According to Business Travel Show data, more than 9,000 professionals from all over Europe attended the 24th annual event at Olympia London last week – an increase of 6 per cent on 2017’s numbers.
It’s the fifth consecutive year of attendee growth for the two-day business travel-focused exhibition and conference. Hosted buyer attendance was also up nearly 4 per cent on last year’s 429.
Buying Business Travel is official media partner for the show, with sister title Business Traveller showcasing the winners of this year’s Cellars in the Sky wine awards during tastings throughout the event.
Around 260 companies exhibited at the show, with Business Travel Show saying many exhibitors had a bigger presence at this year’s event with bigger and more creative stands. New brands such as Fello and Direct ATPI Global Travel debuted to the public, while several suppliers showcased new products and technology.
The third edition of the Launchpad area saw eight start-ups show off their products to the international audience, while six of them battled it out for the Business Travel Disrupt Award. Trooptravel took the trophy and prize of a free stand worth £8,000 at next year’s event, with Flightsayer coming in a very close second.
This year’ conference programme included more than 60 sessions and 150 speakers, with sessions packed and audiences taking part in debates on topics such as NDC. Day one presentations can be downloaded here, while day two can be downloaded here.
David Chapple, portfolio director of Business Travel Show, commented: “This year’s Business Travel Show was just an incredible two days – there was not one minute when the swell of people slowed or the aisles fell empty. We had buyers saying they’d extended their visit to two days because there was so much to see, and exhibitors signing new clients on the spot. One company even had a walk-on from a buyer with a multi-million pound unmanaged budget. The level of business happening at the show this year was simply unprecedented and everyone on the Business Travel Show team would like to thank all of our buyers, exhibitors, sponsors and partners for a phenomenal two days.”
The next Business Travel Show takes place on 20-21 February 2019, again at Olympia London.
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