WHEN & WHERE?
Thursday 7th October 2027
at Arena MK, Milton Keynes.

EXHIBIT IN 2027
Contact us for more information about exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities at the GLT Show.

Exhibitor Testimonials

What did people say after exhibiting at the 2026 show?

“It’s been a terrific day, it’s actually our first time exhibiting here with APT Travel Group and it’s been great, meeting some existing friends and some new ones, so yeah, really enjoyed it. We will be back 100% next year, we’re looking at a bigger stand already for next year, it’s been so beneficial for us to come here and meet our organisers, so sign us up!”

Jamie Rutland,
APT Travel Group

“What’s been really nice is, for a lot of the group organisers that we’ve spoken to today, this is their first time attending. So that’s really positive for us, we’re going back with some new organisers to reach out to. We’re also getting to spend time with and keeping up rapport with our current organisers.”

Chantelle Buckingham,
Potters Resorts

“Footfall this year has definitely been up. It has been a very positive atmosphere – a lot of U3A groups and they’re perfect for us, and they’ve all been looking for a new day out.”

Jonathan Harris-Gibbins,
Sudeley Castle

“People don’t know Essex, so it’s good for me to be here to tell them about all the attractions that they can visit. People have been interested in the diversity of what we have, the culture, heritage, the coastline, the countryside – they didn’t know about that.”

Cheryl Owens,
Visit Essex

“The GLT Show is really a good thing for our business because we meet customers old and new, we use it as a meeting point, a bit of an update for our new customers and then also promotion for the following 12 months.”

Mandy Tythe-McCallum,
VisitBlackpool

“It’s been really busy, people came over later in the day but we’ve made some good connections already. I think a lot of people, when they come to us, they don’t actually know what we are. Or they’ve heard of us, but they don’t know the extent of what we actually offer. We have a new hotel too so it’s nice to get the word out to people.

Tara Granger,
Yorkshire Wildlife Park Resort

“This is actually our first event and it’s all very new for us. But it has been so useful, we do group trips with experts, based on a passion or an interest like gardening, cooking, history, so all the different societies and groups that are here are great contacts as well, so it’s been interesting.”

Pippa Bowcock,
Tripsmiths

“You always need a central point – people buy from people, so we like to get to know our customers. It’s very important for us to be here to see people face to face. It’s all been very good, people have been very enthusiast. It’s been a good quality of people – those who are like-minded.”

Marie McCarthy,
Irish Ferries

“We’ve had a brilliant day, it’s been busy, on and off all day really. We’re usually here every year, so it’s been good. Knowing us, we will be back next year.”

Vanessa Trow,
IOW Tours

“I’ve had a great time, it’s been amazing, we’ve had older people we’ve dealt with and loads of new ones too. We’ve got loads of visitors; it’s been brilliant.”

Keith Norman,
Wendy Wu Tours

“Today’s been amazing. We’ve met some amazing potential customers but also really good friends of Brooklands Museum who repeat custom. It’s been a really successful day, we’ve definitely improved on last year with a 25% increase on positive leads from 2025. This is our third consecutive year at the show. We come back for community and also connection to the industry, connection to good partners but also connection to group tour operators.”

Antony Nigliazzo-Masters,
Brooklands Museum

“We come every year because it’s such a good opportunity to meet people that are exactly what we’re looking for, and they’re looking for us. Every year it’s consistent and that’s why keep coming back. It’s a lot easier to convey what you have to offer and discuss specific needs, requirements or special interests face-to-face. It’s an easier way of connecting with people rather than from behind a screen.”

Georgina Shaw,
Hatfield Park

“It’s an opportunity for us to socialise with group organisers. It’s about re-educating them because the information about us, and how we’ve improved our service, doesn’t always cascade to them so we’ve had lots of that today, but we’ve also picked up some new business from some operators. We haven’t stopped, it’s been really good. It has been busy and I love the vibe – straight away I felt a nice vibe.”

Tracy Bayliss,
LeShuttle

“Shows such as Group Leisure & Travel allow us to communicate face-to-face with people who are actively looking for new ideas for group travel. There’s been a lot of interest in all the attractions, especially Kynren having just opened its day park, The Storied Lands, this summer. It’s been great to explain the proximity of all these attractions so that they can make a packed itinerary out of it.”

Sarah Johnson,
Discover Durham

“The show has been really helpful for us to talk to people about HF Holidays and what we do. A lot of people didn’t really know lots of things about us. Coming to a show like this is so important to engage with people and really sell what we do – and also understand people’s needs. It’s been a really friendly atmosphere and everyone is really happy to be here.”

Hannah Myers,
HF Holidays

Exhibitor Quotes from 2025

“I’ve picked up more Dover, Calais, Dunkirk coach operators this year then I have ever seen before which is a great shock. Each year keeps on shocking me, by coming here and seeing different people.”

Graham Hopcraft,
DFDS

“It’s been a really good show. I’ve had some great conversations with people. What’s good about this show is that it is the groups who are here. There are other shows where you get people coming to talk to you about other stuff whereas this is the opportunity to talk to groups.”

