Second Phase of British Airways' Face-to-Face Campaign Launches During Annual National Business Traveler's Association (NBTA) Conference and Will Award 100 Companies Free Travel Worldwide
Following the successful launch and take-up of its "Face-to-Face" campaign, British Airways, committed to keeping entrepreneurship alive and to helping stimulate global business, announced today the launch of "Business Opportunity Grants."
The airline and its partners, Regus Office Services, Courtyard by Marriott, Canon USA, Inc., and British Airways World Cargo will award 100 small-to-medium size U.S. businesses free travel to anywhere in the world where British Airways flies plus valuable products and services to help support their businesses and maximize their travel experiences.
"Business Opportunity Grants" is phase two of "Face-to-Face," a multi-phased campaign that aims to drive forward small and medium sized enterprises by focusing on tangible, human connections as a crucial driver of business growth. The program will offer these companies a variety of support including the opportunity to travel overseas and conduct face-to-face business meetings that will result in new and/or deeper partnerships, new projects, and revenue for U.S. cities. Starting today, businesses with a demonstrable need should visit www.ba.com/facetoface for the chance to win.
"Business Opportunity Grant" recipients will be awarded 10 British Airways roundtrip transatlantic Club World business class tickets to be used at their business' discretion in 2010. Regus will provide five Businessworld Gold Cards offering access to its business lounges worldwide. Courtyard by Marriott will provide each grant winner $1,000 toward accommodations. Canon will provide each grant winner a PIXMA MX860 Wireless Office All-In-One Printer, specifically designed for small businesses, including printer, copier, scan, fax and photo lab capabilities. British Airways World Cargo will offer each winning company five free global shipments of up to 500 kilos, including fuel and security fees, shipped from any BA World Cargo U.S. gateway.
"Connecting people globally is our number one objective, and we've long known that the key to building a successful long-term business partnership is through face-to-face meetings," said Simon Talling-Smith, Executive Vice President, Americas, British Airways. "Even after giving away close to 1,000 seats during phase one of the campaign to help U.S. entrepreneurs grow their businesses, we realized there was still more we could do. Our hope is that the 'Business Opportunity Grants' help these businesses increase their revenues and reach important milestones in their strategic growth plans."
To help reinforce the idea that in-person meetings do really drive business, British Airways commissioned a survey of Harvard Business Review readers to gauge perceptions within the international business community about the importance of face-to-face meetings. In a time when business travel has been severely cut, the study aimed to uncover the impact that virtual meetings have had on business growth and relationship building. Results from the survey of over 2,300 Harvard Business Review readers concluded that 95 percent of businesspeople said they believe that face-to-face meetings are key to success in building long-term relationships, and 89 percent agree face-to-face meetings are essential for "sealing the deal."
Angelia Herrin, Research Editor, Harvard Business Review noted: "Our survey revealed that what most businesspeople really want is solid human connections. Technology serves as an effective supplement, but face-to-face communication is the broadest bandwidth communication you can have in professional life, helping to cement long-term relationships and drive business growth."
Chance to Win Free Travel to Conduct Business Anywhere in the World
"Business Opportunity Grants" invite U.S. businesses to make their case for an unmet business travel need and win free travel for one year to anywhere in the world that British Airways flies, to attend crucial meetings. The grants will allow each of the businesses 10 roundtrip transatlantic Club World business class tickets to be used at their discretion in 2010. Whether it's a sit-down appointment with a potential client, vendor, investor or a check-in on an office that has not been visited because of budget cuts, the program is designed to help budget-conscious businesses get where they need to go, physically and financially.
Businesses interested in entering the competition should visit www.ba.com/facetoface to complete the entry form telling British Airways about their business objectives in 2010 and how a grant would benefit their business. Entries will be reviewed by a group of British Airways executives and its communications and business partners. Entries will be accepted until midnight (PDT) September 30, 2009, and winners will be notified by late November. Entries must represent companies with 500 employees or less and have a Federal Tax ID Number.
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