British Airways and HCI Group Team Up to Deliver Savings
3 June 1999
British Airways and HCI Group Team Up to Deliver Savings To Growing Automotive Supplier Base
Service Targets U.S. and Canadian Automotive Suppliers
Traveling and Expanding to Europe
DETROIT, June 2 -- British Airways and the HCI Group today
announced a combined effort to bring travel savings to growing automotive
supplier companies traveling to Europe and beyond. By joining British
Airways' new Venture Club(SM), these companies can reduce travel expenses and
earn meaningful travel and business-oriented rewards in a simple and easy-to-
manage program specifically designed to meet their needs.
The Venture Club is the first corporate loyalty program to provide
automotive suppliers and their executives with both travel and merchandise
rewards based on the company's travel with one airline. Individual travelers
will continue to earn miles through membership in the British Airways
Executive Club, while their companies will reap cost saving rewards and access
to special offers with this new program.
"Having British Airways as a partner supports our strategy of providing
access to global experts for global automotive suppliers," said Ronald Hesse,
president of the HCI Group, Ltd. "This program is a very practical, money-
saving opportunity for suppliers who must travel internationally.
"As carmakers expand, their supply chain faces pressure to reduce costs,"
notes Hesse. "Suppliers must be competitive as they seek to add market share
and pursue opportunities in international markets. This has led them to
expand aggressively in Europe, the other large OEM production market.
International expansion can increase travel costs drastically. This program
allows automotive suppliers to get more value from international travel."
British Airways is launching Venture Club in recognition of the importance
of small and medium sized businesses to the airline. Derrick Surratt,
Director of Sales, Detroit, said, "Managing business travel expenses is
critical to growing businesses and this program will permit member companies
to reduce overall travel costs." The Venture Club includes some very exciting
individual and company benefits, so each company can choose what's right for
them.
Venture Club rewards may be used to reduce a growing company's travel
expenses, to obtain office equipment or to reward employee performance. The
program is flexible, allowing accumulated points to be redeemed for rewards
such as British Airways flights, limousine service to/from U.S. airports,
computers, TVs, microwaves, and leisure getaway packages including Marriott
Weekend Golf packages, British Airways Concorde Vacations and other rewards.
Automotive suppliers that enroll in Venture Club and fly at least once on
British Airways before June 30, 1999 will receive 2,500 bonus points.
Companies can enroll either by faxing in the Venture Club enrollment form
found in the HCI Group's EUROtalk newsletter, or by visiting
http://www.baventureclub.com or by calling Member Services at 800-206-7000. Be sure
to quote Priority Enrollment Code PRAUTO to register for the bonus points.
The Chicago-based HCI Group unites automotive supplier executives with
Global Experts in a variety of important business and operational subject
areas. The company connects executives with Global Experts through the
EUROtalk, LATINtalk and AMERItalk newsletters, Automotive Globalization
Executive Seminars, the http://www.globalautoindustry.com web site, TIER ONE
Programs, One-on-One Meetings, the GLOBALtools product catalog, GLOBAL EXPERTS
HANDBOOK, and other informational, educational and networking processes.