In this article, you'll learn the following:
Planning a business trip can be stressful, but when you are tasked with organising one for your boss, the pressure to get everything perfect escalates even further. From making an itinerary to choosing a hotel and booking restaurants, there are a lot of things to remember to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Even though there can be a lot involved in the planning process, at South Western Railway, we’ve ensured that our trains cater to all your business travel needs. With easy accessibility to an array of business hubs on our network, and numerous business friendly onboard facilities, at least there is one element of the trip you don’t have to worry about!
That’s one thing sorted, and we’ve composed an ultimate checklist of the other important things to consider when planning your boss’ next business trip.
Get organised
When you’re given the responsibility of planning a business trip for your boss, the pressure is on to ensure that every element of the trip runs smoothly. Preparation is key, and it’s essential to get organised early on so that everything goes to plan.
Know their preferences
To guarantee success, it’s best to keep your boss’ preferences at the forefront of your mind. Does your boss go for a run every morning? Are they allergic to certain foods? Do they like a wake up call at the hotel?
To ensure that your boss has a productive and enjoyable trip, no detail is too small. Go the extra mile in every element of the trip and your boss will be sure to thank you for it later.
Itinerary
Creating an itinerary for the business trip is a key part of the planning process, and it's essential that nothing is left out. You should note how many meetings there are, who will be in attendance and the level of participation or preparation required from your boss for each one.
The itinerary should be clear and concise, prioritising the information that your boss needs so that they are not overwhelmed with details. If possible, this itinerary should be created and distributed in advance of the trip, so that they have time to familiarise themselves with the plan and make any necessary revisions.
Plan travel arrangements
If you’re planning a trip within the UK, train travel eliminates all the unnecessary stress associated with business travel, with the South Western Railway network providing access to a wide range of hubs.
With our Business Direct service, it’s easy to choose travel times that are suited to your boss’ needs. Remember to book your tickets in advance, and remind your boss to always have easy access to their tickets (either digital or hard copy) whilst travelling.
Our onboard facilities allow them to work with ease whilst on the go. Although we can recommend some train travel accessories which might heighten your productivity, our services should provide everything you need for an efficient and effective trip. With convenience at the core of all SWR services, your boss will arrive on time, refreshed and ready to work!
Do your research
When the location for the business trip is decided, you should take the time to familiarise yourself with the area. Take note of the best business hotels, restaurants and other amenities in the vicinity that could be utilised for the trip, and make your choices based on these considerations.
For added convenience, consider co-ordinating your plans with your fellow colleagues, so that the business trip can run as smoothly as possible.
Choose a business hotel
Based on your research, you should choose a hotel within easy access of the meeting site (or if possible, try and stay onsite if the venue chosen is a hotel) and which has all the necessary amenities that your boss requires during his stay.
Try and select a hotel which is also within easy access of the train station, as this will facilitate both your boss’ arrival and departure from the meeting venue.
Since business trips often don’t remain within 9-5 hours, there are some extra elements to consider to make sure your boss is happy at all hours of the day!
Restaurants
If the business trip spans a few days, it’s important to make arrangements for meal times. Whilst the hotel or meeting venue might naturally cater for breakfast and lunch, you should incorporate dinner plans into the itinerary.
Research the most popular restaurants in the area, keeping in mind proximity to the hotel, your boss’ preferences and price (in line with expensing procedures). If your boss has any dietary requirements, or if anyone in the party requires vegetarian or vegan options, you should inform the restaurant beforehand to ensure everyone is catered for.
Leisure activities
Free time to rest and recuperate is essential to a productive business trip, but it is also a nice touch to include these recommendations to show that you have your boss’ needs at the forefront of the planning process.
Attention to detail is key to any successful business trip, and your boss will likely appreciate it if you factor free time into what could be a gruelling business schedule. To ensure that your boss gets the most from this time, put together a list of recommendations of parks, gyms, cinemas and other leisure activities which you think would be best suited to their needs.
During the trip
Even though you may think your work is done once the planning is complete and your boss is en route, there are still a few things to keep in mind during the trip itself.
Remain contactable
Whilst your rigorous planning and foresight should prevent any issues, it is important to remain alert to any requests your boss may have during the trip itself. Remind your boss that you are available if they have any questions about arrangements, or if they need to change plans in line with their colleagues or clients as the conference or meeting develops.
Report
After the trip has concluded, you might be asked to compose a report on the meetings that took place, and the issues which were resolved or raised during the conference or talks themselves. Your boss may also be required to share their findings or compose a knowledge share for their team members, so a follow up internal meeting or presentation might also need to be arranged.
Make sure that you have correlated all the necessary information for your boss, to aid their ability to put this together for the benefit of the wider team.
Ready to get stuck in? Check out our Business Direct service and set up an account to benefit from the best value corporate train tickets, no booking fees and the option to analyse CO2 emissions and expenditure.
