Then and now
David Chapple, event director for the Business Travel Show, takes a trip down memory lane….
What was your first job in travel?
My first job in travel was as a sales executive on the London Business Travel Show in October 1998. While I was working in that role I also helped Centaur to launch the Business Travel Show in Manchester.
What was the high point of your career?
This is a tough one because it’s so hard to choose between two. I launched the Travel Technology Show (now Travel Technology Europe) nine years ago and it’s now Europe’s largest travel technology event. The second high point is launching the ETBAs (European Travel Buyer Awards) four years ago. At our first event we had 70 UK guests and presented three awards. On 6 February 2012 we’ll be welcoming 400 people from all over Europe to the Wyndham Grand Chelsea Harbour, including 300 of Europe’s most accomplished and important travel buyers, and we’ll be handing out nine gongs.
What was the low point?
This happened a couple of years ago, when the we found out that the venue for our exhibitor party for 700 people had closed that morning and we had to find a new venue in just four hours. It’s testament to the strength of the Business Travel Show support team that we pulled it out of the bag at such short notice. We ended up going to Studio Valbonne and had a fantastic night.
What's your biggest regret?
Not putting myself forward earlier to join the ITM board. It’s a great organisation that does a lot of work to help shape the future of the business travel industry and help those working within in. Being a director is a fantastic opportunity for me to give back to an industry that has given me so much.
What would you be doing now if you weren't in travel?
Now that’s easy. I’d be a tornado chaser in the great plains of north America.
