London Steps Up Effort to Attract Travel

Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 6/21/2004

Visit London and the London Development Agency have a plan to draw more business to the U.K. city. At a March leadership forum, the two agencies began working together toward that goal.

"London is vast, and thus it can seem daunting to some buyers," explained Zoe Shurgold, public relations manager for Visit London. Consequently, the main drive of the campaign is to simplify what London can offer the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions, or MICE, sector. The overall goal is to triple the business travel booked.

Shurgold said the city's business travel industry already generates more than $5.5 billion and attracts more than 7 million people to London each year. Since the beginning of the year, Visit London has doubled the size of its business and conventions staff and will continue to recruit new employees. Major hires will be in the North American sales department, under Director Chris Lynn.