People keep telling me ‘Size doesn’t matter’

We’re told nowadays that size doesn’t matter, it’s how you use your assets that makes all the difference. Personally, I can’t tell you what a relief that is.

Because at Meon, we like not being the biggest TMC, it gives us lots of advantages. Yes, I know what you’re thinking; agility, personal service etc are all very well, but what I want is buying power. You’re not wrong; but let me explain.

Everybody thinks globally and believes they have to deal with the Big 4 TMCs because of the power they wield with the world’s airlines and hotel groups. But we forget that once you get to a certain size, airlines can’t afford to dilute their product and don’t want to give you discounts, because if they do that, they lose a lot of money. Think about it, give two million discounts of even a few pounds and that’s a lot off a carrier’s bottom line, so airlines don’t play that game any more.

Buying power only works up to a point; suppliers will give a good deal only until they start to hit net loss. And that won’t happen when they deal with a smaller outfit like us, that delivers growth and innovation. So bigger isn’t necessarily better.

It’s the same when it comes to service levels. Saying that you use a big TMC sounds impressive, but in the TMC’s inbox, you’re number 7,000-something in the queue, somewhere between a yoga retreat and a mining company in Dusseldorf. Get too big as a TMC and your global reach ends up being a global voicemail – if your travel provider has to use a spreadsheet to remember your name, you’re not being served.

That’s why people come to us, not because they want buying power, but because they want a relationship. A specialist TMC builds a real rapport and cares whether you get your favourite aisle seat - it doesn’t need a team of 12 just to remember who you are.

I think current sentiment is with us on this; procurement is now more about taking into account travellers’ needs rather than just those of the finance director. Buyers understand those who travel are the company’s biggest asset and need to be looked after properly. They recognise cheap isn’t always cheerful.

So my advice is don’t be fooled by mega TMCs that say they will save you 2%. What you need is one that offers empathy and efficiency, that can save you 10 times that.

There really are few things in life where bigger is always better – legroom on a long flight is an exception, I concede – but in the case of TMCs, smaller is beautiful and if not cheaper, definitely more pleasurable - and better value.