Meet the Buyers is an annual event hosted by Heathrow Airport in support of all the local authorities that surround its perimeter; similar events take place in Gatwick. The target audience are those businesses that are in the five Boroughs that border Heathrow and provide an opportunity for sellers to sit face to face with a buyer whom in normal circumstances businesses would have extreme difficulty meeting, or it just would not happen.
The buyers are diverse and vary from builders to catering, it is not just BAA, but a compendium of local, national and international businesses. The experience is a bit like speed dating, the seller has about 10 minutes to make his / her pitch; obviously in that time a contract will not be signed, but agreements to meet at a future date to discuss / develop the proposal occur, resulting in awards of contracts. The contracts awarded vary from a few thousand of pounds to millions of pounds, last year it was estimated by sellers that in excess of £7m business was expected.
