HOSTED WITH THE MOSTED

Exhibition News ran a Food For Thought column in this month’s issue with three event organisers explaining why and how they run hosted programmes. As the Hosted Buyer Manager on the Business Travel Show it was particularly interesting for me to read and, I have to admit, hard to disagree with anything they said.

Hosted programmes are not the answer for every exhibition. But for the Business Travel Show, they work. Like the other commentators’ shows, we introduced our programme to guarantee the highest quality buyers in Europe attend our event each February and that they also attend a set number of appointments with our exhibitors over the two days. The result is exposure to more business opportunities for our exhibitors and a much, much higher ROI for them, which is increasingly important given the economic environment we are all operating in.

We believe so strongly that hosted buyer programmes are the way forward for the Business Travel Show that last year we invested heavily in bringing nearly 800 to our event from the likes of Nike, Sony, Jaguar Land Rover, Kellogg’s, Microsoft, 02, British Gas, Aviva and Bridgestone. For 2013, we are investing heavily again. In fact, work’s already started on refining the programme and working with our European partners to expand our database. I’m already looking forward to it.

Posted by Graham Angus - graham.angus@centaur.co.uk 

1,200 HOSTED BUYERS TO ATTEND BT 2012

Forgive the gratuitous self-plugging, but today is a very exciting day for the Business Travel Show team. We announced that, for the 2012 show next February, we will be hosting the world’s largest fully hosted buyer programme for the corporate travel market.

1,200 of Europe’s highest quality corporate travel buyers will visit the show in 2012. All of them with annual budgets in excess of £3m and many of them first time visitors. With the prospect of these buyers committing to at least 6,000 pre-booked meetings, this news is even more exciting for our 180 exhibitors. 

Over the last two or three years, we have invested time and money into refining the Business Travel Show to make sure that only the highest quality audience attends and that our exhibitors enjoy an increasing ROI each year. Two years ago we launched the Executive Buyer Programme and it was a big success, attracting over 500 buyers. This year, the launch of the Hosted Buyer Programme will build significantly on this success.

In return for committing to – and attending – pre-booked meetings on each of the show’s two days, the Business Travel Show will provide the 1,200 strictly pre-qualified buyers with:

•             Free flights and accommodation
•             Fast track entry
•             Access to the First Class Lounge with complimentary refreshments and               lunch
•             Support from the Hosted Buyer Team before, during and after the show
•             Specialist, cutting edge technology, which allows buyers to book                           meetings with exhibitors that are best matched to their needs and                       create a personalised diary

Buyers who choose to extend their trip and land in town early will also be invited to the prestigious European Travel Buyer Awards, which take place on Monday 6 February.

Centaur Travel Group, which organises the Business Travel Show, has invested heavily in the corporate travel market for the last 17 years, and the introduction of the Hosted Buyer Programme just shows how committed we are to both the market and to the show in the long term. We plan to be around for at least another 17 years to come, and we plan to make sure the Business Travel Show remains the leading event in this market in Europe.

The Business Travel Show takes place on 7-8 February at Earls Court in London. Visitor registration is open now at www.businesstravelshow.com

Posted by event director David Chapple.

True value comes from honesty and transparency

A recent report by Ideaworks and Amadeus of 47 airlines worldwide reported an increase in ancillary revenue of 96 per cent on 2008 to €15 billion. Let me write that again - €15 billion. That’s a lot of money. It’s a good thing for the airlines because ancillary charging is viewed as a financial necessity, especially following the economic downturn. But it worries me what airline passengers may think as their opinions of ancillary charging – or unbundling as it’s also known – have been well documented in recent years.

Why they feel so negatively towards unbundling is interesting because, on the face of it, unbundling is a good thing for passengers too. It allows them to customise their journeys and pay for only the things they want. Be clever, and unmanaged travellers can even save money thanks to unbundling. Sadly, unbundling doesn’t currently have the same appeal for managed business travel as GDS technology doesn’t give buyers access to unbundling options.

So if it’s not price, and it’s not the increase in choice, what is it that passengers find so distasteful? Well, in my opinion, it’s our very natural fear of being taken for fools, of being cheated and ripped off. When unbundling first launched through the budget airlines, it was almost instantly referred to in the media as ‘hidden costs’ or ‘hidden charges’ and the press took it upon themselves to take up the mantle of consumer champion fighting for a cause most of us were unaware even existed.

It’s this word ‘hidden’ that’s key. Hide things from people – or just as bad, make claims that don’t stand up - and you cause a consumer revolution. I’m not talking about just airlines here. This goes for every industry, from hotels and holidays, to entertainment and exhibition organisers. Customers aren’t stupid and it’s suicidal of any business to treat them as such. Be transparent and honest and customers will feel they are being treated fairly, even if the end price, product and service are the same. And happy customers will, of course, reward you with loyalty, fairness and word of mouth recommendations in return.

Posted by David Chapple, event director, Business Travel & Meetings Show