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Some 90% of companies that exhibited last year are planning to return. That is high by anyone’s standards, but especially good for a show only in its second year.

The 2005 show will also be significantly bigger. Organisers are expecting around 100 stands representing 120 companies, up from 60 stands and 76 companies last year. Many are systems suppliers, but there are also online marketing and customer relationship management specialists.

Among the first-timers are global distribution systems Worldspan and Amadeus, Billian IT, Powersoft, ProCon and Travel Technology Systems.

Once again, the show will be held alongside the Business Travel Show at London’s Olympia next month.

The two events are separate in terms of marketing, but last year there was a 25% crossover of visitors, which helped push numbers to the technology exhibition area up to 2,200 from an expected 1,500.

Travel Technology Show event director David Chapple said he expects numbers of around 2,200 again.

“The show was packed each day from the moment we opened until 5.30pm. That is why so many exhibitors are coming back,” he added.
Anite Travel Systems marketing manager Deborah Jepson said so many people watched demonstrations of its new @comRes system last year that the stand nearly collapsed.

“The show was fantastic. We have now signed up three customers for the new system,” she added.

Equinus director Mike Cogan was also impressed. “It was better for technology than any other show I know,” he said. “Four of us were working flat out on both days. I’ve not found anyone who thought it was a waste of time.”

Chapple said the quality of visitors was also key for exhibitors. Crucially, 91% of those who turned up last year said they influenced the decision-making process when choosing new technology.
A seminar programme is running both days as it did last year, but the number of sessions has been cut from 16 to 10 and each will last 75 minutes instead of an hour.

Chapple said organisers have deliberately picked agent and operator speakers – who can talk about their experiences – rather than suppliers, who can book a slot in the product presentation theatre to promote their products. The two exceptions are the sessions on global distribution systems and online travel marketing.

“Last year we had complaints about speakers giving a sales pitch so we have cut them out,” said Chapple.

If anyone tries to promote their company in a paid-for session, the moderator has orders to step in.

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