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ttglive.com
Six appeal
The judges have sifted through the 30 entries and selected their top six to progress to the final of
this year’s TTG Big Idea. Who do you think will scoop the £100,000 investment? By Lee Hayhurst
T
he four TTG Big Idea investors Finalist 3: Adventurer’s return Finalist 5: If the place fits...
have whittled down the 30 hopeful Judges admired the perseverance of this This venture, which is up and running, caught
entrepreneurs hoping to scoop the entrant, a strong personality who’d lost out the investors’ eyes because it seemed to offer
£100,000 prize to just six. last year. They thought the firm, an adventure a new way of marketing travel online by
Our very own team of dragons met last travel specialist, had built a good website on focusing on destinations. The website was
month to agree the shortlist of entrants who limited resources and out of all the six finalists found to have a lot of content already and the
will be asked to present their ideas in the final. could do with the help the most, although the entry suggested there were big ambitions for
This is the second year TTG has run its Big concept might need to be tweaked. the company.
Idea competition, sponsored by Dubai Tourism
and Commerce Marketing, offering the biggest Finalist 4: Data solver Finalist 6: In tents speculation
prize in the travel industry. Judges liked the way this entrant had identified This camping specialist was thought to have
Last year’s winners, Danny Waine and Helen a problem and come up with a concept that he an innovative idea and one which could fill a
Doyle of Perfect Weddings Abroad, were invited believes could solve it. They thought the idea, to particular niche. The entry was considered to
to the shortlisting day in London to tell this simplify the supply of passenger information, have been well put together, well researched
year’s investors about their experiences. was worth investigating further. and well presented.
As last year the final will be filmed by Travel
TV and the winners announced at this year’s
TTG Travel Awards, to be held at London’s
Grosvenor House Hotel on September 22.
Bracing themselves to enter the dragons’ lair
to present their ideas this year are:
Finalist 1: Could be a runner
A specialist running holiday company
with a good track record. This entry
was considered to be a sound bet and
relatively low-risk. Returns from niche
sectors such as this can be good but are
unlikely to be huge. The people behind
this entry were expected to interview the
dragons as much as the other way round.
Finalist 2: Trip planner
Judges thought this proposal, for a Euro-
pean trip-planning tool, was an interesting
concept and were attracted by the pedigree
of the people involved. No one else was
thought to be operating a similar business
and the concept was thought to be original.
32 04.09.2009
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