CHICAGO, Jan. 9, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- BCD Meetings & Incentives (BCD M&I) has acquired UK-based Talking Point. The move expands BCD M&I's global meetings, incentive travel and event portfolio while bringing global in-house live event production capabilities to the organization.
The acquisition completes a change in Talking Point's ownership that began last year when BCD Meetings & Incentives' parent company, BCD Holdings N.V., purchased The Travel Company, a UK-based corporate travel management firm that partly owned Talking Point.
Talking Point employs 46 full-time staff, and it services a wide range of clients, including: Sony, O2 Plc, Sanofi Pasteur MSD, Bosch Power Tools and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. Scott Graf, president of BCD Meetings & Incentives, called the acquisition "a groundbreaking addition for us, which provides immediate credibility and expertise in the marketplace."
"The outstanding team that Talking Point has cultivated over the last 20 years enhances our European market solution and perfectly positions BCD Meetings & Incentives to expand the core MICE services we already offer in other EMEA markets," Graf said. "Additionally, Talking Point's reputation as an innovator in creative event management will serve us extremely well as we pursue more event opportunities in the Americas and throughout Europe.
"The acquisition of Talking Point gives us a stronghold in the British Isles and complements the broad presence we already have within Continental Europe," continued Graf. "Combined with the integration of TQ3 Events (a subdivision of TQ3 Travel Solutions Management Holding GmbH), which we completed in mid-2006, within EMEA we now have wholly owned locations in Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom."
Robin Smith, founder and managing director of Talking Point, will serve as managing director, UK and Ireland, for BCD Meetings & Incentives.
"I am thrilled with the opportunities this brings, both for our employees and our customers," said Smith. "Now that we're part of BCD Meetings & Incentives, we'll continue to deliver the same creative excellence for which we are known. Additionally, we'll be able to broaden our service offering within the UK and Ireland to span all the products and services offered by BCD Meetings & Incentives, including strategic meetings management."
Talking Point will begin operating under the BCD Meetings & Incentives banner immediately.
About BCD Meetings & Incentives
BCD Meetings & Incentives operates in more than 25 countries across the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC), with annual sales of approximately US$250 million and a combined work force of 350 dedicated M&I employees. Its world headquarters is in Chicago, with regional hubs in San Francisco, Mexico City, London, Brussels and Singapore. BCD Meetings & Incentives is an operating unit of BCD Travel, the world's third-largest corporate travel management company. For more information, visit www.bcdmi.com.
About BCD Travel
As a leading provider of global corporate travel management, BCD Travel simplifies and streamlines the business of travel. This benefits the organization on every level: from the bottom-line to the business traveler. BCD Travel operates in 96 countries on five continents, with US$12 billion in total sales and a combined worldwide work force in excess of 12,000. BCD Travel is a BCD Holdings N.V. company. For more information, visit www.bcdtravel.com.
About BCD Holdings N.V.
BCD Holdings N.V., a Dutch family-owned company founded in 1975 by John Fentener van Vlissingen, is a market leader in the travel industry and successful niche player in the financial services industry. The BCD Holdings companies are: BCD Travel (global corporate travel management), Park 'N Fly (off-airport parking), TRX (travel transaction processing and data integration services), Airtrade (leisure travel) and Primary Capital (real estate financing). The company employs approximately 14,000 people and operates in 96 countries with total sales, including franchising, of US$13 billion. For more information visit: www.bcd-nv.com.