Exhibitor Quotes
Testimonials from Companies who exhibited at the Business Travel Show 2008.
Hotel Reservation Service
Jochen Emmerich
Leader Corporate Sales
"The show was excellent in terms of corporate and
TMCs – it’s worth coming…definitely!"
Jazeera Airways
Haitham Habib
Marketing Officer
“The first day was fantastic – we had an amazing day.
We are here to increase branding and awareness and
this has been a good opportunity...”
Arabian Peninsula, Hilton Hotels
Guy Epson
Regional Director of Sales & Marketing
“The cocktail party was great – it was a good opportunity to speak to people”
Dubai World Trade Centre Emirates Business 24/7
Helal Saeed Almarri
CEO
“We expect the events sector to play a critical role during 2009 as the catalyst to stimulating the investment climate and boosting economic growth.”
Carlson Wagonlit Travel (Alshamel)
Warmund von Massenbach
Director of Sales – Middle East
“The show provided quality meetings and helped with our networking. We support the show one hundred percent and it’s very important for us to have a booth. With shows such as ATM and Business Travel Show… ATM provides the leisure side, and this (BTS) focuses on the business.”
Testimonials from Companies who exhibited at the Business Travel Show 2007.
Alshamel International
Philip C Hedges
Training and Brand Standard Manager
"The Business Travel Show is a great forum to meet all the business travel buyers, to find out their needs and to get their feedback on our services. In comparison with Arabian Travel Market, even though it is bigger, it is a totally different type of clientele as they are more leisure based; this show is more corporate travel focused, so it has been really good for us. The show allows us to meet corporate buyers who have the real spending power, and influence business travel decisions. We will monitor our contacts closely after the show, and hopefully we will be here again next year."
Air Arabia
Shalini Rajan
Regional Manager U.A.E & Oman
"During this show, the first of its kind in Dubai, we are meeting the corporate community from various GCC countries including the UAE. We are also meeting with suppliers to negotiate contracts. Travel has grown leaps and bounds in this region and hence corporate houses are contracting with airlines and hotels who can meet their required network of travel in the most convenient and economical way. For Air Arabia, we expect to gain more corporate houses who deal directly with us."
BCD Travel
Iain Withers -Vice President Partner Network
Manish Nimkar - Manager UAE
"The Business Travel Show offers us a unique opportunity to build brand awareness and create a regional presence. It has been great exposure, as we have a lot of corporate visitors here, not just from Dubai but from the GCC region including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. We have found the show to be very beneficial to our company. The other thing that we really benefit from is showcasing some of our technologies, such as our global travel tools. We have had a great response and we are very happy to be here meeting our partners and potential clients. For our existing clients, they are just so happy to meet us in person and see our exhibits so it has been good exposure for our company. For BCD Travel both globally and regionally, we will definitely be here at the show again next year."
British Airways
Claire Guppy
Corporate Sales Manager, Middle East
"British Airways is a founding partner of the Business Travel Show Dubai, and as BTS' partner across a number of established European and Western markets, we are thrilled to have had this opportunity to help the show debut in the Middle East market. To have the region's big players from the airline industry, travel management companies, hotel groups, corporate Credit card suppliers and ancillary travel services - such as car rental companies - all under one roof can only be progressive for the attending corporate customers. We have showcased our new Club World (business class) cabin product, and the feedback we have received from our customers and visitors to the stand have been extremely positive. The loyalty programme for small-medium sized corporates has also been extremely well received at the show.
Most pleasing about the show has been the widespread corporate customers from across the Middle East region, the show has been anything but Dubai-centric. There has also been an array of travel management companies from various GCC countries which further reflects the show's regional appeal.
The Business Travel Show Dubai is definitely unique to the region, there is no event similar to this and as it is the only the first edition, the show can only go from strength to strength.
After reviewing this year's participation and the discussions which emanate from our two days here, we'll make a decision on what level of involvement the airline will seek in 2008."
Dnata
Abdulla Tawakul
Vice President
"First and foremost it is the only show which is specific to corporate travel and is in Dubai for the first time after ten successful years in the UK. The travel industry in Dubai itself is thriving and growing day by day. The city is an exploding destination with a huge amount of potential. In saying that, there is a definite need to educate and increase knowledge in this fast growing market. This is why it would be very important for anyone involved in the travel industry, especially business travel to attend as the educational seminars themselves are invaluable with topics ranging from "why have a travel policy", through to open debates on decisions such as "agents Vs on-line".
