by Joanne Emerson | Mar 4, 2024 | News, Uncategorized
To begin our commemoration of International Women’s Day #inspireinclusion, we spoke to Focus Travel Partnership Board Director, Wendy Walker, about her trailblazing career and the importance of IWD. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I have been in the...
by Joanne Emerson | Oct 17, 2023 | Uncategorized
Focus Travel Partnership, the UK’s largest consortium of independent SME travel management companies, has announced the appointment of Dani Ives as Commercial Manager. Dani Ives joined Focus almost four years ago as Events Manager, before being promoted to Partnership...
by Barry Higgott | Feb 20, 2023 | Uncategorized
Focus Travel Partnership, the UK’s largest business travel consortium for independent TMCs, has welcomed TakeTwo Travel Solutions as its latest TMC partner. TakeTwo has established itself as an innovative global boutique TMC since entering the market in 2021. TakeTwo...
by Barry Higgott | Feb 9, 2023 | Uncategorized
Favourite movie, favourite song, favourite piece of travel technology and more! Abby Penston is a Business Travel Rockstar and CEO of Focus Travel Partnership. She tells us how she started her career in travel, who inspires her, what she thinks the greatest...
by Barry Higgott | Dec 15, 2022 | Uncategorized
Focus Travel Partnership, the UK’s leading business travel consortium for independent SME travel management companies, has appointed TripStax as its preferred data analytics partner. TripStax will provide its ground-breaking proprietary reporting and analytics...
by Barry Higgott | Aug 11, 2022 | Uncategorized
Ison Travel are the latest TMC to join the Focus Travel Partnership. The partnership, which is the UK’s leading business travel consortium for Travel Management Companies (TMCs), has taken on 3 TMCs within the last month, including Island Business Travel, Spotnana and...
by Barry Higgott | Aug 1, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Focus Travel Partnership has added to their membership pool, recently signing new TMC Spotnana. Headquartered in New York and founded in 2020, Spotnana has experienced rapid growth whilst dealing with a global pandemic. Their move into the Focus Travel Partnership...
by Barry Higgott | Jul 18, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Focus Travel Partnership have been awarded ‘Front of Shirt sponsorship’ for Northern Premier League (Premier Division) football team Marine FC. Based in Crosby, near Liverpool, the team will be sporting the new shirt in the new season starting in August 2022....
by Barry Higgott | Jul 4, 2022 | Uncategorized
One of the founding TMCs of the Focus Travel Partnership has re-signed with the business travel consortium, 20 months after leaving. Island Business Travel (also known as ORTG) which operates in the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man has...
by Barry Higgott | May 16, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Focus Travel Partnership, the UK’s leading business travel consortium has appointed Verteil Technologies as their preferred NDC aggregator. The India based travel technology company who provides a direct connect platform for a fully transparent booking experience...
by Barry Higgott | Apr 20, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Focus Travel Partnership has recently launched a partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity). Not only will the partnership be aiming to raise money for the charity to support seriously ill children from across the UK who are...
by Barry Higgott | Mar 23, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Focus Travel Partnership have added a ‘Brexit Counter’ to their own proprietary Duty of Care solution managed in house by the Partnership under the Focus Innovations banner. The Brexit Counter pulls GDS and profile data directly from the TMC which shows exactly...
by Barry Higgott | Mar 18, 2022 | Uncategorized
Through this agreement, TMC Partners of the Focus Travel Partnership will offer Cytric’s state-of-the-art technology for bookings to optimise business travel. Hybrid working coupled with the challenges of COVID-19 has accelerated the demand for end-to-end digital...
by Barry Higgott | Mar 8, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Focus Travel Partnership is pleased to have agreed a formal relationship with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) as we move into a period of recovery and bounce-back for corporate travel, including UK Rail. Focus is the leading business travel consortium for the...
by The Focus Travel Team | Mar 7, 2022 | Uncategorized
If you hadn’t realised, the Focus central team is 86% women, and we are only a small team of 7, and to save you working it out that means that we have 1 man working in our team. This isn’t on purpose or generated it’s because we value talent, and we believe we have...
