The Meetings Show round up

Meet Bristol & Bath, the South West’s regional Convention Bureau attended The Meetings Show that took place at London’s ExCel Centre on 29th and 30th June. The Meetings Show is an annual trade show for the events, meetings and incentives industry to come together to source, learn and network. The show allows the industry to meet face-face with hundreds of global suppliers and exhibitors from the UK and around the world. 

The Meet Bristol & Bath team went to The Meetings Show with one goal in mind, to showcase Bristol, Bath and the surrounding area as a top destination for meetings and incentives and with the help from our four stand sharers that is exactly what we did. We were joined on the stand by four of the region's most exciting venues – Aerospace Bristol, Brunel’s SS Great Britain, De Vere Tortworth Court and Apex City of Bath Hotel.   

The team spoke to event professionals and hosted buyers from across the world who were all interested in what the region had to offer and how they could bring their next event or incentive trip to the area. It was a busy two days of talking all things Bristol and Bath and the team and stand sharers were delighted with the quality of appointments and new business leads that they obtained from the show.  

Meet Bristol and Bath also had the pleasure of bringing some hosted buyers from across the globe to the region for a familiarisation trip where we were delighted to show off some of the amazing spaces that Bristol, Bath and the surrounding area has to offer. The trip started with the 78-minute journey from London Paddington to Bath Spa Train Station courtesy of GWR. The hosted buyers then checked into Apex City of Bath Hotel and then went to The Royal Crescent Hotel where they were treated to canapes and champagne and a tour of the 5* star hotel. The buyers then enjoyed a three-course dinner and overnight stay at Apex City of Bath Hotel.  

The next morning was an early start where guests had a pre-opening show round of Thermae Bath Spa. The spa provides guests with the opportunity to bathe in Bath's naturally warm, mineral-rich waters as the Celts and Romans did over 2,000 years ago. The group then carried on exploring the beautiful city that is Bath and visiting some of its attractions and venues such as the The Francis Hotel and The Bath Abbey, followed by a traditional English Afternoon Tea and tour of The Roman Baths and The Pump Room. 

After a busy morning exploring Bath, the hosted buyers then took the 11-minute train ride from Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads, where they were collected by Bristol Packet Boat Trips and taken on a tour of Bristol’s famous Harbourside. The boat stopped off at the Brunel’s SS Great Britain where the buyers were treated to a private tour of the ship and learned all about the incredible story of one of Britain’s greatest engineers and one of the most important ships in maritime history. After a quick tour of the ship, it was back on the boat to then go and explore some of Bristol’s amazing event spaces including The Bristol Beacon where guests learned all about the exciting plans for the reopening in 2023. 

The hosted buyers then checked into Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, before departing for pre-dinner drinks and canapes at Bristol Harbour Hotel and then a 3-course dinner at Klosterhaus. 

n the final day of the trip guests were taken up to The Wave, where they were shown the fantastic facilities that the inland-surfing destination has to offer and then onto Aerospace Bristol where they were treated to refreshments and were given the chance to see where extraordinary gala dinners can be held under the wings of the Concorde.  

For the final visit, the hosted buyers were taken to De Vere Tortworth Court where they viewed the amazing space the hotel has to offer and were treated to lunch before heading off to the train station to depart for their onward travel home. 

The Meetings Show and the familiarisation trip were a huge success and we were able to show off our amazing region to hosted buyers from all over the world. We would like to say a huge thank you to all the stand sharers and venues for their support in hosting the familiarisation visit and to the hosted buyers for taking time out of their busy schedules to come and visit our wonderful destination. 

If you would like to enquire about stand share options on the Meet Bristol & Bath stand at The Meetings Show 2023 then please get in contact with Helen Applin via helen.applin@meetbristolbath.co.uk