Business Travel Show: Day one networking overview

The Business Travel Show is full of networking opportunities, from scheduled events taking place on supplier stands throughout the exhibition to the huge Central Café and its ample seating for impromptu meetings. Here’s a brief preview of what’s on today.

Business Traveller Cellars in the Sky
Where: Stand B758
When: 1pm-2pm and 3pm-4pm
What: Business Traveller magazine will be showcasing the winning wines from its Cellars in the Sky Awards, celebrating the best wines served in business and first class.

BridgeStreet unveils new booking site
Where: Stand B352
When: 1pm
What: BridgeStreet CEO Sean Worker will be making a short presentation of the serviced apartment provider’s new booking platform for business travellers, followed by a Q&A session.

Business Travel Disrupt Award announcement
Where: Kensington Theatre
When: 4pm
What: The Business Travel Show thrives on innovations in the industry, most of which come from start-ups. The event decided to give back to these smaller companies disrupting the way people think about business travel. A shortlist of five start-ups has been chosen, and the winner of the award – who will receive a free stand worth £8000 at next year’s show – will be announced on day one.

Poken Connect
Don’t worry if you forget your business cards at this year’s event. The Business Travel Show has teamed up with Poken Connect, a smart networking device. When you arrive at Olympia, you’ll receive a hand-shaped USB attached to your lanyard that lets you digitally swap business card details with suppliers, speakers, buyers and exhibitors simply by tapping the hands together and giving each other a ‘high-four’. Contact details are automatically downloaded so when you leave the show you can simply insert Poken into a USB port on your computer and retrieve your data. You can also use Poken Connect to tap touchpoints to collect information.