Getting Down to Business

Princeton, New Jersey — Business travel has always been a staple of the travel industry, but with more people working from home, and setting up remote offices, business travel has become as much a lifestyle as it has a business necessity. Business cases have morphed from work-to-home carryalls into virtual overnight bags that are practically self-contained offices.

“The business case has definitely grown up,” explains Michele Marini Pittenger, president of the Travel Goods Association. “People used to rely on traditional briefcases, supplemented by separate laptop bags. But with airlines cracking down on the number of carry-on items, and the ubiquitous, everyday nature of laptop computers, the modern business case has evolved into a sophisticated carryall for electronics, paperwork, and personal items.”

The September/October issue of Travel Goods Showcase highlights current trends in business cases, from svelte designer leather briefs to casual messenger bags and backpacks, and big cases that double as overnighters. Featured items include:

• Boardroom-ready computer totes, grown-up versions of the time-honored attaché case.
• Messenger bags and backpacks — a staple item in casual offices everywhere, from Silicon Valley startups to hip, trendy Manhattan ad agencies.
• Big haulers — bags that will carry a laptop, PDA, cell phone, all the associated power adapters, papers and even a weekend’s worth of clothes. And still meet the carry-on limit at check-in.

“In the corporate environment, your business case makes a statement. And the trend is toward more mobility, with flex schedules that allow people to work at home with company laptops,” notes Pittenger. “Computers are being replaced at faster rates, and with recent clamp-downs on carry-on items, more people opt to replace their business cases with sleeker versions that fit their newly upgraded laptops.”

Consumers spent a record $19.2 billion on travel goods in 2005, with the bulk of those dollars going toward accessories and other small, everyday items. And Pittenger says that trend is going to continue.

To learn more about the latest trends in business cases and work-oriented overnight travel accessories, you’ll want to see the September/October issue of Travel Goods Showcase. Media representatives should contact the Travel Goods Association at info@travel-goods.org to receive their copies of this special issue. For further information, contact Garrett Lai at garrett@travel-goods.org.

Travel Goods Showcase is published bimonthly by the Travel Goods Association, the voice of the travel goods industry. TGA is a national trade organization representing manufacturers, distributors and retailers of luggage, leather goods, business and travel accessories, business and computer cases, handbags, and other products for people who travel. For additional information about the association, please visit www.travel-goods.org.