Christina Farley,
Bletchley Park

“We’ve had lots of new groups enquiring at the stand today; they have been interested in the ship visits and five-night taster cruises in particular. There was one group who have just done theatre trips; they have never done cruises before and now they want to do something with us. We’ve really enjoyed it – we only sat down right at the end, we’ve had a queue on the stand all day!”

Ellie Fulcher,
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

“This is the second year that we have been to the show and it has been just as good as last year. We really feel that we have conversations with people who are going to actually bring their group and that is exactly what we want. We’ve spoken to membership organisations, groups with hundreds of members and people who have never heard of us. A lot of the people we have spoken to are really in the right place geographically, so they are really quality leads.”

Mary Powys,

Sudeley Castle & Gardens

“We’ve covered the stand with three bookings we’ve had today. This is our fourth year and it’s so important for us to keep the brand in front of people – we know if we don’t come to the GLT Show, someone else will be in our stand space so it’s really important to be here. Groups are huge for us – we’ve just had our biggest September on record, we were 276% up year-on-year. We’ve cut down our advertising budget and just focus on Group Leisure & Travel magazine, and it has paid off because we’re seeing bigger groups, better quality and more bookings from different companies.”

Paul Brandwood,
The Royal Mint Experience

“It has been a really positive experience for us today, we’ve had a steady flow of people all day long, a huge variety of people and it has been great to network with other suppliers too. We’ve had all kinds of different ages and sizes, groups that we’ve never even considered so it has given us an opportunity for us to interact with those. It gives the opportunity on both sides to ask different questions. Having the face-to-face contact with people has been great.”

Mark Godfrey,

Premier Holidays

“We’ve been promoting our whole product range. What is going well is the cruise & tour programme and the rail collection. Japan, India and China have been especially popular. We’ve had lots of new enquiries, especially from the U3A and we’ve made lots of new contacts. Because of Covid, a lot of people have been out of the loop for a few years, and they’ve been saying today that they want to now go on their bucket list holidays. The groups market has exploded in the past year or so to the point where we’re putting extra resources into it. It’s always important to see people face-to-face. A lot of people who come here are already our regular customers, so it has been great to see lots of them and also good to meet new people as well. I’ve been surprised at how many new organisers have come to see us today. The show has been fabulous – it’s a well-oiled machine and works very well.”

Glen Thomas,

Wendy Wu Tours

“We came to talk to existing GTOs and new organisers who want to give us a go. We were promoting our £1 deposit offer for groups which runs out at the end of October. We’ve come along with our preview brochure which visitors have been interested in. We’ve had a mix of new/existing GTOs – we pride ourselves on offering a personal service and it’s great to meet people who we talk to on the phone. It’s great to share our products with GTOs and put faces to names.”

Ryan Howe,
Warner Leisure Hotels

“We’ve had a lot of enquiries today from GTOs for our 2026 events. The show has been excellent. This is my third show now and the quality year-on-year is increasing and the conversations are getting much more in-depth, much more interesting and as a result we’re getting much more business from it all.”

Alan Rennie,
Ambassador Cruise Lines

“Groups are a key focus for us so it has been great to meet organisers at the show to share what we can offer, everything from an afternoon tea train to a fish and chip special. We’ve had an excellent experience at the show. We’ve met some interesting people and have made some good contacts. From last year’s GLT Show we had about 10-12 groups booking in as a result. Meeting Simon Calder was a bonus as well – it’s a lifelong achievement for me. He said he was interested in what we did.”

Sheila Salmon,
Mid Norfolk Railway

“It’s great to make connections with group organisers at the show; our products change throughout the year so it has been great to talk about what we can offer them. It’s a great event to meet GTOs and coach operators; lovely to reconnect with people in the travel industry – it’s always a highlight in the calendar for us.”

Marcia Clement,
St Paul’s Cathedral

“We’ve been promoting our Mainline Rail tours operated from our base in Tyseley with heritage steam and diesel locomotives. It’s a lot easier to meet GTOs in person to find out what they’re looking for and what we can do for them.”

Alex Knudsden,
Vintage Trains

“We’ve seen genuine interest with an intent to come and visit on day trips and even longer than just a day this time as well. There is definitely an interest in longer than day trips and a lot of people have been keen to meet us and find new ideas.”

Helen Broom,
Great Sussex Way

“I’m liking that we have met people who don’t usually come to us. They can approach us here and it is genuine interest.”

Leticia Edwards,
Westminster Abbey

“It has definitely been worthwhile because I made some really good trade contacts – new faces, new contacts – this was very valuable. It was great to see old and existing partners as well.”

Gabrielle Alam,

CroisiEurope

“It’s been a really good show for us. I think coming to trade shows like this is always important to connect with travel organisers and coach operators. Being from a quite remote part of the world, it’s always good to have a presence at somewhere like this because you get to connect with everyone quite easily.”

Chris Douglas,

Bombay Sapphire Distillery

“It’s been our first Group Leisure & Travel Show and it’s been insightful. We have learned a lot and hopefully we are able to turn that into real business. We’ve certainly made some useful connections with people that feel like they’re going to come and visit and it is a mixture of people who book events and organise trips. We have built connections with groups and we can connect our products to them at a later date so we have certainly found the value of being here. We will absolutely be coming back to the show in 2026.”

Steve Buchan,
Museum of Illusions