Wildlife Friendly® was awarded a British Airways Face of Opportunity prize which included two round trip complimentary flights for Wildlife Friendly board members to travel from Chicago to London and Johannesburg, South Africa. Wildlife Friendly® joined 1000 other entrepreneurs chosen this year by British Airways to fly to London and beyond for meetings and business networking.

The goal of the campaign, which was launched in July of this year, was to underscore the importance of in-person meetings for revitalizing business. British Airways solicited stories from U.S. start up’s on how a face-to-face meeting overseas could help them grow; the winning entries received free travel on special flights from New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to make their meetings a reality.

The campaign was based on the results of a survey, commissioned by British Airways, of over 2,300 Harvard Business Review readers to gauge perceptions within the international business community about the importance of face-to-face meetings. The study aimed to uncover the impact that virtual meetings have had on business growth and relationship building. Results from the survey concluded that 95 percent of businesspeople said they believe that face-to-face meetings are key to success in building long term relationships, and 89 percent agree face-to-face meetings are essential for “sealing the deal.”

“In the midst of a challenging time for business worldwide we aim to highlight the prospect of opportunity,” said Simon Talling-Smith, Executive Vice President, Americas, British Airways. “We have now sent close to 1,000 U.S. entrepreneurs out into the world to conduct face-to-face meetings and generate leads that will ultimately revitalize the global economy. Our past winners who have returned from their trips have shared terrific updates on their successes and we expect to hear more of these stories in the months to come. Business will indeed make a comeback, today’s travelers from Chicago can attest to that, and British Airways wants to be a part of this.”

In London, Wildlife Friendly board members joined other startups participating in ‘power networking’ opportunities where top business leaders and government officials shared insights on growing ventures internationally.  In Johannesburg, South Africa, Wildlife Friendly® met with Wilderness Safaris and representatives of UNDP to discuss opportunities for partnerships and collaboration.

About British Airways: ?British Airways is one the world’s largest international airlines, carrying approximately 33 million passengers to over 157 destinations around the world. Also, one of the world’s longest established airlines, it has always been regarded as an industry-leader.

Wildlife Friendly is grateful to British Airways for this exciting opportunity. To learn more visit: Face to Face