The Meetings Show UK has finalised four strategic partnerships in the past month as it bids to bring quality buyers to its inaugural event next summer.
Organisers of the show have now partnered with The Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA ), The Buyers' Networking Club, and Slovenia’s Conventa and Lithuania’s Convene meetings trade events to ensure buyers from corporates, agencies and venue finders from the UK and Europe attend the event at Olympia on 9-11 July 2013.
The partnerships include promoting the show and members of the organisations attending as part of the hosted buyer programme. For example, The Buyers’ Networking Club will promote The Meetings Show UK to its members at its own events in February and June 2013.
The Meetings Show UK, event director, Steve Knight, said: "The success of The Meetings Show UK will be directly related to the attendance of quality buyers who organise meetings, conferences and incentives. As a show organised for meeting professionals by meeting professionals we want to ensure that our strategic partnerships offer true value for all involved. Consequently, whilst they give us unparalleled access to key corporate, agency, venue finding and European buyers they also allow us to directly give back to our partners."
HBAA, chief executive, Peter Ducker, added: "The Meeting Show UK's partnership with the HBAA was welcomed at our annual forum last month. A significant number of our buyer members will be attending as part of the hosted buyer scheme, whilst our venue members see it as an opportunity to meet potential new clients and increase business in 2013.”
The show is hoping to attract 5,000 visitors and include 1,500 hosted buyers from across the UK and Europe.