Welcome to the consumer showcase
THE 2009 EVENT
The inaugural event achieved a phenomenal success with over 340 exhibitors, 9237 visitors and official media partnerships with BBC Magazines, Lonely Planet Magazine and The Daily Telegraph.
Here you can view the show guide, leaflets, photos and quotes of support from the 2009 event.
View the Show Catalogue
Download the visitor leaflet and themed trail guides:
"Excellent show - all stands had welcoming and informative representatives I would attend again and tell friends" BoBI visitor
"BBC Magazines is delighted to have been part of this inspirational new event. We always relish the opportunity to meet our readers face to face, and to introduce our magazine portfolio to an enthusiastic new audience. We are already looking forward to the 2010 event." BBC Magazines
"It has been really good. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was nice to talk to local people who shared their local knowledge with me. It was great. Thank you" BoBI visitor
"The visitor response to the first Best of Britain & Ireland Travel Trade Forum was tremendous and we have been delighted to see such enthusiasm for the destinations and partner offerings. The show testifies to the appetite for domestic tourism and the business potential for the market, and looks set to be even more successful in 2010." VisitEngland
"Wonderful show. We love travelling in the UK and so appreciated all the great new ideas & Inspiration and great deals. The Blue Badge Guides were also extremely helpful & enhanced our experience" BoBI visitor
"Tourism Ireland and our partners have had a fantastic 4 days at Best of Britain & Ireland with plenty of great business opportunities and quality leads on the trade days and unprecedented interest from the public at the weekend. The organisers have delivered a fabulous showcase for the island of Ireland." Tourism Ireland
"We should have done the trails at the start – brilliant!" BoBI visitor
"The inaugural Best of Britain & Ireland event seems to have been a great success. Scotland had a strong presence at the show and we received positive feedback from many of our stand partners during the event. We look forward to hearing the organisers' plans for 2010 at Olympia." VisitScotland
"Excellent show. So good to see so much of the UK in one place" BoBI visitor
"Best of Britain & Ireland delivered quality travel trade buyers and a regular foot fall of interested consumers to the Visit Wales stand. VisitBritain and the exhibition organisers deserve to be congratulated, based on its first year achievement, we would expect this event to successfully flourish in the future." Visit Wales
"What a wonderful informative exhibition. We met many lovely, friendly people all with local knowledge, all happy to share their knowledge" BoBI visitor
"I am sure it was a huge success judging by the level of interest that Borders customers alone showed." Borders & Books Etc
"Having been on one guided tour, I enjoyed it so much I have signed up for a second!" BoBI visitor
"I think VisitBritain has done a fantastic job in developing the concept of Best of Britain & Ireland to incorporate all that was good in BTTF plus more. It was clear that the Best of Britain & Ireland Travel Trade Forum and Best of Britain & Ireland 2009 were being supported by a vast spread of product and we were delighted to be a part of them. I have heard the organisers plans for 2010 and they are very comprehensive and we are very excited to be a part of the event next year" Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum and Tour
"Very successful show. We have had a wonderful time – chatted to so many lovely people – such a change! We always holiday in the UK and have been inspired to visit some new places" BoBI visitor
"We made excellent links on the trade days, and attracted a lot of positive attention during the consumer show." Wedgwood Visitor Centre
"Those trails were really an excellent way of introducing a show – never seen this before!" BoBI visitor
"A truly inspirational show and one that will go from strength to strength. The organisers were very helpful throughout and obviously cared passionately about the Show." The Thatches Holiday Village
"The consumer days have been a great success and have provided Lancashire and Blackpool with a great platform to promote the region." Visit Blackpool
"It is fair to say that of all the exhibitions that I have attended over the years, this was the most inspiring by a long chalk, well done to all concerned!" BoBI visitor
"The event has been a great success and allowed the Good Food Ireland members, who are all volunteers, to showcase the best of Irish Food to a large cross section of visitors and media." Good Food Ireland
"Very good – we liked the whiskey too!" BoBI visitor
"Best of Britain & Ireland provided a great opportunity to showcase our offer to a variety of potential customers." First Great Western
"Excellent idea about those trails, much better than just wandering around aimlessly. Helped so much to plan our day" BoBI visitor
"The show was perfectly balanced with a steady flow of clients over the trade days, allowing us to see all our key clients and more! The consumer days were busy and gave us an opportunity to talk to new prospective clients. A good way to meet the two audience types without the event being too long." Haven Holidays
"For a first time event the team achieved a grand show and can now look forward to an even better experience in 2010." Cornwall Tourist Pass
"Trails are a great way to get a flavour of the exhibition. Speakers very informative" BoBI visitor
"The whole event has been a great success and exceeded our expectations. The consumer interest was really high with leisure tourists very positive about spending time and money in England" Visit Leeds
"We were very pleased with the help and support we received from the BoBI organisers. Our regional area looked clean, professional and well co-ordinated. Our regional partners were happy with the South East presence at the show and we were pleased with the quality and quantity of trade and consumer visitors throughout the event". Tourism South East.
