Small Businesses Fly Free On British Airways

NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- British Airways today relaunches its Face-to-Face Program and offers U.S. entrepreneurs and small business owners the critical tools for building business relationships abroad and stimulating growth Face-to-Face.  

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(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100908/MM60489)

As part of the Face-to-Face campaign, British Airways will award 250 small businesses the opportunity to travel to London and beyond through the British Airways Face of Opportunity contest.  Any entrepreneur or small business owner with a clear business need for international exposure should visit www.ba.com/facetoface for the opportunity to compete for and win a free flight.

British Airways strongly believes face-to-face interaction with global stakeholders is a critical tool to help entrepreneurs and small businesses build ongoing, mutually beneficial business relationships abroad, effectively supporting U.S. economic growth and global expansion and exports.

British Airways Face of Opportunity Contest:

• Beginning today, entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to expand or enhance their business internationally may submit a video or essay of their best "elevator" pitch at www.ba.com/contest.  Entering the contest provides a chance to earn a free flight to London or anywhere in the British Airways network to facilitate face-to-face meetings with potential and existing customers and business partners.
• Prior to the New York to London flight early next year, all 250 winners will have the exclusive opportunity to attend British Airways' Face of Opportunity event on Wed, Feb. 2, 2011, in New York City, where they will receive firsthand tips and advice from influential international business experts while networking with venture capitalists, renowned entrepreneurs, media and other small business owners.
• Three selected winners also will have the chance to present their business plans to a panel of celebrity entrepreneur judges, including Bill Rancic, Barbara Corcoran and Bethenny Frankel, for a chance to win a British Airways Business Opportunity Grant, featuring additional free flights to London, or anywhere in the British Airways global network.

British Airways Face-to-Face Summary:

• British Airways launched the first Face-to-Face Program in July 2009, giving more than 600 small business owners the opportunity to travel overseas and conduct face-to-face business meetings that resulted in deeper partnerships, contracts and revenue for U.S. cities.
• The 2009 flights provided previous winners such as Morgan Newman, of IdeaPaint in Massachusetts, and Judi Townsend, of Mannequin Madness in Oakland, California, a chance to enter new markets and achieve continued growth and profitability in 2010. To learn more about past winners, visit: http://businessconnect.ba.com/success-stories.

British Airways Face of Opportunity Elevator Pitch Event (Sept. 14 and 15, 2010):  

On Tues. and Wed. Sept. 14 and 15, from 7 a.m. –  8 p.m., small business owners may videotape their best elevator pitch to enter the British Airways Face of Opportunity Contest and the chance to win the opportunity of a lifetime – a flight anywhere in the world to help them grow their business internationally.  Interested entrepreneurs and small businesses may visit Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, New York City, on Tues., Sept. 14 beginning at 7 a.m., when Bill Rancic, entrepreneur, best-selling author and first season winner of The Apprentice, and Simon Talling-Smith, Executive Vice President, Americas, British Airways, will launch the British Airways Face of Opportunity Contest.   Small business expert and best-selling author, Rhonda Abrams, and other special guests also will be on-hand offering speed consulting and tips to small business owners.  

British Airways Advisory Board:

British Airways has built a coalition of trusted authorities and thought leaders from the small business community. The Face-to-Face advisory board has contributed to crafting the campaign, contest and conference content to ensure British Airways offers comprehensive resources to SMEs and entrepreneurs via the Face-to-Face campaign.  Custom content for small business owners and entrepreneurs developed by the British Airways Face-to-Face advisory board members will be available on an on-going basis on the Face-to-Face microsite:  www.ba.com/facetoface. The board will provide tips and counsel to winners and attend various events throughout the program. Advisory board members include:

• Rhonda Abrams, best-selling author and Founder/CEO of The Planning Shop
• Anita Campbell, CEO of Small Business Trends LLC
• Kevin Daum, author and columnist for Smarter Business
• Adam Ostrow, Editor and Chief, Mashable.com
• Nancy Ploeger, President of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
• Andrew Sherman, legal and strategic advisor for small businesses, Partner, Jones Day
• Rich Sloan, Co-founder of Startup Nation
• Steve Strauss,  Best-selling author and senior USATODAY.com business columnist

Supporting Quotes:

• "For the second year, British Airways is proud to be supporting U.S. entrepreneurs and small businesses through our Face-to-Face program," said Simon Talling-Smith, Executive Vice President, Americas, British Airways. "Last year, we gave over 600 companies the opportunity to conduct business the way it should be done – in person. We provided the flights and they took it from there, attending meetings all over the world. New deals were sealed and important relationships forged – that's the impact of face-to-face.  Top business leaders agree that there's nothing quite like being there in person to make the deals that will move your business forward. We're excited to have the opportunity to reach this market again and provide the flights they need to seal the business deal."
• "British Airways Face-to-Face program is offering much-needed resources to small businesses who are the cornerstone and future of the U.S. economy.  In my experience, face to face meetings are crucial to growing a successful business," says Bill Rancic, entrepreneur and star of "We Mean Business" and "Giuliani and Bill."
• "The world has gotten smaller and more connected. Every entrepreneur should look beyond their borders to see how they can be more competitive, more innovative, more successful. Get a free copy of my new eBook, Go Global, Grow Global, compliments of British Airways at ba.com/contest," says Rhonda Abrams, best-selling author and Founder/CEO of The Planning Shop.

Supporting Resources:

• Check out the latest Face-to-Face Contest submissions at http://www.faceofopportunity.com/.
• Subscribe to British Airways RSS feed.
• Receive real-time updates on British Airways and the Face-to-Face program by following @BritishAirways and search #BAF2F
• Face-to-Face Press Image Library

Technorati Tags

Face-to-Face, Small Business, Business Opportunity, Rhonda Abrams, Bill Rancic, Bethenny Frankel, British Airways, BA, Contest

About British Airways:

British Airways is one of the world's largest international airlines.  Operating one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks, together with its codeshare and franchise partners, the airline flies to more than 300 destinations worldwide.  Also, one of the world's longest established airlines, it has always been regarded as an industry-leader.  BA flies its customers at convenient times to the best located airports across the world.

British Airways is one of the world's leading global premium airlines.  Its principal place of business is London with significant presence at Heathrow, Gatwick and London City. It also operates a worldwide air cargo business, largely in conjunction with scheduled passenger services.  The airline operates the majority of its domestic UK, international and intercontinental flights from its home at Terminal 5, Heathrow.

Whether customers are in the air or on the ground, British Airways takes pride in providing a full service experience.

For more information on Face-to-Face please visit ba.com/facetoface

Submission of contest entries at the Vanderbilt Hall event does not improve the chances of winning.

All entries will be judged according to the criteria set forth in the Official Contest Rules at www.ba.com/contest.

SOURCE British Airways