Hello Europe, Hello Amsterdam!

Anna Lindberg
Jul 10, 2017 · 3 min read

Oh my, time flies. It’s already been more than a week since we left Delhi. I remember being somehow relieved and happy about coming back to Europe, but at the same time having a weird feeling since I knew that our journey was soon about to end. Luckily we still had some days to spend in Amsterdam and Stockholm — two cities that I really like!

I’ve learnt tons of things during my travel around the world. Not making extravagant plans after a night flight is one of them. We arrived in Delhi early Saturday morning and my only plan was to meet up with a friend and rest, and that’s exactly what I did. A perfect Saturday.

Chicka, the gentleman who created this awesome management associate program, arrived in Amsterdam on Sunday. As promised, he showed us that we have our own way of getting high — by visiting the Sky Lounge at Doubletree by Hilton. Marie, an MAP alumna, joined us as well. We had such a perfect moment there at rooftop — sun and coronas, and perfect company. Loved it! We liked it so much that we almost got a bit late for our dinner. Marlou and Tom, both from BCD Travel, joined us in the evening for the wonderful dinner. I enjoyed talking with them and also felt that they were genuinely interested of what we had been doing during our past five weeks. I appreciate that they took their time to come and spend the evening with us. It’s these kind of moments that make me feel a little extra welcome to join the company, and for me it’s also a guaranteed source of inspiration. Just like the following day turned out to be.

Monday was our big day as we visited BCD Travel HQ in Utrecht. We were lucky to meet a bunch inspiring people — not least Mr. Stewart Harvey, the President of EMEA region. We spent about an hour with him, but that was enough for him to give us some (tons of!) insights about the EMEA region, about the current situation within corporate travel and to give us some wise advices. What I really like is that while BCD Travel is a global company, there is still an aim for localization. It’s impossible to treat all the regions in the same way. EMEA itself is a complex region with many cultures, countries and currencies. Moreover, it’s not, and it will never be, the same as the Americas or the APAC regions. A travel management company and its people are not only issuing tickets anymore — those days are long gone. Today we are people that are supposed to influence people. His main advice for us was that we should aim to be trusted advisors. Our biggest challenge is to earn trust and that way influence behaviour.

After only five hours at the office it was time for us to head back to Utrecht train station and from there straight to Schiphol. Despite the few hours at the office I felt inspired and really motivated to finally join the company. I could have stayed longer — no doubt — but it was time to leave the Netherlands for Sweden, the country where I understand a whole lot more of the language than in the Netherlands. Hej Sverige!

Beautiful people in beautiful Amsterdam!

Anna Lindberg
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