A couple of times this past week, I meandered my through the gargantuan World Travel Market maze of exhibitors. This “leading global event for the travel industry” is held every year at ExCel and hosts more than 45,000 attendees literally from all over the world and approximately 5,000 exhibitors representing practically every aspect of travel and tourism you can imagine, including sometimes lavish exhibits from national and regional tourism boards.
This year’s WTM was certainly a gawk fest. There were lots of freebies too – the Italians were doling out free gelato, the Bolivians offering coca tea … free Pisco sours from the Peruvians! Want your picture taken holding a white falcon? Abu Dhabi Tourism and Cultural Authority, Stand ME300.
But were my meanders worth my time? Short answer is time will tell. The extravaganza is mostly B2B stuff that ain’t got nothing to do with a dude like me. Still, I think I may have had a handle on how to make the most of WTM: do your homework, be direct, be efficient and follow up with any contacts made.
I tried to milk WTM for any opportunity to learn as well and attended a handful of interesting talks. Not necessarily revelatory, but the How To Measure Travel Blogger ROI panel discussion was noteworthy and got me thinking about ahow I can do the stuff I do with a bit more orientation towards the business side of things.
I ran into a bunch of folks I know too (big up to the Tripbod peeps). This wasn’t my first WTM. However it was the first time there that I actually felt I was even marginally part of the travel industry.
And, most importantly, I think I made some fruitful contacts. I’ve got a tall stack of business cards to sift through over the weekend. I guess if you see me blogging about travel ever more in the next year or so, it might be safe to assume my time at WTM was well spent.
Find out more about the World Travel Market at www.wtmlondon.com.
