Discussion notes from the June 2026 Buyer Knowledge Exchange, covering duty of care and travel risk management in response to Middle East tensions, hotel rate visibility and auditing challenges, hotel RFP strategy, consultancy partner evaluation and the evolving role of TMCs in an AI-driven travel landscape. Includes buyer benchmarking, poll results and practical examples shared by corporate travel managers.

The June 2026 Buyer Knowledge Exchange brought together corporate travel buyers to discuss current challenges and opportunities shaping managed travel programmes.

Key topics included:

• Duty of care and travel restrictions following recent Middle East developments.

• Best practice approaches for implementing global duty of care programmes.

• Hotel rate visibility, rate loading issues and auditing strategies within online booking tools.

• Hotel RFP preparation, consultancy partner selection and benchmarking approaches.

• Hotel negotiation tactics and programme compliance challenges.

• The future role of Travel Management Companies (TMCs) amid advances in AI, NDC and changing traveller expectations.

• Balancing technology innovation with high-quality human service and account management.