The Business Travel Show has opened registration for the 2019 event and is inviting start-ups to apply for a free stand in its Disrupt Launchpad scheme.
The Disrupt Launchpad premiered in 2016 and gives up to ten businesses under three years old the opportunity to receive a free stand, expert advice and marketing support and exposure to the Business Travel Show’s 9,000 industry professionals and European travel buyers with a collective budget of more than £10 billion. Plus, companies with successful applications are automatically entered into the 2019 Disrupt Awards.
The five finalists in the Disrupt Awards will be chosen through an open, online vote in January and will be invited to pitch their product or service to a panel of judges at the Business Travel Show, which will take place at Olympia London from 20-21 February.
Last year’s winner was Trooptravel, a platform that combines data and machine learning to recommend meeting locations to buyers based on personal and company preferences, integrating visa requirements, cost, ease of travel and more.
The winner of the Disrupt Awards receives a free stand worth £8,000 at the following year’s Business Travel Show.
Leonard Cremer, founder of Trooptravel, said: “We’re still a young start-up so it was great to get recognition from Business Travel Show. We came to Olympia for the chance to talk directly to potential customers and partners and it meant a lot to us to be appreciated and applauded for something we believe in so strongly.”
David Chapple, event director of Business Travel Show, added: “Over the last four years, the Disrupt Launchpad has hosted some of the most exciting and potentially groundbreaking business travel solutions designed for the market and helped to propel the profiles of the entrepreneurs behind their development. We’re really looking forward to seeing another ten game changers at the show next February.”
To apply for a free stand in the Business Travel Show Disrupt Launchpad, businesses must be three years old or younger. Applicants should complete the online form here by 3 December 2018. Successful applicants will be notified by 11 January 2019.
To register to attend the Business Travel Awards, visit businesstravelshow.com/register