Some nights, the travel industry sets aside its boarding passes, forgets the latest airline disruption, swaps sensible business attire for something far more glamorous, and raises a glass to itself.

Saturday night at Crown Melbourne was one of those occasions.

And for FCM Travel, it was an absolute cracker!

Champagne flowed, the industry celebrated, and somewhere among the evening gowns, dinner jackets, and familiar faces, one corporate travel company was about to discover that all those long hours, big ideas, and determined efforts had paid off handsomely.

At Crown Melbourne, when the evening’s honours were handed out, FCM Travel had every reason to raise a glass, perhaps two. The company left the Australian Travel Industry Association’s 2026 National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) with the coveted title of Most Outstanding Global Travel Management Company firmly under its belt.

Not bad for an outfit whose everyday business involves getting other people to their destinations on time.

This time, FCM didn’t need a boarding pass, a departure gate or even a window seat to reach the top. Just an exceptional team, a healthy dose of innovation, and the satisfaction of knowing that, in a fiercely competitive industry, its peers recognised its efforts where it matters most.

And frankly, that’s the sort of recognition no amount of frequent flyer points can buy.

A trophy worth celebrating, and a team worth applauding

Anyone familiar with Australia’s travel industry knows the NTIAs are not handed out like complimentary chocolates on a hotel pillow.

These are serious awards, fiercely contested and highly regarded, and competitors must demonstrate why they deserve recognition among the industry’s finest.

The 2026 awards attracted record nominations, while the broader programme recorded more than 21,000 votes. Some 1,300 travel professionals were expected to attend the glittering celebrations at Crown Melbourne.

For FCM, winning the global travel management category was no small achievement.

And for Renos Rologas, FCM Travel’s General Manager ANZ, the occasion clearly carried considerable personal and professional pride.

“Winning Most Outstanding Global Travel Company amongst so many industry leaders means a lot to all of us at FCM,” he said.

Quite right, too.

Because behind every polished corporate success story are people who have worked ridiculous hours, solved impossible problems, kept demanding clients happy and occasionally wondered whether the coffee machine might deserve its own performance award.

They are the unsung heroes of the travel business.

And on Saturday night, their efforts received the recognition they deserved.

Meet Sam, the clever fellow who never misses a flight

Now, here’s where the story takes a rather interesting turn.

While FCM’s people celebrated a splendid achievement, a digital member of the operation quietly drew considerable attention.

His name is Sam.

He doesn’t need a passport, never complains about airline food and, as far as anyone knows, has never lost a suitcase at Heathrow.

Sam is FCM’s artificial intelligence assistant.

Unlike some digital assistants that seem determined to test human patience, Sam was developed to make corporate travel management easier, faster, and far less frustrating.

FCM has invested in building its own AI technology and integrating Sam into its travel management platform to help travellers and travel managers with everyday questions and tasks.

The company introduced its rebuilt Sam platform globally in June 2026, representing a significant step in its efforts to combine smart technology with personal service.

Rologas explained the thinking behind the investment.

“It’s been a big year for the team. We’ve been heads down building things we genuinely believe will change how business travel feels for our customers, like Sam, our AI assistant that helps travellers and travel managers get answers and get moving, faster.”

And there’s the rub.

In corporate travel, getting an answer quickly can mean the difference between making an important business meeting and spending an unexpected evening contemplating the questionable charms of an airport departure lounge.

Anyone who has endured a cancelled flight, missed connection or mysteriously disappearing booking will appreciate the attraction.

Sometimes, all a traveller wants is a straightforward answer.

Preferably before the next ice age.

Artificial intelligence with a distinctly human purpose

FCM’s investment in Sam reflects an increasingly important reality for the global corporate travel industry.

Executives no longer discuss artificial intelligence enthusiastically at technology conferences before promptly forgetting it.

It is becoming part of everyday business operations.

According to FCM’s published figures, Sam has resolved 81 per cent of submitted chat requests without human intervention and helped users complete certain travel-related tasks 2.4 times faster.

Those results are company-reported rather than independently audited industry comparisons, but they offer an encouraging indication of what thoughtfully deployed technology might achieve.

More importantly, FCM appears determined to develop technology around its customers’ needs, rather than expecting customers to adapt to whatever happens to be fashionable in Silicon Valley.

As Rologas explained:

“The corporate travel market is crowded, and everyone competes on a different strength, be it scale, capability, digital experience or innovation. However, it’s important to us that our customers never compromise on any of those strengths.”

It is an important observation.

Corporate travel is fiercely competitive, and customers are increasingly demanding.

They want clever technology, competitive pricing, dependable service and immediate assistance when things go wrong.

Preferably all at once.

And, naturally, without paying a small fortune for the privilege.

Technology is terrific, but people still save the day

For all the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence, one rather important fact remains.

Technology cannot replace everything.

When a traveller is stranded thousands of kilometres from home, an urgent meeting is rescheduled, or an airline decides today’s departure might be more convenient tomorrow, experience still matters.

So does empathy.

And so does having a real person who understands that a disrupted business trip is more than an inconvenient change to an electronic itinerary.

It can mean missed opportunities, anxious clients and serious financial consequences.

That is why FCM’s recognition should not be viewed simply as a victory for technological innovation.

It is also a tribute to the people who support the business, manage its customers and turn ambitious ideas into practical results.

Rologas quickly acknowledged that contribution.

“None of that happens without a team of people doing brilliant work behind the scenes, with the goal of ensuring FCM sets the pace in this industry. This recognition tells us we’re heading in the right direction, and it’s a real motivator to keep going.”

And those words probably explain the award’s significance better than any corporate presentation ever could.

The best organisations understand that success is rarely the work of one individual.

It comes from talented people pulling in the same direction, sharing the occasional headache and celebrating the victories together.

A Melbourne triumph with the world watching

The NTIA victory arrives as corporate travel management continues to evolve, with artificial intelligence, customer expectations and digital innovation reshaping how businesses organise travel.

For FCM, the award recognises its achievements and encourages it to keep pushing forward.

It also reminds us that Australian travel businesses continue to play an important role in an extraordinarily competitive international industry.

But for one Saturday evening in Melbourne, strategic planning, performance indicators and tomorrow’s technology challenges could take a well-earned back seat.

This was a night for the people.

For the teams who answered difficult calls, solved awkward problems, developed clever ideas, and kept the wheels turning when circumstances were doing their best to fall apart.

And that, surely, is something worth celebrating.

So congratulations to Renos Rologas and everyone at FCM Travel.

Enjoy the applause, savour the victory and give that magnificent trophy a suitably prominent position.

You’ve earned it.

And as for Sam?

Well, perhaps the clever chap could arrange a celebratory bottle of champagne.

On reflection, though, some things are best left to humans.

For further information, visit FCM Travel or the Australian Travel Industry Association’s official NTIA 2026 winners.

 

By: Octavia Koo – © 2026.

Read Time: 7 minutes.

 

Author Bio:

Octavia Koo arrived in Australia in the early eighties with little fuss and a good eye. Sydney suited her. At UNSW, she studied Arts, then found her footing in graphic design before drifting, quite naturally, into the digital side of things, building websites and shaping words that made people want to stay.

Singapore followed, and with it, the fast pace of tourism platforms and ITB Asia. Long before SEO became a buzzword, Octavia understood how stories travelled online. That’s where she met Stephen, and the seed for something more was planted.
A few years later, she joined Stephen’s EGT Media.

Today, Octavia works with quiet assurance, blending art, instinct and experience to produce stories that don’t shout; they simply work and linger.

 

===============================