by The Focus Travel Team | Feb 16, 2022 | Uncategorized
Trading Update 2021 Summary 2021 was a year of highs and lows for the business travel sector with continual changes in entry requirements to individual countries including the UK. These changes have had massive impacts on travel plans with many short notice...
by Barry Higgott | Jan 24, 2022 | Uncategorized
Sadly, not all travellers are able-bodied and some may need that extra bit of help to navigate their way around an airport. I recently had my first experience of the great work that the Special Assistance teams at both Gatwick Airport and Aberdeen Airport offered...
by Barry Higgott | Jan 19, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Focus Travel Partnership, the UK’s leading business travel consortium, has appointed three new Board Directors to join its existing Board. Tina Rose – MD of Chartwell Travel (part of the Ovation Travel Group), Nick Scott – MD of arrangeMy and Mark...
by Barry Higgott | Jan 10, 2022 | Uncategorized
We all have our strengths, some are naturally tech people, some are numbers people, some are good at languages and others are just simply creative. Being creative can cover a whole host of different meanings, but today let’s talk about your brand, how it looks and why...
by Barry Higgott | Jan 4, 2022 | Uncategorized
Whilst 2021 has delivered an abundance of challenges to us all, one thing that stands out more than anything else, is the absolute resilience that our sector demonstrates on a daily basis. Despite the agonising hurdles that this pandemic has put in our pathway, time...
by Barry Higgott | Dec 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
It’s been over two weeks since our Revival Conference in Birmingham. We ended the day on a high with a surprise for our CEO Abby Penston who takes away the ‘Special Chairman’s’ Award for 2021. Focus Chairman Adrian Parkes said ‘The last 22 months have been unique,...
by Martin Roche | Nov 3, 2021 | Uncategorized
How did you get into the travel industry and how old were you? 16 – I answered the phone very well at home (my father’s business line) and the Manager of Lep Travel asked me if I wanted to work for her as she liked my telephone manner. What is your favourite...
by The Focus Travel Team | Oct 27, 2021 | Uncategorized
Get to know Focus Board member Cilla Goldberger How did you get into the travel industry and how old were you? I was 26, and following years of unsociable working hours in hotels, I decided to look for a career with more earthly hours….little did I know! What is...
by The Focus Travel Team | Oct 20, 2021 | Uncategorized
by Dani Ives | Sep 17, 2021 | Uncategorized
Focus took home two awards from The Business Travel People Awards on 15 September 2021. The Duty of Care Initiative of the Year award was proudly collected by Focus’ CEO, Abby Penston, and was awarded for Focus’ repatriation service launched in March 2020. When...
by Dani Ives | Sep 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
Focus Travel Partnership the leading business travel consortium for the SME, will offer bespoke Cranfield School of Management sessions to their TMC Partners to help future proof the SME TMC sector. These sessions build on a collaboration between Focus Travel...
by Barry Higgott | Aug 26, 2021 | Uncategorized
The Focus Travel Partnership who last month launched their technology division Focus Innovations has moved reTravel to preferred status. reTravel is an autonomous cross-selling technology for the travel industry designed to maximize traveler’s value. Their...
by The Focus Travel Team | Aug 19, 2021 | Uncategorized
In 2020, the Corona pandemic had a severe impact on us personally, but of course had an impact on our operations too. The consequences of the pandemic will be felt for years to come. Nevertheless, despite these challenging times, sustainability has remained our...
by The Focus Travel Team | Aug 13, 2021 | Uncategorized
Focus TMCs benefit from having a secret weapon in the Focus Fares Desk. This desk answers all fares related queries and is included in your Focus Partnership membership. We asked Laura Currie, who manages this helpdesk, what is a typical query.. We had one TMC Partner...
by The Focus Travel Team | Jun 30, 2021 | Uncategorized
Focus Travel Partnership has launched ‘Focus Innovations’ – a new division and hub for travel management technology products specialising in the latest innovations for the sector. The division allows the partnership to retain a vital interest in the intellectual...
