The Conference Delegate - Back in Business

 The Conference Delegate was always my favourite blog. Simply because I have always enjoyed working in the conference and exhibitions industry. Whether as a delegate or as a stand manager. 

It has been some time since I have updated the blog. The Covid pandemic and associated lockdown restrictions have meant that the conference and exhibitions industry has been sidelined by more important matters. However, as the pandemic comes to a close, I am sure the conference and exhibition industry will slowly come back to life.

Here's hoping for a much stronger, and more profitable and fun, 2021.

ABTA Convention Heads to Croatia

Somewhat belatedly, I have noticed that ABTA's Convention is heading to Croatia. ABTA is Britain's leading travel trade body. And after the World Travel Market, held every year in London, the ABTA convention is the biggest annual gathering of the British travel industry. The convention takes place between 21st and 23rd October.

The convention takes the form of a formal conference with lots of official and unofficial hospitality running alongside. The serious relationship building, networking and deals often being done late into the small hours.

ABTA Convention - Hotel Dubrovnik Palace

This is a real coup for Croatia, and most importantly the convention resort of Dubrovnik. The convention head quarters will be the Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, a prestigious 308 room, 5 star hotel overlooking the Adriatic Sea on the Lapad peninsula.

I have attended several ABTA conventions, my first being Majorca in 1993 and my last, so far, being in Cairo in 2002. I have also attended ABTA conventions in Tenerife and Istanbul. Missing the conventions in Australia and South Africa due to family commitments. In many respects, attending the convention is a must if you are serious player in the holiday industry such as a tour operator or travel agent.

Although the letter ABTA stand for the Association of British Travel Agents, the dominant form of membership has always been the tour operators and travel principals.

Delegates at the convention are distinguished by their badge colours. Representatives of travel agents and tour operators are entitled to full membership and wear the most prestigious badges. Lower down the food chain come the press and at the bottom, the ancillary suppliers to the tourism industry such as advertising and PR agencies. If I am to attend the 2013 convention, I will be attending in a capacity that puts me in the latter class of delegates. No worries though. Croatia a fantastic holiday destination and well worth a visit. And it is a business trip after all.

Travel Conference Exceeds Expectation

Last week I had the privilege of attending a top notch travel industry conference. The conference was one of the best I've attended. It was organised by the Global Travel Group and took place at the Carden Park Hotel near Chester. Below I show a video of one of the business sessions.


The business sessions had a number of top speakers on business building, online marketing, search engine optimisation and social media. The biggest star was TV celebrity businesswoman Karren Brady. Karren talked about her business philosophy as well as the methods she used in turning around and eventually selling Birmingham City Football Club.

The conference wasn't all just work. There was also a gala awards dinner which featured many of the successful entrants from TV's X Factor and Britain's Got Talent. Amongst them singer Kitty.

The conference was highly informative and gave a number of opportunities for effective networking with travel industry retailers and suppliers.

Facebook to attend Earls Court Show

The social networking giants Facebook have announced that they will be taking part in the United Business Media Internet Work show at Earls Court, London.

The show, taking place over 3 days in May, is one of the main events in the digital calendar – helping to shape the online digital media presence throughout Europe.

Facebook and many other companies will be taking part in the event which will include guest speakers, workshops and exhibitors.

Are you thinking of taking part in this event or something similar in 2011? There are many cost effective and unique ways to promote your business at an event such as this, including:

Leaflets
Some companies print pamphlets with special offers specific to exhibition visitors.

Brochures
From A5 booklets to full A4 glossy brochures, just make sure all of your contact details are included!

Personalised Pens
Various styles and finishes are available from Personalised Pen suppliers.

Outdoor Banner Stand

Banners and Banner Stands
Re-usable and highly versatile, Banner Stands can be used in a multitude of ways besides exhibitions.

Personalised Exhibition Stands
Pop-Up Exhibition stands are highly transportable and cost effective as they can be moved, erected and dismantled by one person.

Conference Bags
If you are giving things away at the event, make sure your clients have something to take it all away in!

The current economic climate has enabled more cost effective production of these products as well as keeping exhibiting costs lower, so there has never been a better time to equip your company with these tools.

Also, with an effective marketing strategy, it is easy to track the results of sales and enquiries following an exhibition.

A Well Run Travel Industry Conference

I had the privilege of attending a well-run conference during the week. The conference was organised by Global Travel and was attended by 300 delegates from the UK travel industry.

The Global Travel Conference was held at the Leicester Marriott Hotel over two days of 7th and 8th March 2011. The venue was ideally located close to M1 and almost in the centre of England, it had all the facilities you would expect for a professionally run conference.

The organisation of the conference was excellent. Everything ran to time. There was a comprehensive array of  promotional materials on display from banner stands to promotional bags, to promotional pens. The timetable had the right balance of components.

• Well laid out for trade exhibitors
• Good presentations
• Networking time
• Speed-dating session for suppliers and agents
• An excellent keynote speaker
• Space for quiet discussions
• Wi-fi in order to catch up on e-mails
• Top class entertainment or the Gala Awards dinner

The two stand out presentations came after lunch on the afternoon of the second day. This is always a difficult time to appear on stage as conference delegates are running low on energy. The first session was a presentation on Travel Agent SEO. This was a presentation on how the 200 travel agents at the conference could boost their online business. The second presentation was a speech by Hilary Devey. Hilary is famous as one of TV's Secret Millionaires. She has also been appointed as the new Dragon on BBC's Dragon's Den. Hilary told her rags to riches story of how she created Pall-EX an international logistics company. 

The final slot of the day was managed by Global Travel's managing director, Dave Clayton. Dave sent the delegates away fully motivated and focused. Given the event took up just two days of working time it was well worth attending.