The business travel industry will be gathering at London’s Earl’s Court 2 on February 5-7 for the 2008 Business Travel Show.
About 250 airlines, hotel chains, travel management companies, and other business travel suppliers will be showcasing their products and services, including around 60 first-time exhibitors.
Here’s a selection of highlights:
Boeing 787 Dreamliner mock-up
A mock-up of Boeing’s all-new 787 Dreamliner will be present at the show’s entrance, allowing delegates an advance peek at its innovative design features.
Boeing promises the 787 Dreamliner will lead the way in terms of lighting, sound, humidity and onboard air quality, and also boasts of hi-tech sensors which dampen turbulence. With the environment in mind, the Dreamliner is also lighter than its rivals, cutting CO2 emissions by 20%.
New GTMC training modules
Junior travel management consultants should head to stand 640 to find out more about online ‘bite-sized’ specialist training modules being launched by the Guild of Travel Management Companies.
The stand-alone training modules can be studied in any order and cost £10 each, with discounts for multiple purchases. Seven modules include subjects such as the basics of business travel (terminology), vehicle rental, hotels and accommodation and visa and passport requirements.
Each contains a multiple-choice test and, on completion, students get a Certificate of Achievement.
BA: Terminal 5, Stretch seats and OpenSkies
Find out all you want to know about British Airways’ Heathrow Terminal 5 at the airline’s stand 413.
BA staff will be on hand to talk about new flights, the roll-out of its ‘Stretch’ business-class seat and its new transatlantic airline, OpenSkies.
Corporate travel ‘health checks’
Carlson Wagonlit Travel will be offering ‘health tests’ for corporate clients at stand 421. Using its latest technological tools, it will analyse the performance of a travel programme and benchmark it against best practice and industry peers.
It also identifies areas that could be improved, such as policy compliance, hotel spend, or advance booking of air travel. Following a diagnostic assessment, the CWT programme manager can then help build a better travel programme.
Travelpackonline’s rail booking tool
Travelpackonline will unleash the latest version of its rail booking system with ticket on departure at stand 412. Developed by Harry Weeks Travel, the self-booking tool has been improved to allow TOD, so that travellers can make a reservation online and collect tickets from a station with a Fasticket machine.
Travelpackonline will also be demonstrating its new Carbon Emissions Reporting, which outlines on the environmental impact of rail journeys and compares the same trip on alternative modes of transport.
Corporate responsibility zone
A first time exhibitor, BUPA will be at stand 731 to showcase its healthcare insurance and services. Part of a new zone dedicated to corporate social responsibility, BUPA offers a range of cover options for business travellers and travel managers alike.
It will be joined in this zone by Anvil, World Medical Centre and Agresso Travel Industry Solutions.
Frasers Hospitality unveils expansion plans
Serviced apartment operator Frasers Hospitality will announce its latest expansion plans at stand 326. Frasers wants to have more than 9,000 branded apartments worldwide by 2011.
Be one of the first to find out about 23 properties that will be opened over the next 18 months, including 10 in China, five of which will be open in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Inntel’s revamped booking system
Conference, hotel and event management agency Inntel will be giving a preview of its upgraded online booking system at stand 318.
Its Ultra Direct product from Pegasus Solutions, first launched by Inntel in September 2007 for its own consultants, will be made available directly to Inntel clients from this spring.
This means clients will be able to make reservations for 78,000 hotels from their desktop without the need to call Inntel’s offices. Direct connectivity ensures rates offered are the best available at the time of reservation.
‘MeetMe’ kiosks for Heathrow
Find out about a new initiative at Heathrow designed to help arriving passengers meet their driver or colleagues at the airport and ease congestion in the arrivals area.
At new ‘MeetMe’ kiosks, installed at Terminals 1-4, meeters who input their passenger’s flight details will be given a hand-held device, enabling them to roam within a three-minute range of arrivals.
When a passenger arrives, they enter their details on the touch screen at the kiosk and the meeter will be alerted to greet them in less than minutes. Representatives from MeetMe are on stand 883.
Innovation Awards
Innovators in air travel, ground transportation, accommodation, technology, travel management services, traveller services and corporate social responsibility will be honoured at a presentation on the Centre Stage at 3.30pm on February 6.
The seven category awards are voted for by ABTN readers and previous attendees of Business Travel Shows. The Gold Innovation Award will be given out at the Business Travel Show party at Madame Tussauds later that evening.
