Companies in London to promote the Bay
STORY COURTESY OF TORQUAY HERALD EXPRESS
THE best of Devon's venues and outdoor activity companies have been showcased at an event at the Institute of Directors in London.
A total of 25 firms, including representatives from Dartington Hall, Riviera International Conference Centre and The Imperial Hotel, Torquay, travelled to London for the Destination Devon showcase held at the Institute of Directors on Pall Mall.
The event was designed to show how great Devon is for a conference, business meeting or corporate event for anyone looking for something a little bit different.
Throughout the day, representatives from a variety of businesses filtered through the doors, to discover what Devon has to offer. The showcase was aimed at people in business responsible for booking conferences, events and meetings.
Nicky Harding, Conference English Riviera Manager, said: "It was a great to see Devon venues together at an event like this working in partnership. I hope we are going to do it again in the future."
The initiative was led by Jo Butler from Bovey Castle and Karen Jonas at Dartington Hall with support from Honiton-based Outdoor Adventure Consultants (OAC Ltd) and The Heart of Devon Partnership. It was supported by IoD Devon and Cornwall branch chairman Carleen Kelemen.
Venues and suppliers ranged from the Earl of Devon's family home, Powderham Castle to the wonderful meeting space at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth.
Also exhibiting were outdoor activity companies such as Land Rover Experience and our onestop conference portals, Event Exeter and Conference Plymouth.
Travel from London to many destinations across Devon has been made much more accessible and affordable through flights from London City and First Great Western pre-agreed price concessions for people attending conferences in the county.
Carleen said: "Devon is a unique destination for the corporate market and has lots of great venues and hotels with a huge range of activities for everything from small meetings to large conferences and teambuilding events. We are seeing a real growth in business tourism, who see Devon as their first choice for conferences and team building.
"I was delighted that Devon businesses chose IOD Pall Mall to showcase their facilities and creative activities."
Victoria Hatfield, Exeter and the Heart of Devon Tourism Partnership added: "Conference Devon is delighted to support the London Showcase, promoting conference, meeting and exhibition venues to key buyers and agents in London. Raising the profile of the fantastic quality, range and unique venues we have in Devon is a key to gaining more bookings and business visitors to Devon."
Jo Butler, business development manager at Bovey Castle, said: "We had great feedback and everyone pulled together and coordinated well. It completely raised the profile of Devon, highlighting how diverse the county is and what we can offer."
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