Visit London and its stand partners at EIBTM expect to receive over £10 million of enquiries following a highly successful and fruitful show in Barcelona. Barbara Jamison, Sales Manager, Europe at Visit London said: “EIBTM is one of the highlights in the industry calendar and has proved year on year to be a key driver for events in the UK capital. Our target for the show was £10 million and following a very busy few days of appointments and stand activity we expect to significantly exceed this amount in confirmed business.”

The city attracted buyers to the stand with a unique virtual ‘green-screen’ cycling experience and competition designed to highlight the abundance of leisure attractions in the city and their proximity to business venues.

Jamison continued: “We wanted to convince people to look at London from a new perspective, to bridge the gap between ‘leisure time’ and ‘work time’ with more creative and inspiring programmes. The strategy has paid off with buyers keen to use London’s venues in different and more unique ways.”

Successes during the show include a piece of business from Germany which was confirmed before the show even finished with a site inspection at the May Fair hotel scheduled for this week. A ‘futuristic evening’ is also in planning with the Science Museum London. Visit London took an enquiry from the French rugby team via Phileog Sports who are looking for a solution for the team, sponsors and supporters during next year’s Six Nations. The project fits well with the city’s focus on major events and coincides with a planned push on sports tourism business within Europe next year.

Cool Gothic Quarter bar ‘Gotha’ was the location for a stylish networking evening hosted by Visit London and Barbican, Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue. The evening showcased a slice of London style, food and culture with professional dancing followed by a ‘dance-off’ involving buyers. The best participants received prizes of weekends to London.

Visit London, along with ExCeL London and MPI, launched registration for The European Meetings and Events Conference taking place in London for the first time in April 2008. Speaking at a press conference at EIBTM David Hornby, commercial director of Visit London and London host committee co-chair, said, “We look forward to welcoming new faces, and attracting those who may not have considered the benefits of being part of this global community in the fabulous city of London.”