FROM THE ARCHIVE
Business Traveller Awards through the ages
As we celebrate our 40th year, we speak to managing director Julian Gregory about past events, glamorous guests and headline-making incidents
I THINK THE MOST important thing about the Business T
raveller
awards is its history. These awards have been going for four decades. Not many publishing companies were doing award events back then. These days, everyone seems to be doing them – people buy a ticket to attend (or to win!), it’s heavily sponsored, and the publishing house makes huge amounts of money from it. That’s not the way we do things. These awards were
genuinely started to give our readers the chance to recognise companies who provide a great service. And for us, as the go-between the reader and the airline or hotel, a chance to celebrate the industry’s achievements. That’s why our awards are the way they are – independently verified and by invitation only. We’ve had some amazing
guests. Princess Diana, Queen Rania of Jordan, Buzz Aldrin, Ivana Trump – who was picked up by Richard Branson at that event and thrown over his shoulder. That made the news!
Over the years, we’ve also welcomed Sophie Wessex, Duchess of Edinburgh, Michael Portillo, Jo Brand, Ben Fogle and Princess Anne (more than once). Over in Asia we’ve had Fidel V. Ramos, former president of the Philippines, while the US awards have seen the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Jonnie Cash’s granddaughter. Some of these notable
guests have come from charities for whom we’ve raised money over the years, including The Prince’s Trust and Save the Children.
The results There has been some consistency in the results since the start – Singapore Airlines and British Airways have always traditionally done well, but if you look back there’s been lots of change too. Ten years ago, Qatar Airways didn’t really feature – this year they scooped four awards. Not to mention over the past 40 years, lots of airlines have come and gone, while hotel groups have merged. Award categories have
also changed. This year, ride-hailing and chauffeur categories have been added – reflecting how people are travelling today. We would also love to have a sustainability category, but the reality is that most things on the ESG side aren’t easily visible to the customer. A traveller might see bamboo cutlery at their hotel or sign up for carbon- offset policies – but they can’t judge the big-ticket items behind-the-scenes.
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Updated formats The awards were always a lunchtime event. But 10- 15 years ago, you’d still have a hundred people standing around the bar networking at 6pm. These days that culture has petered off. There’s maybe one or two people who can stay for a drink and a chat, but on the whole, people have to rush off and return to their desks. Because of that, we totally
changed the format for 2024 to have an evening function. That way, we could bring back the social, networking aspect that makes the event so worthwhile. The venue was different
this year too. Traditionally, the event has been held in a hotel ballroom – from The Savoy to The Dorchester, the London Hilton Park Lane and, most recently, the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington. This year, we relocated
to The Steel Yard in the City
TIME MACHINE Princess Diana hands out awards in 1993; famous faces over the years (from Princess Anne to Joan Collins); Branson picks up more than an award
of London – which doubles as a nightclub! For me, it was a far better
experience. Normally, I never get the chance to talk to anyone. I’m busy during the drinks reception, I spend the whole time presenting on stage, and then everyone goes home with awards in tow. This year, we also had TV presenter and correspondent Ben Thompson as the MC for the night, which was fantastic and left plenty of time for networking.
Just prior to the awards, we also unveiled the new look and brand identity of the magazine, and the event really helped to launch that identity and shine a light on all the exciting things to come. In 2025, we can look forward to a new global website, better social media presence, our first podcasts, more video content and a brand new set of award winners – see you there!
DECEMBER 2024/JANUARY 2025
IMAGES STEVE WOOD/POPPERFOTO/GETTY
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