We are partner, sponsor and exhibitor, the show provides a very positive opportunity to tell the regional and international travel industry who we are and what we can offer. Dnata is a one-stop-shop for all travel requirements, we were one of the first travel companies to set up in Dubai, we have now established our presence in other parts of the region and it we feel it's important to show our support to the industry by supporting the show. We have our own stand which makes for a good showcase point for our services. We are also participating in seminars alongside our clients and have specialists from HRG in the UK coming down as speakers. You put that together with the press interviews and sponsorships we have signed with the show and we stand to get a lot of positive exposure and further heightened market awareness.
We have met corporates in the main but also many fellow industry professionals such as other TMC's, Hoteliers, Airlines and of course the Press
The Business Travel Show is target specific and focused to the world of corporate travel. Other travel shows have a broader audience attracting trade and clients from all aspects of the travel industry whereby the BTS had a specific target market and hence a particular focus on one type of travel - the corporate. In all likelihood we will participate in the show again next year."
Golden Tulip Hotels Inns & Resorts
Tarek Lotfy
Regional Revenue Director MENA
"It is our first participation in the Business Travel Show Dubai and we are very happy to be here at the show. It is a great opportunity for us to meet people in the same industry. As we are close to the end of show, we are very pleased with the contacts we have met, and the result is better than what we expected. We will definitely be participating in the show next year, and we will also make sure that we will have a bigger and a better booth and create a stronger presence. We thank the organisers for the facilities available, everything is well-arranged, and we really appreciate everyone involved in creating this very successful show."
Intercontinental Hotels Group
Thomas Rowntree - Vice President, Sales and Marketing MEA
Chris Bradley - Global Account Manager, Corporate and Agencies Middle East
"The Business Travel Show in Dubai is the first travel show to take place in the region, and we certainly see it as a unique platform, that is why it is so attractive to all the exhibitors here. We have made a lot contacts yesterday and today, so we are very pleased with this opportunity. Our primary objective for being here is relationship building with our clients, understanding their needs, and working closely together with our partners. It has been great showcasing as a brand at the show, even though the show is relatively small compared to other travel shows globally, however, we find the quality is fantastic. The decision makers we have met here have been very positive and it really helped us to achieve our objectives which were to meet our key clients, to answer their needs and to strengthen the relationships between us."
Jazeera Airways
Abdullah Mumtaz Al-Matrook
Senior Marketing Officer
"I think the Business Travel Show is a fantastic opportunity for Jazeera Airways as we don't have a strong presence in the region as yet. I am very pleased as it has made a big difference for us being here at the show. A lot of people haven't heard of Jazeera Airways and this is a great way to get our name out. We made some great contacts with difference groups of organizers, made some group bookings, and had a lot of corporate people approach us for information. We have been very pleased with the contacts we have made during the show, we have become a presence in the Business Travel industry and we are looking forward to being here next year."
Jebel Ali International Hotels
Ramzy Andrew Faris
Director of Sales
"We were able to meet a lot of people from the trade. We are very happy about that, this show is aimed at corporate buyers, however we only managed to meet a handful of them, as the rest are mainly the travel agencies and hotel operators. I think the next show should focus more on the real objective of this show, which is to bring the real corporate buyers, business decision makers, people who come here to buy - the real corporate consumers. We are hoping to see more of them in the next show."
Jumeirah Group
Samantha Dancy
PR Manager - Gulf Region
"As the only luxury hospitality group among the founding partners of the Business Travel Show, Jumeirah has exhibited at the show in London for several years. Now, with the exhibition coming to the Gulf region for the first time and being hosted by Jumeirah, we have the opportunity to further increase our corporate awareness locally and regionally, as well as strengthen our reputation as a rapidly expanding global hotel management company."