by The Focus Travel Team | Jun 29, 2021 | Uncategorized
If you type ‘Why Millennials’ into Google you get this lovely response: From looking at this you would think millennials are some sort of alien species which shouldn’t grace our planet. But first things first, I am a millennial, born right smack bang in the middle in...
by The Focus Travel Team | Jun 28, 2021 | Uncategorized
We are absolutely delighted to share that The Focus Travel Partnership has been shortlisted in three categories for The Business Travel People Awards. The ‘helping you get home programme’ showed the true spirit of ‘Partnership’. The concept and roll out...
by The Focus Travel Team | Jun 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
Working part time through the Government furlough scheme during the pandemic has really brought home to me how much things have changed in the world of airfares and especially managing existing tickets that need exchanged or refunded as each airline has had different...
by The Focus Travel Team | May 25, 2021 | Uncategorized
Focus Travel Partnership, the leading business travel consortium for the independent and SME sector, has confirmed that Total Management Travel, part of Total Management Group will become a new Focus Travel Partnership TMC partner. Total Management Travel spans...
by Barry Higgott | May 17, 2021 | Uncategorized
Yasemin Thompson, who has worked for worked at Cyprus Turkish Airways Limited, British Airways and Royal Jordanian and has supported Dave Thompson, founder and Managing Director of Canterbury-based Marine Travel – UK is fundraising for the medical...
by Barry Higgott | May 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
Martin Pearce, former Director at Focus Travel Partnership, is spearheading a new business development project for Focus Travel Partnership, the leading business travel consortium for the SME sector. Abby Penston, CEO of Focus Travel Partnership said: “I’m thrilled...
by The Focus Travel Team | May 13, 2021 | Uncategorized
Abby Penston, CEO of Focus Travel Partnership has won the Institute of Travel Management Resilience Award for pivoting the business travel consortium during the COVID-19 pandemic to a bridging strategy to improve business connections, efficiencies and resilience to...
by Barry Higgott | Mar 29, 2021 | Uncategorized
I worked in a TMC for over 20 years, before the days of ‘just Google it’, where you shared information face to face, and you worked on problems collaboratively, in the same office location. Fast forward to 2020 and the world has changed largely to a ‘work from home’...
by Abby Penston | Feb 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
The Focus Travel Partnership was founded over 20 years ago and we are currently in our second year as a limited company. When we formally launched the new company in January 2020, we couldn’t have begun to imagine the global challenge that was waiting for us in the...
by The Focus Travel Team | Feb 15, 2021 | Uncategorized
Covid……we all know how hard it has hit the travel industry and how we have been facing this ‘new normal’ for nearly a year now. So what does it mean for the TMC and their clients when it comes to airfares? Airfares are available to everyone with an...
by The Focus Travel Team | Dec 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
Over the last few weeks, with the introduction of reduced quarantine and the vaccine programme being launched, we had hoped that things would start looking up for suppliers in general as well as for those travellers who wanted to get away for some winter sun. But...
by The Focus Travel Team | Dec 23, 2020 | Uncategorized
Focus Travel Partnership are very pleased to announce an exciting collaboration with Trees4Travel. The Trees4Travel proposition is simple but highly effective. If any of you watched the recent, truly moving and inspiring Sir David Attenborough film “A life on our...
by The Focus Travel Team | Dec 8, 2020 | Uncategorized
EFR Travel, a Focus Travel Partner, have been mighty busy over the past year examining their processes and reinventing themselves as a truly slick tech-first business. EFR Travel have been trading for the past eighteen years and are a growing business. Last year their...
by Dave Thompson (Marine Travel) | Dec 3, 2020 | Uncategorized
I grew up in Liverpool, only one street away from a local pub who formed the Marine Football Club in 1894. Growing up here gave me insights into Liverpool’s famous maritime traditions, and you could say it ran in the water. As a child I would often go with my dad to...
by The Focus Travel Team | Oct 20, 2020 | Uncategorized
We have your tech needs covered at Focus, our TMC Partners benefit from a wide range of technology, some of it built specifically for Focus and others contracted from our strategic suppliers at preferential rates. We have relationships with a multitude of suppliers...
