Flight Centre relaunches FCM Meetings & Events as corporates look to spend

The ASX-listed travel business will relaunch its corporate meetings and events business to position it for global opportunities as Australian companies look to spend big on conferences.

Flight Centre will relaunch its FCM Meetings and Events division as it looks for new global opportunities.

Flight Centre will conduct a global relaunch of its FCM Meetings and Events division to position it for growth opportunities as Australian businesses lead a sharp increase in the amount corporations spend on travel to conferences.

The repositioning comes after business travel has rebounded from the depths of the pandemic, as more than four in 10 plan to spend more on flights this financial year, despite the threat of a weakening economy.

FCM Meetings and Events, which was shut at the start of 2020 and returned last year, will undertake a recruitment drive to underpin an expansion into United Arab Emirates and South Africa, taking its workplace to nearly 400.

FCM Meetings and Events general manager Simone Seiler told The Australian the relaunch by the Flight Centre division would enable it to add more scale and consistency as it looked to expand outside its strongest markets of Australia, India and Mexico.

“Globalising the FCM Meetings and Events business will allow us to add consistency and scale for customers looking for a global meetings and events provider, with hub offices in all four regions, global consistency but with local nuance to understand specific client needs,” she said.

“Our global vision for the future of meetings and travel management is centred on innovation, sustainability, accessibility and seamless integration of technology to enhance the overall experience for our clients.”

It comes as research by the brand showed a third of all Australian businesses now spent more than 50 per cent of yearly travel budgets towards the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions market, compared with 28 per cent globally.

Simone Seiler says the relaunch will allow Flight Centre's FCM Meetings & Events division to achieve greater sale.

The survey of FCM corporate clients reported that 54 per cent of all companies said conferences, conventions and trade shows were the main reason for travel while meetings with customers and internal events were also strong drivers for travel. Flight Centre’s corporate division counts Wesfarmers, Optus and Toyota as major clients.

Flight Centre told The Australian last month that business travel had become viewed as an essential for corporations as many view meetings, conferences and events as key to winning new contracts and expanding networks.

As well as seeking new opportunities in North America, Asia and Europe, the conferencing arm of Flight Centre’s corporate travel division will reposition to deliver a unified offering, leveraging itself as a subsidiary of FCM Travel, and harnessing its global scale but with regional customisation.

“By combining our expertise in event management with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability, we aim to lead the industry in creating future-proof, impactful and responsible meetings and events,” Ms Seiler said.

As part of the relaunch, FCM Meetings & Events has welcomed a new global director of enterprise sales into its London office, Joanne Shaw.

Originally published as Flight Centre relaunches FCM Meetings & Events as corporates look to spend