Andrew Sheivachman

Bidding for government travel contracts is so complex and onerous that many travel management companies don't even bother. The market is huge, despite CWT and Concur's domination.

Events offer a major opportunity to bring different kinds of people together. Planners need to do more to not just attract but also empower those who have been left out by the traditional paradigms of event design.

Cvent's group booking research shows that consolidation and increased costs have likely caused the hot meetings market in North America to cool down on its platform. It could signal something bad for the sector on the horizon.

It will be fascinating to see whether consumers embrace booking various elements of travel using Google Assistant. Perhaps more interesting is the way that Google Maps has become an all-purpose superapp in recent years.

Meetings and events should reflect the wider world, not just the insular sphere of corporate executives. Planners, though, need better education to create experiences that welcome a more diverse set of attendees.

Eventbrite is getting slammed by investors as costs mount from integrating Ticketfly. The company's core ticketing business is strong, though. It needs to bring new event technology products to market once the Ticketfly quagmire ends.

Travel Leaders has turned to a membership model instead of franchising or partnerships to build out its global presence in the corporate space. It's one way to grow without costly acquisitions, although more acquisitions are probably on the way too.

Many companies doing cool things in corporate travel are flying somewhat under the radar. In a super-conservative industry, outsiders have the potential to change the conversation.

As event technology companies continue to grow, they’re attracting interest from investors who see promise in the sector. The jury is still out on who will be the eventual winners in a super-fragmented global marketplace.

Innovation is slow in corporate travel, mainly due to the entrenched legacy systems that undergird the sector and the complex web of financial incentives that power incumbents. These leaders are doing something different in a space defined by convention.