REPRESENTATIVES from business travel agencies, airlines and travel buyers will be guest speakers at Business Travel ’99 in Manchester this week.
The business travel exhibition, which will is being held at the G-MEX Exhibition Centre, has a daily seminar programme with guest speakers giving their views on the future of the industry and advice on how to better manage, buy and arrange business travel.
Opening the seminar sessions is OAG Worldwide training director Graeme Payne, who will demonstrate how to put together a complex travel itinerary and pass on tips on managing travel costs.
Gray Dawes Travel sales director Spencer Smith will give a presentation called ‘How to create a travel policy that works’ while Institute of Travel Management chairman and independent travel management consultant, Ian Hall, will talk about negotiating better business travel deals.
British Midland general manager sales Adrian Parkes and Halliburton Company travel manager Robert Daykin will present a buyer’s guide to managing air travel costs and Legal and General travel manager Valerie Stevens will present a buyer’s guide to finding the best hotel rates.
Other presentations will include how to get the best from your travel agent, and how to get the most out of technology.
As well as the presentations, there will be an exhibition hall where the latest in business travel developments will be on show.
A number of companies will be launching new products at Business Travel ’99.
The Radisson SAS Hotel Manchester Airport will launch a range of offers at the show to celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary of opening.
These include three types of packages for business travellers – bronze, silver and gold, ranging from £150-£190 per person per night.
Choice Hotels Europe will launch a new corporate identity at the show, part of a multi-million-dollar brand awareness campaign for the hotel group and will announce a number of new ventures, including a strategic alliance with Hoverspeed and the expansion into Italy of its Clarion brand.
Tickets for the exhibition, which takes place on Wednesday and Thursday, are free and are available by calling the Business Travel ’99 Manchester ticket hotline on 020-8710-2174, or by registering on-line at business travelshow.com
Seminar seats can be booked in advance at £15 or delegates can pay £25 on the day.