VisitBritain today welcomes a new Eurostar and Virgin Trains partnership to offer a united travel service for the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) market, to drive growth in international business events to the UK.
The partnership, officially launched today at IBTM World in Barcelona, gives international event planners the freedom to book multi-stop journeys from mainland Europe to British destinations on the Eurostar and Virgin Trains networks through a ‘one-stop-shop’ booking experience.
The new booking service provides ease of access and strengthens route connectivity, opening up new MICE destinations including Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, enabling groups to discover more venues, attractions, heritage and culture in cities beyond London.
Event planners will also be able to book out carriages or trains for their MICE events at discounted travel rates and can change or transfer tickets between delegates.
Groups can choose from three travel classes and exclusive carriage services offered on both networks, including branded headrests and cushions as well as a variety of catering options.
Eurostar’s MICE initiative, which can now be booked through Virgin Trains, also offers tailored on-board experiences based on the event or destination delegates are travelling to, with activities including cheese and wine tasting, learning about the latest beauty trends and taking part in history-led art classes.
Eurostar and Virgin Trains are part of VisitBritain’s ‘Great Launches in Great Britain’ stand at IBTM celebrating ‘big’ market initiatives for the UK MICE market. Other partners on the stand include; The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA), opening early 2019 following a £333 million investment; the International Convention Centre Wales (ICC) which is a joint £83 million venture between Celtic Manor Resort and the Welsh Government; and Blackpool’s new £25 million conference and exhibition centre, Blackpool Winter Gardens.
VisitBritain promotes business events worldwide under Events are GREAT, part of the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign. Events are GREAT drives awareness of Britain’s destinations and products, highlighting its history of research and high-quality infrastructure, positioning it as a leading destination for business events.
