The full acquisition of Ticket Biz strengthens BCD’s Nordic presence as part of their ongoing growth strategy.
“We’re always prioritizing our investments–whether it’s technology, infrastructure, products and services, or our global footprint. In certain markets, ownership is more critical than others. We completed this investment to ensure that future development will be in line with the evolving needs of our customers, both multinational and those based in the Nordic countries,” said Stewart Harvey, President EMEA at BCD Travel.
Ticket Biz is a strong regional player in the Nordic markets, with approximately 150 employees managing corporate travel and meetings & events, a diverse portfolio of clients and annual sales of just under €180 million. Since March this year Thomas Ådén, former Ticket Biz CEO, is heading the team in his role as Vice President Nordics. He reports to Heinz Jennewein, Senior Vice President with BCD Travel and member of the European board. Ticket Biz is expected to be fully rebranded to BCD Travel by the end of 2017.
”The decision by BCD to acquire the remaining stakes of Ticket Biz is the natural step to further integrate Ticket Biz into the growing BCD family”, says Per G. Braathen, owner of Braganza.
The Ticket Biz purchase is the latest in a series of investments BCD Travel has made in recent years to grow business, extend its global network and help businesses leverage the latest innovations for their travel programs. Just last month the company announced that it had signed an agreement to take a majority ownership in its China and Hong Kong joint venture. In January of this year, BCD Travel acquired from GetGoing, Inc. the technology that powers TripSource Hotels, BCD’s hotel content, shopping and booking platform. Additionally in 2016, BCD’s event arm, BCD Meetings & Events, acquired Zibrant, a U.K. events company, and Plan 365, Inc., a U.S.-based marketing logistics company specializing in pharmaceutical and high-tech industries.
About BCD Travel
BCD Travel helps companies make the most of what they spend on travel. For travelers, this means keeping them safe and productive, and equipping them to make good choices on the road. For travel and procurement managers, it means advising them on how to grow the value of their travel program. In short, we help our clients travel smart and achieve more. We make this happen in more than 100 countries with more than 12,000 creative, committed and experienced people. And it’s how we maintain an industry-leading client-retention rate of 97%, with 2015 sales of US$23.8 billion. For more information, visit www.bcdtravel.com.
About BCD Group
BCD Group is a market leader in the travel industry. The privately owned company was founded in 1975 by John Fentener van Vlissingen and consists of BCD Travel (global corporate travel management), Travix (online travel: CheapTickets, Vliegwinkel, BudgetAir, Flugladen and Vayama), Park ‘N Fly (off-airport parking) and joint ventures Parkmobile International (mobile parking applications) and AERTrade International (consolidating and fulfillment). BCD Group employs over 13,000 people and operates in 100+ countries with total sales of US$25.4 billion, including US$10 billion partner sales. For more information, visit www.bcdgroup.com.