New research highlights the central role of office environments in influencing the travel decisions of UK business professionals, positioning workplaces as critical advertising hotspots for reaching this high-value audience. The report, ‘Office to Onboard: How Programmatic DOOH reaches the Travelling Professional’, released by digital out-of-home (DOOH) platform VIOOH and office media publisher ECN, reveals that offices are the primary location where UK business travellers plan and book their trips.
The study found that 68% of UK business travellers book their travel and 58% arrange accommodation directly from their office. This positions the workplace as a crucial conversion point for brands, occurring when professionals are actively making travel decisions.
“UK business travellers represent a highly valuable, premium-focused audience that’s reshaping the media landscape,” said Jean-Christophe Conti, Chief Executive Officer at VIOOH. “The office has emerged as the most reliable and frequent touchpoint for reaching these professionals, offering brands repeated, predictable impressions at the crucial moment when travel decisions are being made.”
Key findings for the UK market include:
- Premium Travel Focus:Â UK business travellers lead European counterparts in opting for premium travel. 56% choose Business or First Class for short-haul flights (the highest rate among UK, France, and Germany), rising to 71% for long-haul. Nearly half (49%) book First Class rail travel, and 75% prefer rideshares or taxis to access transport hubs.
- Increasing Travel Frequency: 47% of UK C-suite professionals travel for business three or more times monthly. Critically, 77% of UK C-Suite executives expect to increase business travel frequency in the next 12 months – the highest rate among senior leaders in the UK, France, and Germany, and significantly higher than France (47%).
- Office as Primary Ad Environment: UK respondents identified offices, particularly in Central Business Districts (CBDs), as the most consistent environment for seeing relevant advertising. 66% expect to see IT/technology brand advertising in offices, surpassing airports (62%) and rail stations (41%). Offices were also the second most expected location for personal banking (60%) and business banking (60%) ads.
- Category Interest:Â UK business travellers expressed the highest interest in seeing advertising for IT/technology brands (72%), followed closely by travel brands (68%), and personal banking/finance (55%). Interest levels exceeded European averages (IT/tech 60%, travel 56%).
- Trust in OOH:Â The research noted that 40% of all European respondents trust indoor OOH advertising, rising to 46% among C-suite executives, 43% among CBD-based professionals, and 44% among employees at large firms.
The return of professionals to city-centre offices provides increased opportunities for brands to engage this audience during their workday, precisely when travel planning occurs. Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) allows for tailored messaging within these environments, making ads potentially actionable in real-time.
“This research confirms what we see daily: business travel begins in the office,” said Charles Parry-Okeden, Global CEO at ECN. “For brands, the office isn’t just a place of work – it’s where decisions are made, from booking flights to buying luggage and planning experiences. ECN’s premium office media network connects advertisers to professionals in these decisive moments, delivering high attention, trust, and a video first, content rich relevance that few other environments can match.”
The findings suggest advertisers seeking to reach UK business travellers, particularly those planning premium trips, should prioritise strategic placements within CBD office environments alongside traditional travel hubs like airports. The office is confirmed as the starting point for the business travel journey and a key environment for influencing decisions.
The full report ‘Office to Onboard: How Programmatic DOOH reaches the Travelling Professional’ is available for download: https://info.viooh.com/how-programmatic-dooh-reaches-the-travelling-professional
