Recovering business travel market reflected in BTMS success

2/9/2010 8:11:00 PM

Day one of the Business Travel & Meetings Show (BTMS) proved a resounding success, which organiser Centaur Exhibitions said indicated that the corporate travel market is finally bouncing back post-recession. The show opened yesterday at Earls Court, London, with more exhibitors (around 200) than last year’s show plus a whopping 400% increase in the number of visitors registered for the executive programme Centaur’s B2B Exhibition Director Mike Sherrard told Travel Daily UK. To be eligible for the programme, buyers must prove they have a corporate travel budget of £3 million or more and this year, 611 such individuals registered compared to 140 in 2009. The fact that on day one of BTMS, the show and its partner event, Travel Technology Europe 2010, were completely “packed” proved the travel market was in a recovery phase said Sherrard. “Technology is one of the first things to recover after a recession – and so is corporate travel,” he said. “People realise that technology is the fast track to getting the better business model and the technology show is the busiest I’ve ever seen it.” Sherrard also stressed that changing the duration of the show from three to two days and adding the meetings element into the mix for the first time had “paid dividends”. “We are happy with the quality and quantity of visitors – the London show, like the economy – has turned a corner from the disaster of last year’s recession,” he added. BTMS 2010 kicked off with a keynote speech from Norman Baker MP - Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Transport. He outlined his party's vision for transport, which includes an improved experience for all travellers and the reduction of carbon emissions. He also congratulated the business travel industry on its work, value to the economy and proactive attitude towards tackling the issue of greener transport. Highlights of today’s show (February 10) include a presentation from Virgin Galactic President Will Whitehorn. His session, to take place at 1pm on Centre Stage is entitled ‘The Final Frontier of Business Travel’, enticing corporate travellers to take their business meeting or incentive to the next level – space.

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