Some big news from NBTA 2010 (@nbta).  One of the nation’s largest and most trusted travel brands, Orbitz for Business (@Orbitz), selects an alternative expense solution for their enterprise customers.  Orbitz for Business previously announced an arrangement with Rearden Commerce owned ExpenseWire about 2 years ago.  I will review what this means for all three companies in a future post.  Here are excerpts from the original press release:

Orbitz for Business Adopts IBM’s Global Expense Reporting Solution for Enterprise Customers

Integrated Solution Delivers End-to-End Travel and Expense Management

VISIT US AT BOOTH: 1612

Orbitz for BusinessTuesday, 10 August 2010

CHICAGO, Orbitz for Business, the corporate travel brand of Orbitz Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: OWW), today announced it will seamlessly integrate travel reservation data into IBM’s Global Expense Reporting Solution (IBM GERS) in order to offer its corporate travel customers more flexibility and choice in how they manage and report travel expenses. The announcement bolsters the Orbitz for Business portfolio of expense management solutions at a time when chief financial officers and corporate travel managers are looking for greater integration, automation and control in how they manage travel expenses.

IBM GERS will give Orbitz for Business customers a standard, scalable expense management option that supports multiple currencies, languages and corporate cards.

Key features and functionality include:

* One seamless tool with real-time visibility and analysis for booking and expense data

* Automated credit card expense and travel reservation matching

* Easy-to-use interface that helps accelerate online tool adoption and reduce costs

* Enhanced corporate travel policy control and compliance

* Global coverage supported by country-level travel policies and practices

“Expense management and compliance are top of mind for Orbitz for Business customers as CFOs and travel managers remain focused on reducing costs during a recovering economy,” said Frank Petito, president, Orbitz for Business. “By adding IBM GERS to our product portfolio, Orbitz for Business customers can now combine a best-of-breed managed travel solution with a world-class expense reporting tool in order to drive compliance, adoption and cost savings while enabling their employees to travel more efficiently.”

Today’s announcement follows a recently signed agreement between the two companies whereby Orbitz for Business will continue to provide its corporate booking solution to IBM travelers across the globe.

View Full Press Release

Cary Strange

Here are several more releases from the NBTA Convention (@nbta).  There has been some strong stories thus far coming out of the conference.  I had a couple of briefings on Monday regarding some big expense news due out on Tuesday, so I will post it as it becomes publicly available.  A couple of notes on the following releases:  Not sure what to think about the Rearden Commerce (@reardencommerce) release.  Certainly it is positive in that Rearden will be partnered with an international expense provider, but what does that say about their acquisition and roll-up of ExpenseWire, which not too long ago was positioned to be one of the top-3 players in the space?  ExpenseWatch continues to add more and more functionality.  We will review them in the upcoming months to determine if they have truly integrated all of these pieces, or if they have lost focus as other expense providers have contended with.

Rearden Commerce Announces Alliance with IBM
Rearden Commerce today announced a new alliance with IBM’s Managed Business Process division (IBM MBPS), with the goal to introduce more choice to the expense management and online procurement category.
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ExpenseWatch.com Releases Integrated Travel and Expense Management System
ExpenseWatch.com has released its fully integrated travel and expense management solution. Using the travel management program(s) of choice, companies can integrate online travel and ExpenseWatch.com expense management into one end-to-end solution encompassing pre-trip bookings …
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Ariett Business Solutions Inc., Leading Provider of Employee Spend Management Solutions, Unveils New iPhone App at 2010 NBTA Conference and Exposition
Ariett Business Solutions, a leading provider of Employee Spend Management Solutions will unveil Ariett Xpense for the iPhone this week at 2010 NBTA International Conference & Exposition (Booth #2256). This innovative extension of the Ariett XpenseNet™ solution enables iPhone an…
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Cary Strange

Yesterday at NBTA (@nbta) I had the privilege of meeting with Rob Abele, President of US Bank and Jeff Rankin, SVP, during a press briefing announcing their new expense reporting tool.  I will provide a detailed review of their application, strategy, interview and opinion in a follow-up post.  However, my initial thoughts regarding the convergence of their card strategy with their expense technology could prove to reach a segment that has yet to crown a champion in the expense space.  Following is an excerpt and link to their press announcement:

U.S. Bank Introduces Electronic Expense Reporting Tool for Mid-Sized Companies
U.S. Bank is introducing an electronic expense reporting tool for mid-size companies that allows employees to easily manage travel expenses online while enabling travel managers to better track spending patterns and identify savings opportunities.
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Cary Strange

TRX (@TRX_Inc) has a great looking expense application. Truexpense was officially launched in the spring and this is the first publicly accessible view of the application.

I seem to recall sitting on a panel at TRX World a little over a year ago and was met with convincing opposition by TRX senior management when I suggested that TRX should, and eventually would, introduce a branded expense application to their expansive user and TMC network.  Shot….GOAL!  The group at TRX is a great group to work with and Shane Hammond is without a doubt one of the thought-leaders in the space.

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Cary Strange

Great session & discussion from Concur and others on the value of integrated travel and expense.  Not sure everyone was convinced on the necessity of integrating the two, but clearly there can be enormous value if executed effectively.   Concur definitely does this as well as anyone on the planet at this time!

Cary Strange