interest in a technology that can help balance fluctuating supply and demand, said Kees Koolen, an investor in We Drive Solar, the Dutch producer of the special chargers used in the project. 'It feels like we're at a tipping point,' said Koolen, who estimated that the project in the Dutch city of Utrecht has cost around 100 million euros ($114 million) to develop. The global V2G market was worth $3.4 billion in 2024, according to Global Market Insights, and is expected to grow by 38 per cent annually between 2025 and 2034 to reach $80 billion. The Netherlands is an early adopter of V2G technology due to ambitious plans to electrify its transport and heating systems while also moving to renewables. Japan's Nissan has also recently supplied dozens of V2G-enabled Leaf and Ariya models to France and Spain. MyWheels says 500 of Renault's V2G-compatible cars, including its electric R5, will be on the road by next year. When not driving, the cars will be plugged into We Drive Solar's bidirectional chargers and the scheme's operators will be paid for electricity absorbed and sold to the grid. Grids have become increasingly unstable with growing electrification and as more intermittent renewable energy is fed into the system. 'Our research shows that vehicle-to-grid technology could allow the growing electric vehicle fleet to become a significant asset to the grid, with vast storage potential locked up in electric vehicles,' said Madeleine Brolly, advanced transport analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. A key challenge ahead will be standardisation across manufacturers, which will be needed for it to be adopted at scale, she added.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Dutch car sharing firm adds Renault EVs capable of powering local grid
LONDON/PARIS, June 4 (Reuters) - Dutch car sharing firm MyWheels will plug in the first of 500 grid-connectable Renault EVs to its fleet in the Netherlands this week, expanding the number of vehicles in Europe capable of strengthening the power grid as the technology gains traction. Vehicle-to-grid technology, known as V2G, allows electric vehicles to store power and provide it to the electricity grid at times of peak demand. The technology has been available for several years but only recently became commercially viable after the introduction of smart charging technology and batteries able to sustain intensive usage. The rollout by MyWheels will be the largest V2G car-sharing scheme in Europe and the largest addition of V2G-enabled cars in the region. It follows growing concern about grid stability after a major blackout in Spain and Portugal this year, and sabotage to power supply in southern France during this year's Cannes film festival, which have triggered more interest in a technology that can help balance fluctuating supply and demand, said Kees Koolen, an investor in We Drive Solar, the Dutch producer of the special chargers used in the project. 'It feels like we're at a tipping point,' said Koolen, who estimated that the project in the Dutch city of Utrecht has cost around 100 million euros ($114 million) to develop. The global V2G market was worth $3.4 billion in 2024, according to Global Market Insights, and is expected to grow by 38% annually between 2025 and 2034 to reach $80 billion. The Netherlands is an early adopter of V2G technology due to ambitious plans to electrify its transport and heating systems while also moving to renewables. Japan's Nissan has also recently supplied dozens of V2G-enabled Leaf and Ariya models to France and Spain. MyWheels says 500 of Renault's V2G-compatible cars, including its electric R5, will be on the road by next year. When not driving, the cars will be plugged into We Drive Solar's bidirectional chargers and the scheme's operators will be paid for electricity absorbed and sold to the grid. Grids have become increasingly unstable with growing electrification and as more intermittent renewable energy is fed into the system. 'Our research shows that vehicle-to-grid technology could allow the growing electric vehicle fleet to become a significant asset to the grid, with vast storage potential locked up in electric vehicles,' said Madeleine Brolly, advanced transport analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. A key challenge ahead will be standardisation across manufacturers, which will be needed for it to be adopted at scale, she added.
