American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events and Wrg Announce Integrated Offer

London, U K – Monday 10 October 2011 – American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events – a global, full service meetings and events services provider, together with WRG – a leading integrated marketing and event production agency, today announced an exclusive agreement in the U.K. to provide businesses with an integrated resource for all their corporate meetings and events needs.

From venue sourcing and contractual negotiations, to creative content development and event staging, companies working with American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events and WRG will now benefit from a consolidated approach to what is often a fragmented process involving multiple suppliers.

American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events and WRG are fusing the respective strengths and experience of both businesses to offer corporations creative development, planning and sourcing needs whilst tackling compliance, budget control and transparency. This fusion has created a seamless, streamlined and comprehensive service which will bring a vast array of meetings and events to life whilst ensuring immediate, lasting impact with clients’ business objectives at the fore.

Commenting on the launch, Peter Manning, UK Director, American Express Meetings & Events, said: “Corporate spending globally on meetings and events is estimated to be $140 billion annually. We know that corporations are facing challenges with increased scrutiny over their meetings budgets and need to understand and meet new regulations while not compromising on the ultimate design and creativity of their meetings and events. That is why this exclusive agreement is so appealing – through the integration of WRG’s creative marketing services and production capabilities with our planning, sourcing and expense management expertise, corporations will have access to an unmatched approach in all areas of meeting organization.”

Commenting on behalf of WRG, Chairman, Mark Wallace, who has over thirty years of experience in live events, noted of the exclusive agreement between the brands: “The collaboration of WRG and American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events is a landmark offering in the business of live events and meeting management. Creativity is at the core of everything WRG does – striving for brilliance through innovative and unique ideas. Now, with the unrivaled cost-management, planning and sourcing expertise of American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events joined with the creative vigour of WRG, these fundamental disciplines are fused, offering clients a full-service approach like no other.”

The exclusive agreement between these two industry-leading organizations provides the market with enhanced breadth, depth and expertise in meeting and events planning. American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events is backed by more than forty years’ experience in meeting management with a global network of event professionals who average over ten years in the industry.

WRG distinguishes itself from other live event companies with an emphasis on creative brilliance, intelligence and imagination, breaking the conventional and integrating communications for truly stunning, complex events. With over twenty years’ experience in the field of live events, WRG, which is based in Manchester and London, has grown globally with offices in Doha and New York. Planning and implementing events such as the Papal Visit to the UK and the G20 summit, WRG has been a major player in bringing to life some of the most important political and cultural events of the 21st Century so far.

The combined resources will help firms realize potential savings, both by freeing up internal company resource and also in leveraging American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events and WRG’s market knowledge to secure best prices without compromising on innovation, creative content and unique ideas.

For further information please contact:

Lottie Dutton / Sean Ottley at Consolidated PR on
020 7781 2362, [email protected] , [email protected]
or Tracy Paurowski, at American Express Global Business Travel on 0127 321 5439, [email protected]

Alternatively, contact:
Carolanne Bamford at Smoking Gun PR on 0161 839 1986 / [email protected] or Barry Day on 08453130000 [email protected]

Notes to Editors

ABOUT AMERICAN EXPRESS Global Business Travel MEETINGS & EVENTS

American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events, a division of American Express Global Business Travel, offers long-standing experience, expertise and leading capabilities spanning from program implementation to budget optimization in delivering powerful meeting and event experiences for clients. The team is comprised of more than 1000 employees world-wide focused on meeting and event sourcing, planning, contract negotiations, budgeting, expense management, reporting and benchmarking, combined with strategic counsel and integration of leading technology. This end-to-end approach focuses on creating visibility, driving savings and enabling effective meeting experiences.

With more than 40 years in the industry and an in-market presence in over 50 countries, American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events is uniquely positioned to manage meetings and events locally, regionally, internationally and across the globe. American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events works with market leaders to enhance its offering to clients.

About WRG