It's a dog's life - at a trade show?

Realise co-founder Richard John took his beloved rescue pups Sasha and Bailey to Barcelona on a bleisure trip. Now he asks whether event organisers should be more accommodating to delegates who want to bring their pets...

If our paths crossed at IBTM World in Barcelona last year, well, it was good to see you.

However, if I missed you it’s possibly because I was a bit late to arrive and early to leave due to a need to take in the greenery of the city. Not for me, you understand, but for Sasha and Bailey, who were enjoying their first trip outside their own country.

They loved it - and received a warm welcome from the residents. It was the perfect example of a successful ‘bleisure’ trip - mixing business with leisure.

According to TravelPerk, nearly 70 per cent of bleisure journeys begin – like ours – with an itinerary to take in a conference. It’s going to increase; the GBTA that 82 per cent of travel managers say their teams want to add leisure time to their business trips, especially those identifying as Gen Y and Gen Z.

Richard John with Sasha and Bailey

Now this may not be a surprise to you, but what made our outing slightly different was that Sasha and Bailey are two rescue pups, who have come in to and disrupted every element of our lives. So, while I was generously offered the speaker perk of a lovely hotel room for my visit, the invitation didn’t extend to the boys. Instead we opted for a lovely apartment with elevator and patio overlooking the Sagrada Familia.

I imagine my request for pet accommodation was both unusual and challenging; however, were they support animals I’m sure it would have been accommodated. And, as the blurring of lines between work and play continues, and those pesky Millennials become the largest working segment, total inclusivity is everything!

When I said I would write about my ‘family trip’ there was the assumption that my tongue would be firmly in my cheek and this would be a piece of doggy puns. Actually I’m quite serious (for once, and once only). After all, this august publication has written – and podcasted – about the possibility of bringing children and babies to events. And I’m not (yet) advocating a doggie daycare centre on the show floor - although replacing ‘fun runs’ with a morning canine stroll sounds far more appealing to me.

Of course, some of you won’t understand the challenge in leaving your pets behind. To be honest, I feel the same way about your children. (Or my children, if I had any.) But with the constant challenge for all organisers of delivering the quality audience, anything that makes those ‘away from home’ journeys more palatable is worth considering.

And, frankly, who wouldn’t like to see more dogs on the show floor? Just don’t opt for too much greenery on your stand…

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