VisitBritain has hailed Discovery, the premier event to champion Britain’s business tourism industry to a global audience…
VisitBritain has hailed Discovery, the premier event to champion Britain’s business tourism industry to a global audience , as a huge success.
60 UK tourism businesses held 1350 one-one appointments in just six hours with 75 representatives of major global corporations who arrange exhibitions, conferences, meetings and incentive trips. Opportunities discussed included a two-day event for 1,800 people worth nearly £500,000, a four-day visit for 20 people worth £35,000 and private guided tours for Canadians.
Jeremy Brinkworth, VisitBritain’s head of business tourism, said: “Business tourism, particularly events for 1,000 delegates or more, can bring millions of pounds to local and regional economies, so we’re very pleased that businesses from around the UK were so impressed with Discovery.
“Early feedback from some of our offices indicates that buyers found it equally valuable and returned home with a lot of new ideas and good contacts for future opportunities. The sponsorship and support of Wales Tourist Board was a vital part of the event’s ‘wow’ factor and we’ll soon be planning Discovery 2005 to help us increase Britain’s share of the valuable business tourism segment even further.”
UK suppliers praised the “calibre of buyers attending” and commented on the professionalism of the event, describing it as “an excellent platform of how the British Isles can be promoted” and “extremely beneficial”. Three-quarters said they were “very satisfied” with the range of new buyers they met, while nine out of ten were ‘”satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the chance to negotiate new business and 88% “very satisfied” with opportunities to promote awareness of their product.
“The entire event came across as very professional and an excellent platform of how the British Isles can be promoted,” said Hamish Reid, general manager of Jersey Conference Bureau. “The VisitBritain team was very professional and did a thorough job in not only looking after buyers but also us as suppliers.”
Penny Carter, regional account manager at Starwood Hotels, added: “We were impressed by the smooth running of the event and the organisation which must have gone into the entire weekend. We felt that attending had been extremely beneficial.”
Organisations from 16 countries including Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, South Africa and the USA were welcomed to the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales at the end of October. Representatives from incentives houses and business travel agencies, as well as key decision-makers and buyers from international corporations – including Kimberley Clark (owners of the Kleenex brand), Citibank/Citigroup (one of the largest financial institutions in the world), American Express, Thomas Cook and Hertz – praised the event.
“The food, the entertainment and above all the networking session were all thoughtfully planned. We hope to make use of this opportunity to get to know some specialist suppliers and grow business/leisure tourism into the UK,” said Manmohan Malik from Indian operator, Mercury Travels.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
