Have travel, event, or motivational questions? Ask Russ! Russ is the man. He can answer any question you have related to work travel, events, and team motivation. Have a question that you would like considered for an article? Ask Russ! Recent Articles 07/19/11: Weather report says Logistical Storm on the horizon. Here is what you can do... Dear Russ I work in the meeting and events department of my company and our company recently experienced a reorganization. During this company change we now have assistants and secretaries jumping in to assist with booking travel arrangements for the groups and meetings. What was designed to be helpful to me has turned into a logistical nightmare. I’ve lost control of the travel component of the meetings and it’s resulted in; wasted hours of cross checking arrivals and departures, finding a mass amount of double bookings, no consistency in communications between staff and participants, errors on printed materials going out to attendees and most important…missed opportunities to save money for my company! In cases like these does it make sense to use TEAM to handle all the air travel for my group even when we have access to an in-house travel department? Signed Stuck in the eye of a logistical storm Dear Stuck, Wow, first of all the mess you’ve landed is going to take more than caramel latte and a stress relief massage to get over! The short answer to your question is … YES, TEAM should most certainly be your first logical place to turn to make your meeting or event a success. I love it when I’m asked a question like this because it gives me the opportunity to toot-my-horn and let people know what we do best. I’m not sure if you’ve had a chance to see our web site but let me highlight the services we provide that will be a good fit for you and your company. TEAM understands that whenever you’re coordinating a meeting or event of any size it will ALWAYS make sense to centralize as many components as possible. The reason you MUST get this bull by the horns early in the process is that you want to be able to offer a “one stop” booking process for all the attendees. This is important because at the end of the day, you as the company travel planner, will need to have access to all information on all participants. You also need to make sure that ALL attendees are following your company travel policy and are compliant with all company safety rules and regulations. TEAM’s seasoned coordinators and our flexible on-line registration system will ensure the following from start to finish… • All travel arrangements are confirmed at the best possible fare, that E-tickets are properly issued, and that everyone is compliant with your company travel policy. • We monitor all flights and are able to quickly assist the traveler with any travel issues, weather delays, canceled flights, last minute changes, and personal emergencies. • We ensure that their frequent flyer numbers have been entered and we’ve requested the seating they prefer. • We collect ALL pertinent data on each attendee; TSA information, cell numbers, emergency contacts, allergies, special needs, etc. • When you take advantage of our On-Site staff, our technology travels with us on-site, so an attendee can have “face-to-face” assistance at any time during their meeting, and their changes can be instantly made to their reservations and new documents issued. • We secure and monitor all ground transportation needs for your group, and make it cost effective so you make the best use of the vehicles. We ensure the vehicles meet all the safety requirements listed in your travel policy. • We will negotiate your hotel contract on your behalf, secure all payments, monitor the rooming list and provide all attendees with the proper confirmation numbers and detailed itinerary. • We can coordinate all your meeting space and needs. Our on-site staff will advance every meeting to ensure when your attendees arrive in the meeting room that it is comfortable and has everything they need for a productive meeting. • We secure all menus for all meal functions and on site activities. • We can create team building activities as well as off site meal functions and activities. • If your group is an incentive, then we can create “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences that your attendees will cherish forever! • We handle all billing and provide you with whatever reports you may need at any time. • We are holding your hand every step of the way and make sure that everything is as you wish. Because of our unique company structure we are able to offer high-end boutique concierge service but without the high-end price! So Stuck, as you can see we are a cost effective and efficient way for your company to facilitate your meetings and events. If you would like me to contact you directly to review any of these services in detail, please email me at russ@theteamgroup.com or call 800-414-3057. I welcome the opportunity to rescue you from the eye of your logistical storm. Travel well Read More... 04/25/11: TSA's new imaging systems...Is it a GLOWING report Dear Russ, I’ve noticed recently in my travels, that I’m seeing more of those scanner machines for people at the security check points. I actually went through one at the Los Angeles airport. They don’t really tell you much about them and of course everyone is in such a hurry to just get through the security line, but do they actually X-ray your whole body? Is it safe? With all the talk about radiation these days, I thought I would ask Russ. Signed Reluctant to Radiate Dear Reluctant, You are 100% correct with regards to seeing more of the Advanced Imaging Technology at more and more airport security screening check points. The TSA originally previewed them in 2007, but in March of 2010 they aggressively started to deploy them to more airports. Are they safe? The short answer is “Yes”. There are two types of these scanners and in short they generate one thousand times less radiation then your cell phone. Do they X-ray your entire body? The short answer is “yes-sort of”. The scanners actually show the TSA agent a sort of “chalk etching” of your whole body, but the software in the system quickly locates any areas of concern. Once your scan is complete it is then deleted from the system. For more information, go to the following web site… www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/index.shtm The bottom line is Safety for everyone flying, working or visiting our airports. So it is safe to say when you meet your loved one on arrival you will be glowing from excitement to see them and not from radiation. Travel well, Russ Read More... 09/16/10: Why is Big Brother watching? Dear Russ, My travel agent told me that if I want to book a flight reservation, I have to provide them with not only my name, but my full birth date and gender. She told me she has to give this info to the TSA security at the airport. She also said that I will not be able to purchase a ticket without this information. Is this really true? What will they want next my social security number??? Signed Big Brother’s watching Dear Big Brother, Yes what you are being told is true, but let me clear it up for you as it seems you don’t have the entire story… This past year the TSA (The agency that controls the security at our nation’s airports) has been rolling out a passenger security program to screen for terrorist and illegal people that may try to travel on airlines that service the United States. This program is called TSA Secure Flight. Beginning November 1, 2010 anyone traveling within the domestic U.S. or points beyond is required to provide the following “Secure Flight Passenger Data” whenever purchasing an airline ticket… • Your name as it appears on your government issued photo ID (Driver’s license for domestic flights, Passport for international flights) • Your actual date of birth (date, month and year) • Your gender (male/female) The TSA has required that ALL AIRLINES collect this information at the time of booking so they can transmit it directly into the TSA system. The TSA maintains programs in their system to detect if that passenger is legally allowed to fly. There is NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy and 100% compliance is mandatory! Most airlines will not allow a passenger to obtain a ticket without this information at the time of booking. The TSA can actually fine an airline up to $27,500 per passenger if it’s determined that a passenger flew without this information in their reservation. The airlines have asked all travel agencies to collect this information for each passenger they book and have provide travel agents with special formats to transmit the information electronically to both the airline and the TSA. So my friend, this is easy information to provide to ensure you have a safe flight. Be sure to “thank” your travel agent for doing a good job and collecting this information in advance, because if she had not, you would find yourself in a VERY long special security line at the airport for those passengers with reservations not containing Secure Flight Passenger Data. Travel well, Russ Read More...   rss | atom | powered by nucleus cms