Visitor numbers to the 25th Business Travel Show, which took place at Olympia in February, were on par with the record levels achieved by organiser Centaur Media in 2018.
Pure visitor numbers for 2019 were just 1 per cent off those from the previous year, despite the event falling across the UK half term holiday. Total attendee numbers, which include exhibitor staff and visitors entering the show from the co-located Travel Technology Europe, reached 8,804.
425 hosted buyers from all over Europe attended the show and the average number of arranged meetings per buyer rose from 8.39 to 8.55.
232 exhibitors were at the show this year, occupying increased floor space (from 9860sqm to 10600sqm), resulting in the average stand size increasing by 22 per cent. 20 exhibitors were brand new for 2019, including Eurostar International and mytaxi.
“We knew from the get-go it was a big ask to replicate the record rise in visitor numbers we achieved in 2018, especially as we were unlucky enough to fall over half term,” commented group portfolio director David Chapple.
“So, we are delighted with the final numbers and humbled by the feedback from our visitors and exhibitors, which has been really positive. Our exhibitors were particularly pleased with the number and quality of hosted buyer meetings they had at the show, as well as the number of quality walk-ons they experienced. This was reflected in an incredible rebooking rate of 73 per cent.
“Our hosted buyers – many of whom are regulars on the programme – felt that the meetings system had helped them to meet the right suppliers and that those suppliers were fully pre-pared for their appointments. They also rated the conference content and pre-show dinner at Chelsea’s Bluebird Cafe particularly highly.”
Business Travel Show returns to Olympia London in 2020, occupying a new date line of 26-27 February and, therefore, avoiding a successive half-term clash.
