Major destinations return to UK driven by fast growth of The Meetings Show

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Dubai, Turkey, the Balearics, Accor Hotels, The Westminster Collection and Chicago are just a few of the new exhibitors confirmed for The Meetings Show in 2014. This significant number of new exhibitors represents just part of an exceptionally strong line up of destinations, venues and suppliers already confirmed for The Meetings Show 2014.

"The reaction to The Meetings Show continues to be nothing short of phenomenal; more than 25% of space confirmed for this year is made up of new exhibitors – many of which have not been seen at a UK event in many years. Exhibitors clearly recognise the Hosted Buyer model works and that The Meetings Show is the place to be," commented The Meetings Show’s event director, Steve Knight.

"We will once again be offering something new to the UK meetings industry, when we introduce this diverse mix of exhibitors to our hosted buyers in July. The floor plan is already considerably bigger than 2013, with a dramatic increase in year on year bookings. Ninety percent of our 2013 exhibitors have confirmed or expressed interest in the 2014 show but most exciting is this new cadre of high profile exhibitors, many of which see The Meetings Show as the most effective way to hold face to face meetings with top UK buyers."

With just two weeks to go before the 31 January mid-year promotional deadline, more than 50% of the show floor has been confirmed and more than 35 exhibitors have signed up in the last month.

New exhibitors for 2014 include:
Accor Hotels, Choose Chicago, Dolce Hotels, Dubai, Sandals and Beaches Resorts, The Turkish Culture and Tourism Office, The Balearic Islands, The Westminster Collection, Visit Belfast and Wyboston Lakes.

They join returning exhibitors such as:
Austrian National Tourist Office, Blenheim Palace, Celtic Manor Resort, Conference Centres of Excellence, Cvent, Cyprus Tourism Organisation, Guoman and Thistle Hotels, Hilton Worldwide, Hiscox Event Insurance, Hungarian Tourism Plc, imago, King’s College London, Korea Tourism Organisation, London & Partners, Malta Tourism Authority, Merlin Entertainments, Mexico Tourism Board, NYC & Co, Tourism Ireland and VisitBrighton.

New exhibitor, Dana Lewis from Accor Hotels commented: "Time and again our industry has clearly demonstrated the fact that a hosted buyer led trade show model is the most successful. The launch of The Meetings Show in 2013 confirmed this and we are delighted to be bringing a variety of buyers from the corporate, association and agency segments of the market to the 2014 show in July."

imago, head of sales and marketing, Emma Boynton: "imago decided to return to The Meetings Show in 2014 because of our success at the 2013 event. We were able to engage directly with potential buyers from across the sector, generate leads and build relationships. We are in no doubt about the benefits of a hosted buyer programme and firmly believe it is the only viable trade show model for the meetings sector."

The Meetings Show is a major event for the UK inbound and outbound meetings industry, organised by Centaur Exhibitions and taking place 8-10 July 2014 at Olympia, London. Organised by meeting professionals for meeting professionals it is focused around a large exhibition, networking opportunities and professional education.

Published
23/01/2014