Looking to kick up its group business, Portugal hosted the first-ever meeting buyers' program at its national travel and tourism fair in Lisbon in late January.
Sixty buyers — including a half-dozen American planners — and 150 suppliers participated in two days of 15-minute appointments at BTL 2007 (the abbreviation of the show's Portuguese name). The buyers also took part in pre- and post-show familiarization activities.
Charlotte Hackett, president of Wichita, KS-based Above & Beyond Travel, said the hotels and transportation suppliers in the program were well qualified: "The buyers and suppliers were matched well. I found properties I can sell."
Added Neela Johnston, vice president of event and client services for Chicago-based OnSite Events, "Lisbon seems to have the infrastructure to handle some of the larger groups we are considering for this destination. I compare it to destinations where we have done large programs such as San Francisco and even Boston."
The annual BTL show was reformatted, in part, to give the meetings industry a greater profile; most DMCs, incentive houses, and group-centric suppliers were concentrated in one pavilion.
"We feel this is a new start for BTL," said Vitor Neto, president of the show's organizing committee. "Our focus on meetings and incentives is stronger now."
Neto added that undertakings like the buyers' program intend to address Portugal's "lack of visibility" and get Americans interested in Europe's westernmost country. U.S. visitor numbers have remained stagnant for years, he acknowledged.
On the fam, planners were introduced to venues aimed at incentives and meetings entertainment. They toured the 16th-century Jeronimos Monastery, the National Coaches Museum housing a collection of antique royal carriages, and St. Jorge Castle, which overlooks the city. Destination officials also arranged walking tours in the historic, maze-like Alfama quarter and the fashionable Chiado shopping district.
Meeting venues like the Belem Cultural Center, plus the Atlantic Pavilion next to the International Fair of Lisbon, where BTL was held, were shown too.
Airlift has to be improved, though, said Hackett, noting the scarcity of direct flights. "From the U.S. East Coast, it's no problem," she said, referring to service by TAP Portugal and Continental Airlines out of Newark, NJ. "From the Midwest, I can live with two connecting flights, but not three."