UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS – Leading global travel management company BCD Travel has acquired the business travel and meetings & events activities of its long-time Milan-based partner in Italy, Ventura Spa. The acquisition results in a newly formed company, BCD Travel Italy, offering corporate travel, meetings & events and travel consolidation services.
"We’re thrilled to announce the acquisition of Ventura Spa’s business, from our long-time BCD partner," said Stewart Harvey, President of EMEA for BCD Travel. "Part of our ongoing global growth strategy is to pursue investments that benefit our clients and staff, endorse our strategic direction and benefit our corporate culture. I am particularly pleased to welcome staff members of Ventura Spa to BCD. Having worked with them over the years, we know that they deliver excellent service resulting in high client satisfaction. Together we look forward to the development of the many opportunities both in this key European market and globally."
Founded in 1977, Ventura Spa became a BCD Travel partner in 2006. With annual sales of around US$400 million and a workforce of 380, BCD Travel Italy will maintain its offices in Milan, Florence, Turin, Treviso and Guardiagrele. Under BCD Travel’s ownership, the Italy operations will continue to offer corporate travel, meetings & events and travel consolidation services.
BCD Travel Italy Managing Director Davide Rosi, who has been leading operations in Italy since 2003, will continue in his current role and report to Stewart Harvey, President of EMEA for BCD Travel.
"This acquisition will better equip BCD Travel to support local customers and help them expand their travel programs at a global level, building upon the excellent reputation Ventura Spa has established in Italy in its partnership with BCD Travel over more than a decade," said Rosi. "It will also enable faster, market-relevant enhancements to our solutions and services to the market."
The Ventura Spa business acquisition is the latest in a series of investments BCD has made in recent years to grow business, extend its global network and help businesses leverage the latest innovations for their travel programs. Other significant BCD investments include acquisitions of BCD operations in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Colombia, Japan, Poland, Acendas Travel and World Travel Services in the U.S., Adelman Travel Group, one of the largest full-service travel management companies in North America, Nordic travel agency Ticket Biz, global Grass Roots Meetings & Events, U.K.-based international events agency Zibrant, U.S.-based Universal Meetings Management, Inc. and marketing logistics agency Plan 365 Life Sciences, L37 Creative (L37), an event production and creative media agency headquartered in Chicago, and mobile technology company GetGoing.
