NEW AND RETURNING EXHIBITORS BOOST THE MEETINGS SHOW’S OFFERING

In addition to welcoming back a wide range of exhibitors from the last two years, many of which have increased the size of their presence, The Meetings Show is also seeing significant growth from all sectors of the industry.

A quarter of exhibitors attending The Meetings Show 2015 are either new or have grown their stand to incorporate more partners. The new business is split equally across international hotels, destinations and UK suppliers, confirming The Meetings Show’s position as the UK’s must attend global exhibition for the meetings, conference, incentive and events industry.

“We expect to have a strong selection of key UK destinations with major English towns, cities and regions already signed up as well as expected commitments from Scotland, Ireland and Wales,” comments event director, Steve Knight. “However, we are also excited by the continuing interest and growth from international markets, all of which are supporting the show because of our growing UK hosted buyer numbers.”

New exhibitors include: EDITION Hotels, Fort Lauderdale, IET Venues, Lancaster Conferences, Leeds Castle, Interstate Hotels, MM and Co and the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Center.

First time exhibitor, Jackie Fallon, Business Relationship and Tourism Officer from Coventry and Warwickshire states: “As one of the UK’s most accessible destinations, Coventry and Warwickshire benefit from superb infrastructure, venues and accommodation. It is vital we continually deliver this message to our current and potential customers and The Meetings Show offers the perfect opportunity to achieve this.”

Maintaining The Meetings Show’s wide reach of UK exhibitors are, in addition to those already mentioned: London & Partners, Liverpool Convention Bureau, Meet Birmingham, NewcastleGateshead Initiative, Visit Belfast, Visit Manchester, Manchester Central, Conference Centres Of Excellence, Cvent, Friends House, imago and Lingfield Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club.

Exhibitors showing growth include the Korea Tourism Organisation, which has doubled the size of its stand as well as Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, Sandals Beaches and Resorts, VisitBrighton, etouches, Aviator – a hotel by TAG and Saville AV. Returning domestic and international hotel chains include Hilton Worldwide, Accor Hotels, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Barcelo Gestion Hotelera SL, Dolce Hotels and Resorts, H10 Hotels, The Hotel Collection and Zacchera Hotels.

First time international exhibitor Vivianna Cheong, MICE Assistant Manager, Destination Marketing from world leading resort, Cotai Strip Macao comments: “The interest and growth we have seen out of the UK and European market over the last 18 months made our decision to partner with The Meetings Show in 2015 easy. Sands Resorts Cotai Strip Macao is Asia’s ultimate meetings destination, with five international hotels, 9,000 guest rooms, and extensive meeting and exhibition space across varying price-points. With our newest development due for completion in 2016, we are very excited to be meeting with new UK buyers, and the networking and education opportunities the show has to offer.”

International exhibitors booked to return include a wide range of destinations and suppliers such as: Austrian National Tourist Office, NYC & Company, Perception Sales & Marketing Ltd, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Vilnius Tourist Information Centre & Convention Bureau, Visit Denmark and Wedgewood DMC Group.

Organised by Centaur Exhibitions, The Meetings Show is the must attend event for the UK inbound and outbound meetings industry, taking place 7-9 July 2015 at Olympia, London. Organised by meeting professionals for meeting professionals, it is focused around a large exhibition, networking opportunities and professional education.