By Laura Busby
How collective strength, intelligent negotiation and shared ambition continue to reshape parity and performance in UK corporate travel.
With a 30+ year career in travel management, having built and led commercial teams in a large TMC where we built our own programme with our own volumes, then moving to lead one of the best consortiums in the sector, Focus Travel, and now applying that knowledge and wisdom in a smaller TMC but with significant growth aspirations, I think I offer a unique perspective not many of my peers are able to.
I’ve experienced the ups and downs of own programme creation and management that’s not without its challenges; staying relevant and alert to fluctuating volumes, sustainable to the transitions of customer retention and growth, and the right people to run it, not to mention the cost. And I’ve experienced the value and competitiveness of both running and being part of a consortium; the ‘grunt’ work being done by a central team behind the scenes on behalf of its members, and the positioning and value articulation to the suppliers involved, hungry to be a part of it. And I’ve seen the benefit and ‘leg up’ it gives consortium members, and the ability to compete on price, equivalent to any of the ‘big players’ allowing smaller agencies to punch above their weight without compromise. Those experiences have shaped my belief that consortium air fare and hotel programmes are among the most powerful tools for driving parity, scale, and commercial confidence in our sector, but aren’t shouted about enough.
From both an efficiency of supplier distribution and communication to a travel management agent company applying the benefits to their customers through online and off distribution, there is something genuinely transformative where independent strength and bespoke specialism meets and benefits from collective power. Consortium buying doesn’t just deliver favourable rates; it redefines how we as travel management companies compete, collaborate, and creates mutual value to customers and suppliers, with a good consortium being the glue that is the enabler.
From scale to parity
At its best, a consortium gives parity. In a global industry where size often dictates uptake, consortiums unite the buying volume and strategic insight of independent TMCs to create opportunities once reserved for the biggest players. It’s not simply about reducing cost, we use it to shape value, accelerate influence, and unlock leverage that benefits every client.
As I saw in my previous role running a consortium, airlines listen when a unified voice speaks. When a collective of TMCs bring their combined client base, market intelligence and commercial volume to the negotiation table, the conversation has resonance and power. Fares become more dynamic and relevant, flexibility improves, and programme conditions adapt to real business travel behaviours and demand.
Consortium air fare agreements aren’t static, they evolve through constant performance, aggregated data, and shared accountability. I still recall the exhilaration hearing from airlines that the discounting had parity with the very best deals in the sector, and the gratification of knowing how those benefits would be passed to the business traveller, combined with a fantastic level of service.
Hotel programmes and aggregated value
Hotel buying through a consortium has exactly the same benefits, and for Identity Travel, being part of Advantage Travel Partnership has similar benefits, allowing us access to fantastic deeply discounted rates via their Global Accommodation Programme in over 60,000 hotels and serviced apartments worldwide, with enhanced benefits such as upgrades, free breakfasts and parking. Done well, it delivers wider benefit than discounted rates alone, it creates aggregated leverage and influence such as improved cancellation terms, loyalty advantages and direct relationships with hotel partners who appreciate aggregated consistency and a visible route to market.
Independence with collective strength
So, the benefit to us and our clients of consortium buying? Well, we don’t dilute our independence, instead we retain our own identity, service style, and culture, while sharing in collective data, supplier intelligence and purchasing power. Collaboration without compromise means stronger competition, happier clients, and a healthier engaged supplier community.
For me, as a TMC we are always under the microscope in a market where parity often dictates competitiveness, consortium buying remains one of the most effective strategies for progress. It blends our independence with interdependence and transforms market positioning for smaller more flexible agents such as us.
A proven model for growth
When I led a consortium, I saw the results realise quickly and repeatable year on year: suppliers wanted to be a part of it due to the demonstrable value and single clear route to market, enabling deeper supplier collaboration, and an unmistakable rise in brand authority for its members, which we as Identity Travel continue to benefit to this day.
Knowing what I know now, I wish had championed the strength of consortium buying more throughout my career, but its never to late to keep learning. I joined Identity and the previously named Beyond Business Travel as I loved the ambition and challenge; it’s a fresh, exciting chapter built on the basic principle of combining great talent and tech to create purposeful solutions to meet a client’s needs. With the leverage we enjoy from consortium being, we’re proving that that scale of impact doesn’t always depend on size, its all about the intent.
