Qatar Airways Hails Inaugural Business Travel Market in London a Success

Qatar Airways hailed its partnership of the inaugural Business Travel Market in London a huge success with the two-day event attracting hosted corporate travel buyers from across Europe.

The Doha-based airline was a Platinum sponsor of the show, held at the ExCeL Conference Centre in east London.

Qatar Airways used the show as the platform to announce the global roll-out of its Qbiz corporate travel rewards programme for small and medium-sized companies, and also reveal December 6 as the launch date of its Australian flights to Melbourne.

Hundreds of visiting European corporate travel buyers were hosted by show organisers and had invitations to Qatar Airways’ VIP Hosted Buyer Lounge, where they enjoyed the airline’s award-winning Five Star hospitality.

Delegates were also able to sample the airline’s inflight experience on the Qatar Airways exhibition stand by trying out its new long-haul Business Class seats, which convert into fully-flat beds.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the show lived up to its promise of attracting key corporate travel buyers.

“These are the very people who book travel for their employees. With corporate travel budgets constrained in the current economic climate, it is vital that travel companies like ourselves remain at the forefront to help establish, renew and build on relationships,” he said.

“The Business Travel Market was a perfect opportunity for Qatar Airways to showcase its wonderful hospitality to European corporate travel buyers, and indeed rest of the travel industry present at the show. Qatar Airways has signed a three-year commitment for sponsorship of the show and we look forward to being back in London next year.”

Qatar Airways’ UK Area Manager Rachel Finn added, “Business Travel Market has been a terrific platform to conduct business. The quality of the VIP hosted buyers has been outstanding and we were delighted to have participated with a number of successful and constructive meetings having taken place during the two days.”

The show also attracted positive response from hosted buyers.

Lee Whiting, UK Travel Manager for HSBC Bank, said, “Overall the show was very good. Qatar Airways’ sponsorship and VIP lounge worked extremely well.”

Geoff Allwright, Head of Travel and Expenses at Airbus, added: “The Qatar Airways VIP lounge was fantastic for meetings – superb service, fantastic food. I’ll definitely be here next year.”

Qatar Airways serves more than 80 key business and leisure destinations using a modern fleet of 68 Boeing and Airbus aircraft. By 2013, the fleet size will almost double to 110 aircraft with more than 200 aircraft on order worth over US$40 billion for delivery over the next few years.

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