The Business Travel Show runs an annual buyer survey. We must have been doing it for
nearly 10 years, now. Each year we ask buyers what the biggest challenges
they’re expecting to face over the next 12 months are, how budgets will change,
if they’ll book more or fewer trips, flights, hotel rooms… It gives the
industry an interesting snap shot into how the industry changes from year to
year and the issues we need to be aware of over the coming months.
At the
show, we also curate conference sessions that focus on the next 12 months. Our
Forecasting Forum, which looks at the cost of business travel among other
things, is always incredibly popular.
Getting
access to insight like this – especially data that’s practical – is valuable
and genuinely useful to buyers. And that’s why they come to the show from all
over Europe – because they want to spot trends and be inspired by innovation
But is it
enough to only look 12 months ahead? Given how long it takes for technology,
for example, to really bed in and prove itself on a day to day basis, shouldn’t
we look a little further ahead and help buyers to visualise how these
innovations can be slotted into the travel programme of the future?
With that
in mind, this year’s theme for Business Travel Show is Travel 2022 and we’re
launching a host of new features to complement it that are designed to ramp up the visitor experience and prepare buyers for the future of business travel. It will focus on introducing travel buyers and managers to the technology, techniques and topics that will/could dominate the industry over the next three years.
Keep an eye out for WonderLAB.
It’s a fun interactive tech showcase where buyers can get hands on with the innovations that will impact travelling and travel management in the future. Think driverless cars, drones,
robots and mixed reality experiences.
Then
there’s the Future Forum: a new multipurpose
theatre and communal space on the show floor where visitors will be able to take
part in brand-new Huddles (brilliantly informal educational and networking
opportunities) and watch the fourth annual Disrupt Awards final led by head
judge Nick Easen.
Talking of the Disrupt Launchpad and Awards, they are back for the fourth year
running in 2019. It’s home to the next generation of business travel start-ups and
the winner of the Disrupt Awards will be back at the show in 2020 with a free
bells and whistles stand.
Over in the conference theatres, there is tonnes of content planned to
fit in with the Travel
2022 theme, including agile travel platforms, Brexit and the global risk outlook,
using bots in travel programmes, and intro to ONEOrder and a fascinating
session on AI, blockchain, bots and mixed reality and how they will transform
travel management.
Join us.
It’s going to be a fascinating journey.
And if you
fancy exhibiting in the WonderLAB – it’s free – just send your entries before
Christmas to adam.garside@centaurmedia.co.uk.
This post
was written by Business Travel Show marketing
manager Kye Blackett. The Business Travel Show is the leading event for corporate travel in Europe attracting over 9,000 professionals and 260 exhibitors. Taking place from 20-21 February 2019 at Olympia London, the show is celebrating
its 25th anniversary.
