Welcoming Focus Travel Partnership for its annual Focus Champs summit, bringing together travel management companies, industry partners and suppliers from across the UK. Over three days, networking, workshops and industry discussions unfolded across Duke's Yard, our newest event space, creating an inspiring environment for collaboration, knowledge sharing and meaningful connections.
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Tell us a little about the Focus Champs conference. What was the purpose of the event, who attends, and what were your objectives for this year's summit?
A huge part of our culture within Focus Travel Partnership is in our events, because we believe that coming together to network, learn, debate and teach, is fundamental to every successful organisation. Our highly acclaimed events enable our Travel Management community to meet and interact in a variety of settings. The Focus Champions conference is our flagship conference, dedicated to frontline business travel teams, this was the 21st Focus Champs event and our objective is always to leave everyone feeling informed, connected and inspired.
What initially drew you to Ashridge House as the host venue for Focus Champs 2026?
Ashridge House is unique, historic, and easily accessible from mainline stations and airports. As our guests are all from the travel industry, they attend and know a wide range of venues and hotels. Ashridge House was new to many of them, which added an exciting element to the event.
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With a programme spanning networking, workshops, supplier engagement and industry discussions, how did the variety of spaces across Duke's Yard support your event?
The spaces worked exceptionally well. Duke's Yard provided a wonderful introduction at our welcome evening BBQ, while guests particularly enjoyed The Coach House for our supplier showcase, thanks to the space it offered for networking and meaningful conversations (something that can often feel overcrowded in other venues). Fairhaven was the perfect blank canvas for our main conference, allowing us to create a branded experience aligned with our headline sponsor and event theme. The additional breakout spaces and dining areas provided valuable flexibility and enabled us to fully showcase the history and versatility of Ashridge House.
How important was it to bring delegates together in a residential setting, and what impact did this have on networking and collaboration throughout the event?
It’s very important for all guests to stay onsite at our events, this elevates the experience for suppliers and travel management companies and creates more opportunities to network and continue conversations. It also creates a genuine sense of community. So this was a real benefit.
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How did the food, accommodation and overall guest experience contribute to the success of the summit?
Working closely with your team and chefs, we created a food and drink experience tailored to the occasion, and the positive feedback reflected the care and attention that went into it. The onsite team were responsive and incredibly helpful throughout, and Libby was fantastic to work with during the planning stages – nothing was ever too much trouble. Our guests consistently commented on how well looked after they felt.
What would you say to other organisations considering Ashridge House for an industry conference, summit or retreat?
Ashridge House offers an impressive setting with flexible spaces and a tranquil and scenic location that supports both structured content, meaningful networking, and some fun along the way, plus plenty of onsite bedrooms.
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