"I had a great time at BoBI, gathering lots of contacts and attending excellent presentations. My stay in Coventry was welcome and the evening functions were brilliant." Diane Salter, Group Travel Organiser

"We found it incredibly useful and came away with loads of ideas, both from the exhibitors and from the buyers we spoke to. We found the experience truly inspirational, and, even when we were not actually at BOBI, we were still absorbing good info from the other buyers over breakfast and on the coach transfers. The whole couple of days have really fired us up." Andrea Golder, Group Travel Organiser

"I thought the Domestic Hosted Buyers programme was a great success and found it very interesting and useful. I made over 20 pre-booked meetings, plus I had time to visit stands which I had not programmed to see. The Novotel Coventry was a good choice and we were all impressed with the party on Wednesday evening at the Barcelo Hinckley Island. Our hosts were generous with their hospitality. Many, many thanks!!" Arthur Rowe, Spread Eagle Club

"We had a very enjoyable and productive day at BoBI. A very successful business day - we made some hotel bookings while we were there." Colin Hearn, Angela Holidays

"I had a very busy schedule and met with many of my key suppliers, which was great to have them all in the one place and fingers crossed have a good chunk of group business placed for the 2012 season. I also picked up some new contacts. Looking forward to the event in 2012!" David Cunningham, Discover Travel and Tours

"A big thank you to you and your team for all the hard work you put into the show and the Hosted Buyer programme. I have to say that I so much prefer the NEC as a venue. I had really useful appointments and am now well on the way with planning for 2012!" Jane Duffelen, Shaws Coaches

"Given the funding cuts, I was surprised to see so many destinations represented. The location back in Birmingham is far more accessible." Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"A lot of exhibitors, and great atmosphere for making business" Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"We made some useful contacts from both exhibitors and visitors we spoke to." Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"It is fair to say that of all the exhibitions that I have attended over the years, this was the most time effective by a long chalk, well done to all concerned!" Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"Never been before and my organisers head has been buzzing with wonderful ideas for trips and tours." Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"I will have some groups to UK in April and I got the right contact person and make the reservation in the Trade Show." Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"Much more friendly atmosphere than most trade shows - more conducive for making contacts in a relaxed manner" Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"Met many more suppliers that I can use than I thought I would." Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"Thank you for a very interesting trip to BoBI and the RSC. It was great to catch up with people and see what is new in Britain and Ireland, it has certainly inspired me." Kathryn Liston, Member of the British Guild of Travel Writers

"Just a quick note to thank you and all concerned in your hospitality and seamless arrangement of the bolt-on treats during our recent visit to the NEC. The hotel was wonderful and the evening performance delightful! I certainly achieved my mission at BoBI with a few days work ahead putting all the information into the relevant "drawers." Peter Rosenfeld, Editor & Presenter

"I was one of the group of travel journalists who attended BoBI on Wednesday and am writing to thank you for your efforts on our behalf, and your hospitality. The event itself was very productive, providing a number of useful contacts and specific leads which I hope to translate into features" John Carter, Member of the British Guild of Travel Writers

"We really appreciate all the time and investment that went into staging such an incredible event and feel privileged to have been there. We all came away with some great stories, both from the exhibitors and from the buyers we spoke to." Mary Anne Evans, British Guild of Travel Writers

"I attended BoBI on the first day with the purpose of looking to collect information for a series of articles."

"I hoped to find the best source of information for research purposes. The outcome far exceeded my expectations. We'll be back next year and congratulations to the organisers and those who manned the many stands. I attend many trade events in travel and I can hand on heart say this was the most efficient!" Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"A truly inspirational show, an ideal opportunity for the media to see so much under one roof. The organisers were very helpful throughout and obviously cared passionately about the Show." Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"Best of Britain & Ireland was a great way for me to catch up with attractions and tourist boards as the summer season gets underway to check out new story angles and ideas. Well done to the various partners for making it an enjoyable and productive event." Comment from Trade Visitor Survey

