How To Make The Most Of WTM London – Travel’s Unmissable Event

WTM London unlocks the ideas that will shape the world’s dreams and plans for travel over the next five years, you don’t want to miss out!

Taking place on the 5^th to 7^th November 2018, this leading industry event brings together travel trade, media and PR from all around the world to discuss the next big trends in travel. Anyone who is anyone in travel should be there.

Offering an unparalleled mix of travel talks, speed networking, social and promotional events, a little preparation can take your business a long way when it comes to attending WTM London.

So, whether you’re an exhibitor, visitor or blogger, these top tips will help you make the most of WTM London 2018.

How exhibitors can make the most of WTM London

Share your big idea and win £5k worth of marketing activity

WTM London is the ultimate ideas hub for the travel industry and this year’s event could be all about yours. Exhibitors are invited to upload a 30 second video to Instagram discussing their latest product innovations, destination news or BIG travel ideas for a chance to win exclusive promotion and in-show marketing during the three-day event.

This unrivalled opportunity to promote your business will be awarded to 3 lucky winners and all you need to do to enter is share your video on Instagram using the hashtag #ideasarrivehere. (I also recommend you browse the hashtag to see what big ideas are brewing!)

Update: This contest is now closed but check out some of the great ideas that were shared here.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by World Travel Market London (@wtmlondon) on Sep 21, 2018 at 8:41am PDT

Sign up to Speed Networking

In addition to all the social media networking, WTM also has two speed networking sessions where exhibitors can meet with a selection of 150 buyers in 5-minute mini-meetings.

For £125 you get guaranteed access to 2 Buyer’s Club Speed Networking Sessions. (On Monday 5th November buyers are seated by geographical regions and on Tuesday 6th buyers are seated by vertical or product type.)

Have your elevator pitch finely crafted as those 5 minutes fly by!

Note: This is a different event to the Digital Influencers Speed Networking – more on that below.

Tips for visitors attending WTM London

Conferences you can’t miss

This year you’ll find the show floor transformed into regionally themed Inspiration Zones with a wealth of content and talking points to discover in each.

The 2018 conference programme has almost doubled in size and the topics covered include everything from PR campaigns with impact to becoming a pro at Podcasting. The programme line-up includes industry thought leaders such as G Adventures founder and CEO Bruce Poontip, as well as a new Travel Forward section dedicated to travel technology and digital transformation.

There are over 140 sessions to choose from according to your interests but these are my personal picks:

• Must-have web technologies for 2019

Paul Richer of Genesys homes in on three affordable, must-have technologies for 2019.

• Capture your youth

Find out who’s successfully marketing to generation XYZ and how you too can ‘capture your youth’.

• Working with Influencers – getting the most from what you have to offer

Working with content creators to sell the experience not just the product.

• 100 Years of Suffragettes: International perspectives for the Travel Industry

A special debate to mark the 100th Anniversary of British women gaining the right to vote, looking at the fight for women’s rights today in areas such as the #metoo movement and gender pay gaps.

Find a full list of these not-to-be-missed FREE conferences here.

Advice for bloggers attending WTM London

Speaking from a travel blogger perspective, WTM London is the industry event you don’t want to miss – rarely will you find so many travel experts and brands in one room. (And ExCeL London is a very big ‘room’!)

I’ve attended the event to represent my blog several times and find a focused approach with some prior preparation works best. These are my top tips for travel bloggers at WTM.

• Firstly, register to attend as media. You’ll need to upload a recognised media card, business card or a website address clearly accrediting your work to verify your application.
• Next, sign up to the Digital Influencers’ Speed Networking using your WTM badge number. There are spaces for 120 digital influences to meet one-on-one with tourist boards and travel brands who are keen to partner with bloggers. The session takes place on Wednesday 7 November from 09:00 to 10:30 and is free to attend (although you’ll be charged £48 if you fail to show). Spaces are filling up fast and are allocated on first come first served basis, so be quick if you want in.
• You might also want to put your name down for the evening social events that are a great opportunity to network with peers. Two of the biggest events include Traverse Mingle (a pre-WTM party held on Friday 2^nd November) and Travel Massive’s annual WTM event (held on Monday 5^th November from 7pm). Again, tickets are limited so you’ll need to act fast.
• As many travel brands and PR agencies attend WTM it’s also a great time to touch base with contacts you may have already met/previously worked with. If you’re already on their mailing list, PR agencies will send out lists of clients they will be representing at the show as well as available meeting slots if you want to catch up at their stand. If you haven’t received a meeting request, don’t be afraid to touch base with key contacts and see if they have time for coffee during the event.
• In the weeks leading up to the event don’t forget to print additional business cards. You’ll need a good chunk of them!
• Finally, update your Media Kit and consider making up a short 1-pager with stats to show on your screen during meetings. Some attendees like to print their Media Kit but personally I find you will be bogged down with a lot of swag during the show and it’s easier to email the document as part of your follow up afterwards.

Pin for later:

If you haven’t already registered to attend (what are you waiting for?) you can do so here. I look forward to seeing you there.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by WTM London but all opinions are my own.