The Business Travel Show is celebrating another record breaking year with a 4 percent increase in visitor numbers for the 2016 event.
More than 7,700 visitors attended this year’s event, up from 7,424 in 2015. More than 260 companies exhibited in 2016, compared to 252 last year.
This is a rise of 6 percent and included 96 first timers.
More than 70 per cent of exhibitors booked their stand for 2017 during this year’s event.
398 hosted buyers attended the event from all over Europe – an increase of 12 per cent on 2015. Together they took part in 3224 pre-arranged appointments at the show and a further 579 connections were made between buyers and suppliers for post-show meetings.
The Business Travel Show marked its 22nd anniversary this year. It will return to Olympia on 22-23 February 2017.
Exhibitors included American Airlines, American Express Global Business Travel, Egencia, Uber, Amadeus, easyJet, Etihad, Virgin Trains, Portman Travel, Priority Pass, Premier Inn, Capita, FCm Travel Solutions, Flybe, Gett, Hailo, HRG, Mastercard, Star Alliance, Avis, Eurostar and Booking.com. 2016 was also the first time all five of the leading car rental companies will attend the show together: Avis, Hertz, Enterprise Rent a Car, Sixt and Europcar.
Organisers introduced the new Launchpad – a spotlight on innovative start ups – and the Business Travel Show Disrupt Awards, which were won by DUFL, the travel app that stores, cleans, packs and ships business travellers’ clothes and accessories to a specified destination.
David Chapple, Business Travel Show director, said: “We are thrilled with the success of this year’s Business Travel Show particularly given we were following in the footsteps of 2015 when visitor numbers soared by 16 per cent year on year. To achieve a subsequent increase in visitor and exhibitor numbers is outstanding and testament to the continued investment Centaur Live makes into this show year after year to ensure it remains the number one event for the business travel industry in Europe.”
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