On the face of it, the economic problems that surfaced towards the end of the last decade are fading into the distance, but the present climate still poses a number of challenges for small businesses in a variety of sectors.

This is the beginning of the end for the contact centre. For half a century now companies have used contact centres when they had more customer calls or IT helpdesk queries than they could handle, or when they wanted to outsource customer service or technical support to a specialist, leaving them free to focus on their core business.

This month we are encouraging procurement and travel buyers to review the effectiveness of their hotel procurement programmes to ensure that companies really optimise their hotel procurement and make substantial savings.

Whether it is online travel agency Orbitz, which last year was named as the best company in the travel sector to work for, or SouthWest Airlines with its flexible working, travel and medical benefits, and ongoing career development, or the Four Seasons hotel chain with its friends and family discounts, there is no shortage of companies in the travel sector that are investing significant amounts of time and money in building a strong culture.

An especially busy summer season of sport is now kicking off, and this year in particular, sponsors and partners and the world are in the midst of launching their global marketing activity to capitalise on the incoming buzz.

Those travelling to a meeting or conference on business can feel the pressure, so their travel arrangements really must work. Time is money for business travellers and those in the MICE sector, and our punctuality record shows that we continue to get our passengers to the destination on time more than any other carrier.