Overview

CTM Sport joined forces with FIFA as the official travel manager for FIFA staff and referees during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, hosted in Australia and New Zealand. This partnership began in October 2022, with CTM Sport overseeing travel arrangements for the official draw held in New Zealand. This collaboration extended to CTM Sport managing staff travel logistics for the official tournament, which concluded in late August 2023.

CTM Sport arranged 277 travel bookings for referees across the nine host cities and assisted with over 5,121 travel bookings for FIFA staff during the tournament. Additionally, CTM Sport’s dedicated team secured substantial savings of $445,000 for FIFA.

Objectives

The overall goal was to meticulously arrange and manage the travel logistics for FIFA staff members and referees seamlessly throughout the entire tournament, ultimately guaranteeing the delivery of an exceptional customer experience.

Challenges

Navigating the complexities of arranging travel for a project of this scale requires the experience and expertise of a professional travel management company like CTM Sport.

As this year’s tournament was hosted by two countries, facilitating harmonious collaboration was imperative. This required effective coordination amongst the regional teams and precise alignment of internal systems, processes, and protocols.

The partnership also required integrating CTM’s technology with FIFA’s internal systems. One of these systems, IFES, which functions as FIFA’s in-house online travel request system, seamlessly linked with the Amadeus online booking tool. During tournament periods, this platform handles an extensive load of over 3,000 air travel arrangements. However, integrating these two systems saw disparities in staff profiles and the distribution of itineraries.

Furthermore, FIFA had a strict policy of maintaining the confidentiality of referees’ identities until 10 hours before kick-off. While this strategy effectively prevents corruption and safeguards referees’ anonymity and security, it adds complexity in securing advance travel bookings.

Solutions

Given the magnitude of this project, a high level of sport travel expertise was required. CTM Sport adeptly navigated the project, overcoming any challenges using agility and a customer-centric approach.

Collaboration

The collaborative efforts among CTM Sport’s regional teams (APX in New Zealand and CTM Sport in Australia) were instrumental in developing a tailored travel framework and solutions that precisely met FIFA’s unique requirements.

Moreover, effective engagement with external stakeholders was pivotal in overcoming challenges. By proactively collaborating with FIFA and Amadeus’s internal teams, CTM Sport swiftly addressed system errors, ensuring the consistency of accurate information across systems and itineraries. Close collaboration with trusted suppliers led to a streamlined process, allowing for swift changes of full names on short notice. Embracing flexibility and a customer-centric mindset empowered CTM Sport to overcome these challenges, guaranteeing the timely delivery of referee tickets.

Furthermore, CTM Sport effectively managed ticket reservations for FIFA staff members, even when they initially came with limitations and non-refundable terms. Through adept negotiation, CTM Sport successfully coordinated arrangements that enabled FIFA to secure refunds with only minor associated penalties.

Communication

CTM Sport maintained consistent and robust communication throughout the tournament through regular weekly calls and comprehensive reporting. This ongoing and proactive dialogue between CTM Sport and FIFA uncovered areas within CTM Sport’s operations that warranted improvement to meet FIFA’s requirements effectively. Leveraging these insights, CTM Sport crafted a framework and streamlined processes within the reservations team, complete with clearly defined task assignments.

Onsite Consultant

Moreover, during the tournament, CTM ensured the presence of a dedicated consultant in each host country. This onsite representation facilitated swift communication and provided CTM Sport with invaluable insights into the intricacies of FIFA’s operations and its unique environment. These consultants played a vital role as communication channels, promptly relaying areas of concern, enabling CTM Sport to address challenges and minimise potential disruptions to FIFA proactively.

Results

CTM Sport arranged 277 travel bookings for referees across nine host cities and assisted with over 5,121 travel bookings for FIFA staff during the tournament. Through expert negotiations, the CTM Sport consultants secured substantial savings of $445,000 for FIFA.

Overall, the CTM Sport and FIFA WWC 2023 partnership was hugely successful, meeting deadline and budget expectations throughout the tournament and ensuring the seamless transport of FIFA staff and referees.