ABTM secures Hertz partnership

Hertz has forged a partnership with the inaugural Asia Business Travel Market (ABTM) 2003 organised by Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) to be held in Shanghai from 3-5 September this year.

Under the partnership, Hertz will be the Official Car Rental Company for ABTM. With the formation of Hertz China in 2002, Hertz became the first global car rental company to operate in the booming Chinese market and  has been successful so far in filling the void for world-class car rental service that had been missing before in China.

ABTM Event Director, Andrew Lee said, "This strategic collaboration comes at an opportune time since car rental is a key component of business travel. Hertz saw lucrative business opportunities to leverage on ABTM's platform  since this will be our first foray into the China business travel market. With our long-standing business relations with Hertz, this business alliance helps to reinforce the importance of quality visitor attendance through their strong corporate clientele base,"

"Our global capabilities coupled with our local in-depth knowledge assures our corporate customers that they can expect the consistent and professional customer service that Hertz is known for worldwide, " said  Wong Soon Hwa, Managing Director for Asia & Japan, Hertz Asia Pacific. "Hertz will continue to be innovative in our development plans for China and we are pleased to have this opportunity to work with quality organizations  such as Reed Travel Exhibitions to reach out to the right business partners in China," said Wong.

As Official Car Rental Company at ABTM, Hertz will provide transportation services for invited regional corporate buyers, conference speakers, VIPs  and registered delegates at ABTM. Hertz will also extend special car rental packages to ABTM delegates, and a booking counter will be set up at ABTM to provide transportation services for delegates.

"We are delighted that Hertz China has been appointed Official Car Rental  Company for the inaugural ABTM and would like to thank Reed Travel Exhibitions for their vote of confidence," said Eleen Chua, Director for China, Hertz International.

"From our perspective, ABTM provides Hertz with an excellent platform to showcase our China operations to top corporate buyers and travel  management organisations that will be attending the show.

"Hertz will certainly work closely with RTE to maximise our presence at ABTM and especially to strengthen our position within the business travel  community in one of the most dynamic markets in the world, " said Chua.

"Hertz is aggressively expanding its domestic network in China and would be able to offer inter-city rentals soon. We will continue to develop points of difference that will benefit our customers. For example, Hertz is currently the only car rental company in China that provides our customers with a one-stop shop for both their domestic and international car rental needs,"  said Wong.

Asia Business Travel Market 2003, the exhibition cum conference targeting the business travel segment in China, will be held from 3-5 September at the  Grand Hyatt Shanghai. Only 130 booths are available at the inaugural event with a targeted attendance of 1,800 pre-qualified trade visitors.