LONDON

London is a world leader for events, ranked sixth on the ICCA 2014 worldwide ranking, after impressively rising 13 places over the previous seven years. London & Partners is the official promotional company for London in business tourism.

 

The UK VAT regulations mean that associations, corporate event organizers and business travelers could be entitled to a tax 20% refund and reclaim on the following expenses like accommodation, venue hire, business entertaining, food and beverage, event costs, transportation, and promotional advertising. This is the key factor of attractiveness of London in organizing international congresses because the UK is one of a limited number of EU countries who allow non-EU claimants to reclaim VAT.

 

Another interesting fact is that London & Partners can arrange discounts on trips to London thanks to its partnerships with airlines and railroads companies. They can also provide pre-paid Oyster travelcards for groups, allowing delegates to travel through the city quickly.

 

London & Partners has worked with seven major hotel groups, which represent about a third of total available rooms in London in creating the London Accomodation Charter. This charter aims to standardize the various terms and conditions of booking, including release time allowance, commission rates and cancellation conditions for all offers of more than 1,000 rooms (night volume point). The signatories of the hotel group include Accor, Radisson Edwardian Hotels, Millennium & Copthorne and Hilton. Other hotel groups who signed the charter are InterContinental Hotels Group, Park Plaza Hotels and Starwood. It’s very interesting for congress organizers.

 

London & Partners has developed also The London Ambassador Programme which invites experts from a range of sectors by promoting the great London on the world stage. London Ambassadors come from diverse professional backgrounds, with a wide range of skills, for example university professors, senior company officials and prominent opinion leaders.