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If you were 21 again and thinking about your future career, would you choose business travel?
That was one of the questions we put to the room during The Talent Reality Check – a Generation BTA session I helped run at the BTA Autumn Conference in Benidorm.
The session was designed to get people talking honestly about how we attract, retain and inspire the next generation of industry talent. We wanted to challenge assumptions, hear different perspectives and, importantly, come away with practical ideas.
Most of us fell into business travel.
Ask people across the business travel industry how they started their careers and you’ll hear all sorts of stories. But during our session, there was broad agreement in the room that very few had actively set out to work in the sector.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. People may have arrived here unexpectedly, but many have stayed, progressed and built successful careers.
The problem is what that tells us about the next generation.
If young people don’t know about careers in business travel when they’re considering their options, how can we expect them to choose one?
One of the challenges discussed during the session was the visibility of business travel within education. Despite the breadth of opportunities our industry can offer, business travel isn’t something students routinely encounter when learning about careers in travel and tourism.
And there really is breadth.
Technology, sustainability, data, account management, sales, marketing, operations, events, finance, people, procurement – the list goes on.
Perhaps we don’t have a talent problem as much as an awareness problem.
Of course, getting people through the door is just the beginning.
Our workshops explored two connected questions: what are the biggest barriers to attracting new talent into business travel, and what makes the next generation want to build their career here?
We also challenged ourselves on whether the culture of our industry reflects what younger generations want from work.
Because there’s little point doing a brilliant job of telling someone about the opportunities available if what they experience when they arrive doesn’t live up to that promise.
Career progression, work-life balance, leadership and organisational culture all formed part of the conversation.
Different generations and individuals will naturally want different things from work. Our challenge isn’t to second-guess them. It’s to keep listening and create an industry where people can see opportunities to develop, progress and build a career that works for them.
The conversations in Benidorm highlighted that there’s no single answer to the talent challenge.
But awareness feels like an important place to start.
If we want more people to actively choose careers in business travel, we need to reach them earlier, show them the breadth of opportunities available and give them a clearer picture of where a career in our industry could take them.
There is already work happening to close that gap.
Generation BTA LIVE brought more than 300 students together with 19 TMC and supplier partners in Manchester earlier this year. An Education Partnership is connecting colleges and universities directly with BTA members, helping the industry reach future talent earlier. And the Generation BTA Board brings together 14 next-generation voices to help shape policy, culture and industry engagement.
These are important steps, but changing perceptions won’t happen through one organisation, one careers event or one conference session.
I’m glad I fell into business travel.
It’s given me opportunities, experiences and connections I couldn’t have predicted when I was starting my career. And judging by the conversations in Benidorm, I’m far from alone.
But perhaps the goal for the next generation should be different.
Instead of hearing “I fell into business travel” quite so often, I’d love us to hear more people say:
“I chose it.”
Because if we can show people earlier just how much this industry has to offer – and make sure the reality lives up to that promise when they arrive – we’ll be in a much stronger position to build the talent our industry needs for the future.
Daniel Mitchell is Head of Marketing at Inntel and a member of the Generation BTA Board. With an extensive marketing background across the travel industry, Daniel has helped grow and develop Inntel’s marketing team, while strengthening the brand and showcasing the people and expertise behind it.