Routes Europe 2018: Over and out from Bilbao

By April 24, 2018 January 16th, 2020 News

The sun has set on yet another successful Routes Europe event. Steven Small, brand director of Routes, described the event as “hugely successful” with more than 1,200 delegates descending on Bilbao over the three-day forum to discuss route development and new network opportunities.

While some may have been nursing sore heads after a night of celebrations on Monday 23 April, when Billund Airport, Budapest Airport and Brussels Airport were all declared winners of their respective categories in the Routes Europe 2018 Marketing Awards, it was more a case of sore feet on Tuesday as delegates continued to walk the show floor checking out the exhibitor stands and meeting with airlines.

 

Pulling in the crowds

In a bid to attract new airlines and sell new routes, airports exhibiting at this year’s show have not been short of fun and innovative ideas to pull in the passing crowds.

The team at Lodz Airport, who had been giving away brightly-coloured socks throughout the event, called for all those who had picked up a pair to return for a photo opportunity on Tuesday afternoon. Bremen Airport meanwhile was reeling in new routes with its ‘Fish you were here’ campaign taking photos of attendees in an underwater setting. Melanie Seidel, who is responsible for marketing at the airport, explained that Eastern Europe is a focus for Bremen in terms of its route development because of the strong trade relations in the maritime and logistics industries.

Celebrating the fact it is home to the oldest sauna in Finland, Business Tampere was offering delegates the chance to momentarily zone out of work mode by donning a towelling robe and slippers to ‘experience a sauna of sorts’ on its stand.

Commenting on how Tampere is ripe for business, Marja Aalto, Business Tampere’s director of air transport development, said that the city offers plenty of potential for those looking to invest. Ryanair has already confirmed that it will make the route between Tampere and Budapest a year-round service as of this winter.

On the Best of France stand, five regional gateways (Lille, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Brest and Bergerac) teamed up to offer French delicacies and wine, as well as a game of table football and a fun photo booth complete with berets to dress up in.

Hannover Airport in Germany, which has been declared the official host of Routes Europe 2019, was attracting passers-by with its Jagermeister bar and claw grabber machine stocked up with goodies to be won.

The German gateway certainly set the scene for a lively and action-packed event in 2019!

 

Header image: The official handover ceremony for Hannover Airport to host Routes Europe 2019.

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