Premier Inn
Darroch Crawford
Managing Director
PTI Gulf Hotels LLC
"We were one of the early bookers of a stand , and the timing is right for us as we are launching a new brand in this market. We are very happy with the response, making more contacts than we expected. It has been very successful so far and we are very pleased. We've met a lot of corporate buyers that are very interested in our product and price, especially as we have come in to Dubai with very competitive prices. People just can't believe we offer good products and attractive prices at the same time. There is a good chance that we will be here again next year. Depending on the timing of next years opening, we will look to tie-up our new product launches to make it more effective."
Qatar Airways
Ali Al Rais
General Manager Commercial
"The Business Travel Show provides Qatar Airways with a forum to create further awareness of our Five Star product. With visitors coming from across the globe for the Dubai launch, what better way to promote ourselves as the only Five Star carrier in the Middle East? Business Travel Shows have become a type of round table where industry players get together to find out what's new, what's on the rise and provides a chance for learning and networking.
As a Gold Sponsor of the show, Qatar Airways is playing a prominent role in shaping the future of the Dubai Business Travel Show. We'll inform business travelers about the new age of business travel - comfort, style and Five Star service.
Qatar Airways' Five Star service is on display at the Business Travel Show. Our cabin crew, named Best in the Middle East for the fifth year running in 2007 by Skytrax, will greet visitors at the Qatar Airways exhibition stand displaying our award winning hospitality and service."
Radius
Stuart Wines
Vice President, Asia Pacific
International Operations
"It is always interesting to see how the show is going to look the first time. The Business Travel Show certainly showed as a very professional organization. We feel very good about the set-up and ambience. Since the show started, we have met a real mix of people at the show including interesting travel agencies with credible enquiries. It was also nice to meet some of the local corporate travel managers looking for information. As for being here again next year, I would say yes, we would like to become a regular at the show."
Rizon Jet FZC
Pascale Barhouch
Sales & Marketing Coordinator
Travel Consultant
"The Business Travel Show, the name says it all, that's why we are here. We are here to meet people who are involved in the corporate travel business. Our target audiences are the ones using our service to travel to meetings and conduct business. We met a lot of target clients, and instead of having to go to them, they are coming to us at the show, so it is great opportunity for our company. Rizon Jet is a fairly new company, so being here is a positive step to put our brand out to the travel market."
Malaysia Airlines
Mohamed El Hasanen
Passenger Sales Officer
"It is very nice to be here at the Business Travel Show. For the first day, we have made a lot of contacts with people who are in the corporate travel trade. It is also good for us to know what's going on in the region and we have gotten a lot of information from our buyers as well as from other exhibitors. To answer your question, yes, we will definitely be here next year to support the Business Travel Show in Dubai again."
Malaysia Tourism Board
Mohamad Ibrahim Masri
Marketing Manger (UAE, Gulf & Iran)
"Tourism Malaysia, we are the first national tourism board at the show. We have been happy with the quality of the show, meeting key partners and key decision makers from the business travel industry. Tourism Malaysia will be at the Business Travel Show in 2008, and we are looking to bring more partners from Malaysia to the stand to showcase more hotels & resorts, as well as with our national carrier - Malaysian Airlines."
Nuran LLC
Rosa Diaz
Director, Sales & Marketing
"Nuran is an owned and managed property of Emaar, we provide serviced apartment complexes in Dubai. We are a fairly new brand, so it is important for us to be at the Business Travel Show in Dubai. We want to create an awareness of our product, and since our target audiences are corporate clients, it is definitely necessary for Nuran to be here meeting both existing customers and potential customers. We were positively surprised on the first day of the show as we had people coming to us wanting to know about our brand. Some even wanted to sign contracts right away, so the interaction and contacts we have made has been very productive. We have achieved both quantity and quality results, so the show has exceeded our expectation. As for next year, we will definitely be here again."
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Stephanie Price-Whittle
Marketing Communications Manager - UAE
"Being here at the Business Travel Show, we believe we have achieved our objective, which is to showcase our two new products: the business & first class products for the top corporate clients and our premier economy product for the executive traveler. The majority of the visitors we have met are our existing corporate clients, but we have also met prospective clients as well. The show gives us the opportunity to offer our clients a visual understanding of our products, which is very unique with high standards. Nowadays different companies come with different travel policies and we believe our product has found the perfect niche to meet different corporate travel preferences. As for next year, we will probably have the same stand as we like the space and location."