"There was a great business buzz at BoBI this year. Business is challenging for everyone in these recessionary times. It's therefore especially pleasing and valuable to know that the industry now has an annual trade event we can all rely on to deliver the business we need." Ann Lines, Hilton Worldwide

"As well as exhibiting, the many opportunities we had to work with you this year have really helped raise our profile with Groups and the Travel Trade Press. It was a very successful trade fair for us and we look forward to being involved again at the NEC in 2012." Jo Litt, Royal Shakespeare Company

"I want to thank you and your team for a superb exhibition; we had two fantastic days of meeting and networking. BoBI has turned into a must attend event for operators and tour organisers across the UK. Well done on bringing the cream of the coach and tour industry together with the suppliers, who when working together ensure the role of the coach in the economy continues to bring prosperity to all regions and attractions across the UK." Karen Tiley, Confederation of Passenger Transport UK.

"BoBI has provided us and our clients with a fantastic setting to source new business and meet with our existing partners. We were absolutely delighted with the involvement from WICKED, the Musical, in the Official Networking Party. We now look forward to BoBI 2012 and the opportunity to be involved with the Overseas Hosted Buyer Programme in 2012." Jonathan Mountford, made in London

"Very pleased with the result at BoBI. Interestingly the second day was much better for us - almost as if the word had spread that it was worth attending!" John Crane, The Heritage Railway Association

"The Best of Britain & Ireland show is establishing itself as a key event in the travel trade calendar and this year the Albatross Group of Companies was again pleased to be one of the main exhibitors. Our staff were able to meet with many existing clients and establish a relationship with a number of new ones at both the show and the informal networking evening. We look forward to being a part of BoBI again in 2012" Steve Hornby, The Albatross Group

"Considering this was our fist time ever at this event, it proved a phenomenal success. We had a very busy stand with enquiries from all over the UK and some interesting leads from Europe too, including a press trip from the Netherlands later this year. Doncaster's history, especially the St Leger and horse racing heritage, was key to many visitors, as was our Market which has just been voted Best in Britain. We'll definitely be taking part next year and have already included BoBI in our plans for 2012." Colin Joy, Doncaster Tourism

"It was great to meet buyers looking to find new ideas for things to do in North Wales and overall it was a very successful couple of days for us and our partners." Fiona Gresty, North Wales Tourism

"We had positive feedback from the travel industry at the recent Best of Britain & Ireland event held at the NEC in Birmingham. Our new travel trade guide was welcomed and a great deal of interest was shown from group organisers in the UK and overseas looking to develop their business in the Isle of Man." Rod Nipper, Isle of Man Director of Tourism

"It was a great show and the quality of visitors was excellent. The hosted buyer programme was again a winner and all our operator members I spoke to found the business and networking both productive and enjoyable. Above all the two days provided a real opportunity to do real business". Paul Ovington, Coach Tourism Council

"The whole event has been a great success and exceeded our expectations. The quality of buyers was really high and they were very positive about Cadbury World and domestic tourism overall." Penny Dyer, Cadbury World

"BoBI 2011 was great for us and provided us with a perfect platform to promote the great attractions Northumberland has to offer. We made excellent links on the trade days - a most effective event! With all the changes taking place across the industry it was nice to know something still works for us!" Chris Calvert, Bamburgh Castle

"Blue Badge Tourist Guides were delighted to host the Welcome Desk again at Britain's best show. Great to talk to so many buyers and contacts about the difference qualified guides can make to the overall holiday experience." David Thompson, Guild of Registered Tourist Guides

"BoBI gave us an excellent opportunity to promote our range of hotels to real quality buyers who are both new and existing customers. The show was overall a real success for us and it was certainly a popular choice being back at the NEC" Rachel Tooley, QHotels

"With new attractions to promote, including the Madame Tussauds attraction opening this month, BoBI gave us an excellent platform to meet key trade buyers and proved to be an extremely successful event for us over the two days" Sarah Lundy, Merlin Entertainments Blackpool Cluster