New venue for BIM workshop

1/28/2010 8:55:00 PM

The second Britain and Ireland Marketplace (BIM) workshop will take place at a brand new venue, the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in London, on 16th March 2010. The BIM workshop is a product of a partnership between UKinbound and ETOA (European Tour Operators Association). Last year’s workshop was attended by 90 top travel industry buyers, tour operators and online intermediaries, and 100 sellers. The principal feature of BIM is the placing of key purchasing managers at tables, where those with tourism products to promote can secure meetings. “At this event we aim to gather all the main decision makers in one space, and give businesses a chance to sell. When it succeeds,“ said Tom Jenkins, Executive Director of ETOA “it is an immensely fulfilling day. And last year was very successful with over two and half thousand individual meetings.” “It is an invaluable new addition to British Tourism Week,” said Ginette Goulston-Lincoln. “It easily paid for itself in new business” said Sally Jenkins of Stena Line. “BIM10 will be an important curtain-raiser for the commercial activities that occur during British Tourism Week,” said Mary Rance, Chief Executive of UKinbound. “All the big volume inbound operators will be present.” This is an important joint initiative by UKinbound and ETOA. UKinbound is the organisation responsible for providing information about the British tourism industry for tour operators and tourism suppliers to Britain whilst ETOA offers European level representation for the interests of inbound and intra-European tour operators, wholesalers and European suppliers. Tom Jenkins, ETOA’s Executive Director, comments: “This is a time of real stress and consequent change in the travel market. At such times it is vital that suppliers and distributors meet. The challenge for any association is to create fresh contacts. One way of doing this is to join forces with other associations. The workshop will introduce businesses that have not worked together before, generating new products that meet these changing conditions.” Mary Rance, Chief Executive of UKinbound, comments: “UKinbound is delighted to continue to join forces with ETOA for BIM10. It represents a unique business and networking platform with a critical mass of the travel trade in town. It is positioned as a central event in British Tourism Week.” Further details and online registration are available at www.bim.travel.

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