Is Your Travel & Meetings Policy Still Fit for Purpose?
Policies should evolve alongside your organisation
Travel and Meetings & Events policies exist to provide a clear framework for employees, support consistent decision-making and ensure spending aligns with an organisation's objectives. They help balance commercial, operational and compliance considerations while giving employees the confidence to make informed decisions.
Many organisations regularly review their policies to reflect legislative, regulatory or financial changes, such as HMRC mileage rates or tax updates. However, these reviews don't always ask a more fundamental question:
Does our policy still reflect the way our organisation operates today?
As businesses evolve, so do their priorities. Sustainability commitments, hybrid working, employee wellbeing, accessibility, procurement processes and market conditions have all changed significantly in recent years. A policy that worked well a few years ago may still be compliant, but is it still aligned with your organisation's ethos, your people and the way you plan business travel and meetings today?
Summer can be an ideal time to step back and review whether your Travel & Meetings Policy remains fit for purpose before planning for the busy autumn period and the year ahead.
Travel
Travel policies often focus on controlling spend, but they should also enable employees to travel safely, comfortably and in line with organisational objectives. If travellers regularly request exceptions or find workarounds, it may indicate the policy no longer reflects today's market rather than employees choosing not to follow it.
When reviewing your travel policy, consider:
Accommodation
Hotel rates have changed significantly over recent years, particularly in London and many regional cities. A hotel rate cap that once secured a comfortable four-star property may now provide a very different level of accommodation.
Ask yourself:
Does your accommodation cap still deliver the standard of hotel your organisation expects?
Should hotel limits vary between London and regional locations?
How often are employees requesting exceptions to your accommodation policy?
Meals
Meal allowances should be practical as well as commercially appropriate.
I've worked with organisations whose policies still allow £20 for an evening meal, intended to cover two/three courses and a drink. While that may have reflected expectations when the policy was written, does it still represent how people travel today? Equally, do employees even want three courses, or would a realistic allowance for a main course and a drink better reflect modern business travel?
Questions to consider:
Are meal allowances still realistic?
Do they reflect current market pricing?
Do they support employee wellbeing while maintaining appropriate cost control?
Loyalty programmes
Hotel loyalty programmes have evolved considerably. Many now offer discounted member rates, complimentary upgrades, flexible cancellation and digital check-in.
Yet many corporate travel policies either prohibit loyalty schemes entirely or simply don't mention them.
Consider:
Does your policy provide guidance on hotel loyalty programmes?
Should employees be allowed to collect loyalty benefits?
Could loyalty membership actually improve compliance with preferred suppliers and negotiated rates?
Meetings & Events
Travel policies are often well established, but Meetings & Events policies can develop more organically. Different departments may use different suppliers, approval processes or booking methods, creating inconsistency across the organisation.
A well-designed Meetings & Events policy should do more than control expenditure. It should support better planning, reduce commercial risk and provide employees with confidence throughout the booking process.
Venue sourcing
One area often overlooked is when venue sourcing should actually begin.
Should venue research only start once budgets have been approved, or should indicative costs be obtained earlier to help build a realistic business case?
Equally important is transparency. If venue pricing is being requested solely to support internal approval, rather than for a confirmed event, being open with venue sourcing agents / venues allows expectations to be managed appropriately and helps build stronger long-term supplier relationships.
Questions to ask include:
At what stage should venue sourcing begin?
Does your policy distinguish between exploratory pricing and confirmed venue searches?
Are employees encouraged to be transparent when requesting pricing for budget approval?
When should a specialist venue consultant be involved?
Procurement and governance
Clear governance helps protect both the organisation and the individuals arranging meetings.
Consider:
Who is authorised to source venues?
Who negotiates commercial terms?
Who reviews contracts and cancellation clauses?
Who has authority to sign venue agreements?
When were your preferred suppliers last benchmarked to ensure they still represent best value? Regular benchmarking doesn't necessarily mean changing suppliers, but it does help confirm they remain the right choice. (Read my previous Insight: Booking "The Usual Venue"? Why Benchmarking Matters.)
Delegate experience
Successful meetings are rarely defined by price alone.
Your policy should encourage employees to consider factors such as accessibility, room layout, technology, sustainability and delegate wellbeing alongside cost.
Ask yourself:
Does your policy promote accessibility and inclusivity?
Does it encourage sustainable venue choices where appropriate?
Does it support employees in selecting venues that meet the objectives of the meeting, rather than simply the lowest price?
A policy should support good decisions
The best Travel & Meetings Policies don't create barriers. They provide a practical framework that helps employees make informed decisions while ensuring commercial, operational and compliance considerations have been addressed.
If employees regularly seek exceptions, venue sourcing consistently starts too late, or outdated limits no longer reflect today's market, these may be signs that the policy itself (not the people following it) would benefit from review.
How Venue Path can help
Whether you're reviewing an existing Travel & Meetings Policy, creating one for the first time or simply looking for an independent benchmark, Venue Path can help.
Drawing on extensive experience across venue sourcing, meetings management and consultancy, I can support organisations with:
Reviewing existing Travel & Meetings Policies.
Benchmarking policies against current market conditions and industry best practice.
Designing or updating policies to reflect today's travel, meetings and procurement landscape.
Advising on venue sourcing processes, governance and commercial best practice.
Sometimes a policy doesn't need rewriting; it simply needs reviewing. A fresh perspective can help ensure it continues to support your organisation, your employees and the way you do business today.