The British Education Travel Association’s (Beta) annual Youth Travel Workshop took place at a new venue of Wembley Stadium in London last week with an increase in attendees.

The event bought together professionals from the youth, travel and education industry, including schools, accreditation associations, accommodation providers, advisors and attractions.

Beta Executive Director, Emma English, said, “Over 2,000 pre-scheduled appointments took place during this one-day event. This year we saw a 13 per cent increase in organisations booking and a 17 per cent increase in delegates.” In total, over 100 organisations were represented

Discussing the new venue, England’s national football stadium, English said, “The move to Wembley Stadium seemed very apt in our Olympic year, and allowed us to expand and grow our exhibition space by 300 per cent, providing organisations with the ability to create some greater visibility around their products. Early indications from delegates attending are extremely positive, with signed contracts and commitments of future business already in progress.”

Diana Lowe from Abls Accreditation said, “[It was] an interesting day which provided the opportunity to not only network with fellow providers, but also to consult with specialists relevant to the sector.” Meanwhile, Jacqui Fox of Twin Group added, “[It was] an excellent conference, the facilities were very good and it was an ideal opportunity to network and develop new business relationships.”

The workshop was preceded by a presentation by VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, outlining current marketing campaigns overseas. Delegates were treated to a complimentary tour of the historic stadium and an optional theatre trip to London’s West End.