With thanks to all my readers who are participating in my Weekend Polls feature, here are the results of this past weekend’s poll, which I’ve now closed. 
The core question: How do you manage travel for your executive(s)?

The results: After a false first start (thanks, all, for your patience), I cancelled and closed the original poll and re-published it with a series of nine questions. Here’s the outcome.

65% of Respondents Book 16 or More Business Trips Annually – Travel coordination is clearly on readers’ radars. 27% of respondents book 24 or more business trips annually, and another 38% of respondents book 16 to 23 business trips each year. The numbers look like this:

• 38.46% of respondents book 16 – 23 business trips annually
• 26.92% of respondents book 24+ business trips annually
• 11.54% of respondents book 0 – 4 business trips annually
• 11.54% of respondents book 5 – 10 business trips annually
• 11.54% of respondents book 11 – 15 business trips annually

More than Half of Respondents Coordinate Both Domestic and International Travel – while a quarter of respondents’ focus is on solely international travel. Here’s the breakdown:

• 55% of respondents coordinate both domestic and international travel
• 25% of respondents coordinate primarily international travel
• 20% of respondents coordinate primarily domestic travel

62% of Respondents Manage All Bookings Themselves –  while 15% rely primarily on either travel agents or in-house experts. A full 24% will book domestic travel personally, and turn to travel agents for international travel. See below for the overall picture.

• 62% of respondents book both domestic and international travel themselves
• 24% of respondents book domestic travel themselves, and turn to a travel agent for international travel
•  9% of respondents rely on in-house experts who have responsibility for travel
•  5% of respondents rely primarily on a travel agent for all travel

Airlines: 75% of Respondents Make Choices on Basis of Their Experience and Insights and Travellers’ Preferences – while 20% of respondents’ airline choices are prescribed by their organisation.

• 75% of respondents select airlines on the basis of their insights and experience, and an individual traveller’s preference
• 20% of respondents’ airline choices are prescribed by their organisation
• 5% of respondents selected “Other” and one such respondent expanded by stating it was a combination of both

Efficiencies, Followed Closely by Budgets, Most Impact Respondents’ Choices of Airlines 

• 47.62% of respondents reported that efficiencies – schedules, airport locales, etc. – have the greatest impact on their choice of airlines
• 42.86% of respondents reported that budget has the greatest impact on their choice of airlines
• 4.76% of respondents reported that loyalty/reward program(s) have the greatest impact on their choice of airlines
• 4.76% of respondents selected “Other” and one such respondent expanded by stating that they run with the preferred corporate airline

Accommodation: 75% of Respondents Make Choices on Basis of Their Experience and Insights and Travellers’ Preferences – These results were relatively consistent with factors influencing airline selections.

• 75% of respondents select airlines on the basis of their insights and experience, and an individual traveller’s preference
• 15% of respondents’ airline choices are prescribed by their organisation
• 10% of respondents selected “Other”, and respondents advised that either a combination of the first two options, or price, are factors

Efficiencies Are the Dominant Consideration in Respondents’ Choice of Accommodation

• 69.57% of respondents that efficiencies – meeting or conference site, hotel amenities, proximity to dining, entertainment or transportation – had the greatest impact on accommodation selections
• 26.09% of respondents reported that budget had the greatest impact on their accommodation choices
• 4.34% of respondents reported that loyalty/reward programs had the greatest impact on their accommodation choices

The Majority of Respondents Provide Their Travellers a Combination of Electronic and Hard Copy Itineraries

While there are a number of travel apps out there, none of the respondents reported relying solely on such technology when they send their travellers out the door. Nor are respondents and their travellers entirely paper-reliant. Here’s the breakdown.

• 61.9% of respondents provide their travellers a combination of resources: electronic itineraries through either an app or e-file, plus a hard copy itinerary for backup
• 14.29% of respondents provide their travellers with a hard copy folder or packet containing their itineraries
• 14.29% of respondents provide their travellers with a PDF/other electronic file containing their itineraries
• 9.52% of respondents selected “Other”, and they offered comments such as e-files & hard copy -no apps – all on calendar – no physical paper
• 0.00% of respondents reported that they provide itineraries via a travel app to be accessed via smart phone/other hardware

Provision of  Copies of Itineraries Varies – In this question, I asked whether respondents provide their traveller’s spouse/significant other a copy of the traveller’s itinerary. A very slight majority do so, while more than a quarter of respondents reported that this was not applicable in the case of their traveller(s).

• 34.78% of respondents do provide copies of itineraries to their traveller’s spouse/significant other
• 30.43% of respondents do not provide copies of itineraries to their traveller’s spouse/significant other
• 26.09% of respondents reported that the question was not applicable
• 8.7% of respondents selected “other”, and offered comments such as sometimes and for some. This made sense to me and may reflect that itineraries may be desired for longer or international trips, but not necessarily for domestic travel. It may also reflect that some respondents coordinate travel for more than one executive, and that their approach may vary from one traveller to another.

Watch for the next poll this Thursday

With thanks to reader Jacqui Quigley for the suggestion, I’ll begin publishing polls on Thursdays, effective this week. Check back for opportunity to share your insights with readers around the globe.

You can also find Exceptional EA’s Weekend Polls, and the Results, in the new Exceptional EA LinkedIn Group

I’ve just launched a members’ only Exceptional EA group on LinkedIn, and encourage readers to have a look on LinkedIn and make a (ridiculously simple!) request to join the group.