The only delegation from Russia, ABT Hosted Buyers group, has visited Salon Bedouk 2014 this year
The group of corporate buyers of business travel services took part in Salon Bedouk 2014 international exhibition from 4th till 6th of February, 2014. The organizers of the trip were the Russian Association of Business Travel together with Voyages-sncf Benelux, Cannes is yours. The event took place in the largest exhibition centre, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles (Paris, France).
The exhibition has gathered more than 8000 experts in guided tours, business trips and incentive travel. All the meetings at Salon Bedouk 2014 were pre-planned and scheduled individually. Thus, every participant could meet a large number of business partners and get the maximum benefit out of communication with them. Thematic sections of the exhibition were: business trips, travel products and services, organization of business meetings and corporate events, services in the field of exhibition business, accommodation facilities, airlines, railway services, transport rental.
According to Ekaterina Aleksandrova, ABT deputy executive director, the organizers of the event have deserved the highest mark.
«Salon Bedouk is the key event for those engaged in the business travel industry, so we could not miss this event. I would like to point out its great organization. Every detail was planned properly: the flight, the transfer and the meals. It took literally a few minutes to settle any question. It is very important, because sometimes you can miss an important meeting or a seminar because of force majeure situations that are organizers’ fault. Everything was excellent at Salon Bedouk 2014 !»
The trip was especially valuable because the participants had an opportunity to get acquainted with MICE facilities of Paris and Cannes. The program included inspection of hotels, large conference halls and congress centres, as well as a special program in Grasse, the city of perfumers.
«Everything was excellent, and lots of thanks to ABT and the French inviting company for the perfect organization! The trip has left only the best impressions. And it equally refers to the business part as well as to the entertainment part of the program. Our trip to Cannes was a real revelation. I saw Cote d’-Azur from a completely different perspective. It has turned out to offer lots of event facilities. Furthermore, I could get this priceless information only due to ABT Hosted Buyers program», Ludmila Morozova from Nissa noted.
Her opinion was shared by Maria Zakharova, chief protocol expert in Sibur: «I would like to express my great thanks to ABT for the unique chance to get acquainted with business event facilities in France. The exhibition and the post tour have shown us France primarily as a business travel destination. Due to the trip I have learned a lot of useful information and many ideas of event organization. Besides, we had an opportunity to talk to our colleagues who took part in the trip and who were engaged in the same work in other companies. It is always useful to share your experience and to hear your colleagues’ stories. Another advantage is a small number of participants. In my point of view, a delegation of 5-6 persons is the best choice. We were glad that the schedule was so eventful, it is obvious how important the Russian business travel market is for our European partners».
It should be noted, that ABT members took part in the trip free of charge. All the participants were unanimous, that programs like that let you reach the maximum goal just within a few days: to attend the exhibition, to get acquainted with a new MICE destination, to enlarge the number of contacts and to talk to your colleagues informally.
