PRESS RELEASE
31 January 2006
RADIUS SEES SUCCESS
Successful agency recruitment, multinational account consolidation and technology initiatives
validate global network’s business model for growth in competitive industry
London Business Travel Show, LONDON -- RADIUS — the global travel company
announced success in travel agency recruitment and multinational account consolidation and
the introduction of both proprietary technology and strategic partnerships with leading travel
technology suppliers. With 95 travel management companies operating 5,400 branch
locations in 80 countries to produce a $19.4 billion USD in sales turnover, RADIUS is one of
the largest travel management networks in the world.
Tony Hughes, RADIUS president and chief executive officer commented: “We are pleased
with our success as we go into 2006. Our main focus of the past months has been to
maintain and capture market share, deal with the current economic situation and impact of
technology, and continue building awareness of RADIUS as a brand and as a travel
management company capable of satisfying multinational customers. With the challenges
and uncertainties that have been presenting themselves in the global travel management
arena, we are confident that our exceptional performance has not happened by chance or
through a bout of good luck, but rather through the steady enhancement of the value we offer
our stakeholders, including our corporate clients, the RADIUS shareholder agencies that
serve them, and the suppliers with whom we partner.”
Among the noteworthy agencies to join the RADIUS network in recent months are Going
Places Limited (Kenya), North Star International Travel Inc. (Philippines), River City Travel
(United States), Silhouette Travels & Tours (Nigeria), TSY Limited (Pakistan) and VCK
Travel B.V. (Netherlands) – with several other agencies currently going through the vetting
process. The growing network of RADIUS agencies have made great progress in their
multinational corporate sales efforts, which successfully won accounts that are now being
actively managed. As corporations looked at consolidation across multiple regions as a
method for obtaining travel management services and containing travel and entertainment
costs, RADIUS responded with customer-centered programs to work with these corporations
on a multinational level, including local and regional account management, executive
management support, and technological and financial expertise. Dozens of RFP’s were
completed in the past year with a wins-to-bids ratio that is at or above the industry standard.
In the area of technology, The RADIUS Wheel continued being implemented at shareholder
agencies with new features and content. The Wheel is a proprietary point-of-sale tool that
enables an agent to offer lower-priced RADIUS and client exclusive inventory than the
originally booked services while providing quality control by ensuring that all deals are in line
with company travel policy. These counter-offers are displayed within seconds to the
booking agent and in doing so supplier subscribers to the Wheel are able to obtain shareshift opportunities from competitors. RADIUS entered into a strategic development, sales
and marketing relationship with BookingBuilder Technologies in the end of 2005 to offer an
-more-
RADIUS SEES SUCCESS
31 January 2006
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integrated RADIUS Wheel and BookingBuilder product and it is expected that the partnership
will expand the distribution and client base in 2006. The Wheel is a key component of the
RADIUS Global Technology Platform that was developed through a pioneering collaboration
with Amadeus to deliver superior service and cost efficiencies to corporate travel programs
through unified processes and a fully integrated end-to-end solution. The platform offers
RADIUS agencies the flexibility to provide concerted global travel management services to
multinational corporations while also providing the necessary focus for local requirements.
Tony Hughes added: “We anticipate that the marketplace will continue to rapidly impose new
business standards that will dramatically impact the way travel is managed. RADIUS is
adapting and responding to take advantage of every opportunity. We have a strong track
record for innovation and we have grown and succeeded because we understand our
customers and the challenges they face – and then with our agencies we deliver innovative,
world-class travel management solutions that give us a unique position in the competitive
field.”
About RADIUS
RADIUS – the global travel company is one of the world’s largest travel management companies with combined
annual sales of over $19.4 billion (USD). RADIUS is comprised of 95+ shareholder agencies in 80+ countries
around the world with over 5,400 travel agency locations and is headquartered in the United States with regional
offices servicing the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. Press releases are available at www.radiustravel.com
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For press enquiries:
Maria Udy, RADIUS - the global travel company
Tel: +44 (0) 1293 883580 Email: mariaudy@radiustravel.com
Ethan Z Simon, RADIUS - the global travel company
Tel: +1 301 941 0368 Email: esimon@radiustravel.com