GLT Show

Event Update

The GLT Show 2024 will be hosted on 03.10.2024 at Milton Keynes. The event site will not feature Covid-19 safeguards for the live event. This is due to the UK removing its restrictions, including the travel bans.

A Brief Overview of the GLT Show 

The GLT Show unites the entire travel market in the UK under one roof. The exhibition is the big meeting point for group organisers to exchange new ideas, set the tone for the upcoming tourist season and conduct business in the. Everyone operating in the sector makes a point to attend, which makes it the perfect venue to generate sales leads and create brand awareness with minimal costs when it comes to exhibiting. 

GETA ltd helps exhibitors plan the perfect business trip and arranges hotel accommodation for the GLT show at attractive rates. We work with hotels and hostels across all price points in Milton Keynes and deliver tailored hotel accommodation during the GLT Show. Our team knows how to accommodate large groups and understands the value of quality hotel rooms. Your rooms are near Marshall Arena (Stadium MK) to make commuting easy and fast. Access to public transport is a given. GETA ltd meets all your needs. Do you require a rent-a-car? Do you want a team to build your exhibition booth? Call on us! 

Why Your Visit Is Worth It 

The GLT Show is quite effective in helping GTOs find the right audience, attract new buyers and reconnect with existing partners. Because the event lasts only one day, you don’t have to pay a lot to participate and make up for your travel costs. Here is what exhibitors and visitors say about the exhibition: 

• 95% of exhibitors report good leads for groups business.
• 95% of exhibitors are satisfied with the quality of visitors.
• 95% of visitors rate their show experience as good or very good.
• 98% of visitors say their visit gave them good ideas to help plan future group trips.

Industry Relevance 

The Group Leisure & Travel Show is Britain’s most popular exhibition for group travel organisers. The one-day exhibition arrives at the Marshall Arena at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes in early October every year and presents numerous opportunities for coach operators and group travel operators to network and shape the face of the group travel sector for the next year. The event is a barometer for taste and trends among consumers. You’re connected to industry leaders and build a solid reputation. Now that the travel industry is restarting after the last two years of the pandemic, the GLT Show is more important than ever. 

There’s always something fun happening as visitors can enter giveaways, take advantage of special competitions and benefit from offers made only during the exhibition. Most recently, visitors could compete to win VIP tour tickets from West Midland Safari Park and tickets for Frozen The Musical in London, courtesy of Disney Tickets.

Giveaways featured awards as simple as free ice cream from the Group Leisure & Travel magazine to free weekend passes with Northern Trains and an overnight stay in Leicester. In 2022, the most exciting attractions included the first images of King Charles’ coin design presented by the Royal Mint, and a replica Enigma machine. No two editions of the GLT Show are the same, which is why trade visitors continue to return year after year. 

Exhibitors are certainly satisfied with the 2022 edition. Paul Brandwood from The Royal Mint is quick to say that “Everyone we have spoken to has been really good quality contacts and I feel like we are going to get a lot of business off the back of this.” Andrew Niven from the Bodmin Jail Attraction adds “This is the first time I’ve exhibited with Bodmin Jail and it’s exceeded my expectations in terms of the quality of group organisers here. I think it’s so important to come to events like this.” Finally, we have Katie Weller, working at the National Gallery, explaining that “The groups market is really picking up for us and if we don’t come to shows like this, we’ll fall off the radar. I love the Marshall Arena as a venue too.”

Who Are You Going to Meet? 

The GLT Show brings exhibitors and trade visitors from the four corners of the UK. The exhibition halls are home to Aerospace Bristol, Harry Shaw Group Travel, Kilworth House Hotel & Theatre, London Transport Museum, Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf, English Riviera Bid Company and Painshill Park Trust. You have a rich variety in top attractions, tourist boards, accommodation providers, ticketing agencies, coach companies and tour operators in attendance. 

Additional Value of Attending 

The exhibition might last for a single day, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a lot going. Visitors are treated to a packed programme at the free Seminar Theatre, which kicks off a little after the official opening and continues until closing time. You have exciting speakers take to the stage to discuss the hottest topics of the day. In previous editions, organisers invited Carol Klein (Gardener and Television Presenter), Gyles Brandret (Television Personality and ‘Culture Vulture’), Kate Humble (Writer & Broadcaster) and Nicholas Owen (Newscaster and Television Presenter).

For 2022, organisers prepared three informative seminars over the course of the day: 

• First, cruise expert Jane Archer explored all the options presented to organisers during the planning of an ocean or river cruise for your group.
• Second, regular speaker Simon Calder provides an exciting Q&A session, where audience members can ask any kind of questions. His return was met with great excitement. The format allowed participants to submit questions to the show’s event and were answered on the stage.
• Closing the programme was former BBC Royal Correspondent, Jennie Bond, who has had the privilege of accompanying the Royal Family in their travels around the world. She was there to share her experiences and give her insights into cruising.  

The Outlook for 2023 

By all accounts, the 2022 edition of the GLT Show was a success and a return to form as players were eager to make up for lost time. The 2023 edition has entered early planning stages and so far organisers are reporting strong interest from exhibitors. Stay tuned for updates such as who’s going to speak at the Seminar Theatre and more.