WHY THINKING 12 MONTHS AHEAD MAY NOT BE ENOUGH

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 25^th anniversary.