How Precon Events streamlined travel management and cut costs 30% with Expensify Travel
At a Glance
Product used: Expensify Travel
Accounting package:
Favorite features:
- Customizable travel policy capabilities
- Accounting software integration
- Travel policy enforcement
The best part:
- Easy employee onboarding
- Improvements in booking accuracy
- Optimized travel budgets
Customer since: 2022
When event production powerhouse Precon Events found their travel management system creating chaos instead of clarity, they turned to Expensify Travel for a business travel solution. The result? A 30% reduction in travel costs and a seamless booking experience that their employees actually enjoy using.
The company
Based in Washington, D.C., Precon Events manages complex event productions with a dynamic team of 25 employees. Their staff's travel frequency ranges from weekly trips to monthly engagements, making efficient travel expense management crucial to their operations.
The challenge: Taming travel chaos and controlling costs
Every growing company faces inflection points where existing systems begin to crack under pressure. For Precon Events, their travel management challenges had reached this critical moment.
Before adopting Expensify Travel as their corporate travel management software, Precon Events faced several challenges with their travel management:
Spend and policy compliance nightmares: Employees frequently deviated from travel policies, booking upgraded flights and preferred airlines without oversight, increasing spend and complicating budgets.
Tool fragmentation: Previous attempts with Kayak for Business and American Express Business Travel led to booking inconsistencies and integration headaches.
Administrative overhead: A bloated, complex software stack was creating more problems than solutions.
Manual processing burden: Paper-based workflows and time-consuming approvals were draining valuable resources.
The solution: Expensify Travel implementation
Finding the right travel management solution requires not just the right tool but the right implementation strategy. Precon Events' methodical approach to adopting Expensify Travel demonstrates the importance of thoughtful transition planning.
In mid-2023, Precon Events began their journey with Expensify Travel this way:
Pilot phase: Ran a six-month parallel trial alongside existing systems. Their main drivers for using Expensify were its ease of use and lowest cost for bookings.
Organic adoption: Witnessed natural migration as employees discovered the platform's benefits. Employees loved that Expensify Travel synced directly with their Expensify account, so they no longer had to dig into their inboxes to forward receipts – now, it happened automatically.
Full transition: Completed company-wide implementation in 2024 after overwhelmingly positive feedback – pricing, a no-code point-and-click implementation, and ease of use from a traveler's perspective were the top deciding factors. Everyone loved (and still loves) the ability to manage travel on the go via the easy-to-use mobile app, as opposed to other providers who require you to call their support line to make changes to a trip.
Ultimately, all the employees chose to use Expensify Travel as their preferred travel management tool over Amex Travel and Kayak for Business during the trial period, thanks to ease of use with a simplified UI and all the customizable features Expensify offers.
Key implementation features
Unified onboarding: Single-phase employee setup ensuring consistent experience
Seamless integration: Direct connection with existing expense management systems
Immediate policy enforcement: Automatic implementation of travel guidelines
The results: Business-wide transformative impact
Numbers tell stories; in Precon Events' case, the story is one of remarkable transformation. Implementing Expensify Travel yielded measurable improvements across multiple facets of their business operations.
Automated policy enforcement and simplified compliance
Created customized travel policies with precise controls:
$150 maximum above lowest fare for flights
Mandatory approval for flights exceeding $1,000
Restrictions on connections and domestic first-class travel
Effortless travel booking experience
Zero employee complaints about the booking process – a rarity for the company
Comprehensive in-platform management:
Flight bookings
Seat selection
Luggage handling
Calendar integration with United Airlines
Smarter travel spend drove bottom-line impact
Cost reduction: 30% decrease in travel expenses through point-of-purchase visibility
Adoption rate: 100% employee onboarding with 10-15 regular active users
Administrative efficiency: Significantly reduced processing time and paperwork
Enhanced reporting: New capabilities for travel spend analysis and optimization
“If you're looking for a travel management platform, Expensify Travel makes compliance easier, improves user experience, and simplifies administration. Our team has been able to book confidently without the issues we faced with other providers. It just works—and that's all we need.”
— Rick Mathews, VP of Event Production
Future-proofing the travel and expense management experience
Success in business travel management isn't just about solving today's problems—it's about building for tomorrow's opportunities. Precon Events understands this principle and has developed a forward-thinking strategy.
Their 2025 roadmap includes:
Leveraging advanced reporting capabilities
Further expense policy refinement based on data insights
Strategic travel budget optimization
Continued focus on client budget stewardship
The bottom line
In the competitive world of event production, every operational advantage counts. Precon Events' experience with Expensify Travel demonstrates how the right travel management platform can transform a business challenge into a competitive advantage.
Expensify Travel delivered what Precon Events needed: a unified platform combining rigid policy control with user-friendly functionality. The result is a streamlined travel program that allows the company to focus on their core mission—delivering exceptional events for their clients.
Ready to transform your travel management?
Experience the same benefits as Precon Events. Streamline your business travel and reduce costs with Expensify Travel.
