The Buyer's Guide To Exhibitions: Why Attend?
The Business Travel industry has an annually increasing volume of procurement/supplier centric and educational events for buyers and travel managers alike to attend throughout the year, ranging from intimate seminars to huge trade shows. It can be hard to understand the need or to justify the spend to attend Exhibitions such as this year's GBTA Convention in Boston, the largest event in the business travel industry.
As one of the largest Travel Management companies in the U.S. it is key for us as a company to attend and exhibit here in order to showcase new technologies and services, meet new prospects and catch up with current clients. But what about the buyers? Here’s our top 5 reasons why you should be attending exhibitions like GBTA.
1. Scout and Solve
Attending large industry events gives you an opportunity to seek out the best solutions to your travel management needs or problems all in one space. You’ll be able to find advice around all the challenges in your program and get feedback from multiple sources and industry experts. Whether you are new to your role or a travel management veteran, the scope of the industry is continually evolving. Attending events allows you to stay current with best practices whilst creating a platform for benchmarking your own travel program.
2. Learn
Events such as the GBTA Convention offer a huge platform for learning and education. From industry best practices, to hands-on training to hot of the press news, this is the perfect chance to connect with senior leadership and subject matter experts in our industry. FCM experts from across the nation attend GBTA, so we ensure we have our industry best available to offer counsel and guidance on your travel program. Additionally, these events feature dedicated educational sessions giving you advice on how to tackle current challenges in risk management, payment and traveler friction.
3. Network
There is a huge opportunity to connect with peers, industry experts and get insight from others. How often do you get the opportunity to sit in the same room as your clients, peers, prospects, competitors and industry experts? These conferences are unique in that they bring together the whole spectrum of the business travel industry in one place - giving you exceptional opportunities to network during coffee and tea breaks, benchmark your business, and keep your finger on the pulse. A varied program means that there is plenty of opportunity to interact with other delegates, stimulating debate and enlightening conversations that will give you useful insights to take back to your own business.
4. Innovation
When it comes to technology, the pace of evolution in our industry is relentless – how can you keep up? What about New Distribution Capabilities (NDC) – do you understand the challenges and opportunities? These events always include sessions covering the latest technology trends – at GBTA, we had the opportunity to update delegates on the newest features of FCM’s chatbot tool ‘Sam’.
5. Have Fun
Last but by no means least, it’s an opportunity to have some fun! Fill up your swag bag and attend some of the best industry parties! FCM hosted our annual GBTA party at the iconic Liberty Hotel which offered up a host of entertainment (including a trapeze artist), a place to have fun, drink, and dance the night away. It is an excellent opportunity to build relationships in a more informal setting.
Meet FCM Travel at the below upcoming industry events
ProcureCon East, Feb 20-22 2018, Amelia Island FL
Register by clicking here now and receive an exclusive discount with FCM
Concur Fusion, March 13-16 2018, Seattle
GBTA, August 11-15 2018, San Diego