This weekend’s Coach Tourism Association Conference & Workshop is set to hit a record 1,200 meetings between coach operators and industry suppliers. The biggest event in the UK coach tourism calendar will feature a series of pre-arranged business meetings between buyers, including operators and wholesalers, and suppliers, including hotels, ferry operators, service providers, attractions and destinations.

The Conference & Workshop is taking place in Stratford-upon-Avon, from Saturday 8 to Tuesday 11 February 2025.

The Meet the Buyer Workshop is the central business development event of the annual Conference. The 2025 edition is set to increase on the previous record total of 860 meetings staged last year. The business session gives CTA member coach operators and wholesalers the opportunity to meet their choice of industry suppliers for one-on-one discussions.

“The success of the Meet the Buyer Workshop is a result of pairing coach tourism operators and wholesalers with the industry suppliers they want to meet,” says CTA Chair, Robert Shaw (pictured here). “Held over one morning, the event helps buyers generate product for coach trips and tours across the UK and Europe. For industry suppliers, the workshop gives them an audience that is actively seeking to progress business opportunities.”

The Conference will also provide industry members with the chance to debate key issues impacting the sector, including an operator panel and Question & Answer session hosted by former BBC Transport Correspondent Peter Plisner. The coach operator panel will feature David Blake, Blakes Coaches; Roger Bull, RB Travel/Taurus Holidays; Jason Edwards, Jason Edwards Travel; and Louise Webster, Acklams Coaches.

The event will also host a Question & Answer session between Peter Plisner and Anthea Turner, the well-known TV presenter on a wide range of programmes, including Blue Peter, the National Lottery, and travel show Wish You Were Here?

Sponsored by DFDS and Trust My Travel, the CTA Conference & Workshop will be based at the Crowne Plaza Stratford-upon-Avon. To support coach operators and wholesalers plan new product, the weekend also includes fam trips to Shakespeare’s Birthplace and houses, Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guildhall, Shakespeare Distillery, and Coventry’s St. Mary’s Guildhall.

To find out more about the event, visit: https://coachtourismassociation.co.uk/stratford2025/ To join the CTA, visit https://coachtourismassociation.co.uk/join-the-cta/