Hogg Robinson Group has put organising travel for top sporting events high on its agenda as it prepares to return to the London Stock Exchange.
HRG, which left the stock exchange in 2000 when it was taken private in a Permira-backed £400 million management buyout, announced flotation plans earlier this month.
Group chief executive David Radcliffe revealed plans to expand further in sports tourism following news of the public offering.
Radcliffe said: “Sporting events are very important to us – during the World Cup we worked with FIFA and managed all the travel for the team and their families.
“We also organise the private jet fleet for the National Basketball Association in America. We will be organising business travel for more sporting events in the future.”
The flotation, which will raise about £190 million, will free up £90 million to spend on acquisitions. Radcliffe said staff reaction had been “very positive” to the news.
He added: “It gives us a high profile. We are continuing our growth in the US and Asia Pacific – we are already covered in 24 countries. The flotation is bound to be of great interest to other travel management companies.
“Our model is different from that of others – we are not just a TMC, we are more of a service company. It is about adding value – price is important but as part of the overall value.”
HRG has also launched a new business travel portal that provides clients with a ‘one-stop shop’ online booking system.
Clients will be able to use it as a personalised electronic travel assistant for bookings, trip information and expense management.
Radcliffe said the HRG portal will be rolled out worldwide in the next 12 months.