According to its management, “British Airways and the festival share a belief in the importance of in-person networking and business connections. Across British Airways’ top 10 fastest growing routes in its SME loyalty programme On Business, including San Jose, the home of Silicon Valley, traveller numbers have grown by around a third (30 percent). This suggests that face-to-face meetings are still important to people in business, even in the age of email and Skype.”
The International Business Festival, which takes place every two years, attracts an audience of buyers, suppliers and investors from around the world.
At the last festival in 2016, UK companies secured export sales worth more than £250 million.
This year’s event will take place between June 12 and 28, with a programme of expert panels, practical workshops and inspirational keynote addresses designed to explore international business growth opportunities across a range of sectors, from manufacturing to creative industries.
British Airways is dedicated to helping promote business growth through its ‘On Business’ loyalty programme which enables small and medium-sized companies to collect On Business points each time a member of their company travels.
Commenting on the development, Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ director of brand and customer experience, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the International Business Festival – who share with us a passion for face-to-face business networking. Our latest figures show that people in business still place great value on meeting in person with existing contacts and new prospects. Looking at the top 10 fastest growing routes for our On Business customers, we’ve seen traveller numbers increase by 30%.The services we provide, including our On Business loyalty programme, help business people to establish these all-important connections and unlock growth potential.”
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