by The Focus Travel Team | Oct 14, 2020 | Uncategorized
NO REASSURANCE FROM TEST & TRACE BOSS THAT TESTING AT BORDERS WILL BE IN PLACE BY BREXIT Baroness Harding, head of NHS Test and Trace gave no reassurance to the travel industry today that testing at borders will be in place by the end of the Brexit transition...
by The Focus Travel Team | Oct 14, 2020 | Uncategorized
The Focus Travel Partnership has strong relationships with our preferred airline suppliers and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic have been ensuring that all relevant information about policies and programmes are communicated to our Partners via a variety of channels...
by The Focus Travel Team | Sep 21, 2020 | Uncategorized
Best in market airfares are critical to TMCs in the SME market – without these, they cannot compete with either larger or specialist agencies. Focus Travel Partnership’s programme provides the best corporate fares including private fares with over 60...
by The Focus Travel Team | Aug 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
It seems a long time ago looking back to the early part of the year where all was ticking along in the world. In my role I see all news updates sent from our airline suppliers, which in early March 2020 were ever increasing. On flight cancellations and introduction of...
by The Focus Travel Team | Aug 10, 2020 | Uncategorized
I’m a sixties child and I love my music – I listen to music everywhere I go. I have access to music in every room of my house so that I can switch on the radio, listen to CDs, or downloaded music wherever and whenever I want – simply put, it’s my calming...
by The Focus Travel Team | Aug 3, 2020 | Uncategorized
I was asked to write a blog about my experiences of working through the Covid crisis, however I am not sure about you, but personally at times I am a little done with reading about Covid and hearing about it. Therefore, I will introduce a couple of other areas of...
by Abby Penston | Jul 29, 2020 | Uncategorized
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” -Nelson Mandela On January 7th, this year I held a press conference to announce some incredible developments for the Focus Partnership. We were all incredibly...
by The Focus Travel Team | Jul 27, 2020 | Uncategorized
When an invite for an Airport tour pops into your inbox in July 2020 you don’t turn it down, through our membership with the BTA I was lucky enough to be invited by BA to have a walkthrough of their operations from landside to airside at T5 LHR. For many reasons I...
by Martin Roche | Jul 20, 2020 | Uncategorized
I’m a 90’s kid, a fully-fledged millennial, but those words from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air never felt so meaningful as they currently do, living through 2020. In late December 2019 we had all heard the word Coronavirus, but it was stuck in China and no-one here felt...
by Martin Roche | Jul 14, 2020 | Uncategorized
– Provides comprehensive information on travel restrictions across the world, updated daily – Integrated directly into Smartpoint agent desktop for maximum efficiency Langley, UK, 15 July 2020: Travelport, a leading technology company serving the global...
by Martin Roche | Jul 8, 2020 | Uncategorized
I thought I had seen every potential threat to the long-term viability of the industry, and then Covid 19 happened. Talking to Focus Partners, suppliers and industry consultants I have been discussing with them whether the sector will automatically revert back to the...
by The Focus Travel Team | Jul 3, 2020 | Uncategorized
I have overcome a lot in the last few years, but the storm that we all find ourselves in at the moment is nothing short of being surreal, and personally one of the most challenging I’ve had to face. We quickly learned that not everyone is in the same boat – the...
by Martin Roche | Jun 16, 2020 | Uncategorized
What has been the biggest surprise for you returning back into the Focus Partnership? How everyone’s roles has changed and how busy it is, my colleagues have picked up lots of new and existing roles during this time, all with one continual aim, which is to help the...
by The Focus Travel Team | Jun 8, 2020 | Uncategorized
We have your tech needs covered at Focus, our TMC Partners benefit from a wide range of technology, some of it built specifically for Focus and others contracted from our strategic suppliers at preferential rates. We have relationships with a multitude of suppliers...
by The Focus Travel Team | Jun 2, 2020 | Uncategorized
It is now ten months since I semi-retired from daily involvement in this compelling, complex and often challenging business travel industry. During a very long career in the sector, I like many, probably thought we had seen and experienced every potential threat to...
