At 10am WTM London 2016 got underway, travel professionals from across the globe flooded the halls of the leading global event for the travel industry. All here for the unrivalled opportunity to meet like-minded industry professionals and conduct business deals.
If you attending today, here are some of the highlights from your day. If you didn’t attend, here is just some of what you missed.
Buyers, buyers, buyers…
Day one started with more than 1,400 exhibitors and 200 plus senior travel buyers coming together for the WTM Buyer’ Speed Networking session.
Over the hour long session thousands of targeted 5-minute mini meetings took place, helping attendees agree new contracts and form long term business partnerships.
Following the session we spoke to buyer Imran Salehjee to hear why he attended and to find out about some of the products he discovered.
Exhibitors on show…
Day one of the event did not disappoint. Exhibitors representing 138 countries and regions from the across the globe were on display, presenting a comprehensive range of products and destinations.
Earlier today we stopped by the Brand USA stand where Chief Marketing Officer, Thomas Garilli was on hand to tell us more about everything USA.
Here is what he had to say:
Sports Travel programme kicks off in style…
Sports tourism was also on the agenda this afternoon when The Global Sport Tourism Summit at WTM London got underway.
Held in association with W2 Consulting, the event brought together leading global figures in sport, tourism, marketing, major and mass participation events.
Global sports brands such as Liverpool FC and Wimbledon All England Tennis Championships joined sport tourism experts from Barcelona, Flanders and Scotland to talk everything sports tourism.
Before the summit we managed we chat to Keith Wood, who told us a little more about some of the key topics of discussion:
A Taste of ILTM at WTM…
Over in the exclusive luxury lounge it was time for A Taste of ILTM at WTM, with luxury suppliers and key luxury buyers making valuable connections via a series of pre-scheduled appointments targeted to participant’s business needs.
Aviation programme off to a flying start…
Earlier today two preeminent leaders of the global aviation sector, Sir Tim Clark KBE, President of Emirates Airline and Willie Walsh, CEO, of the International Airlines Group (IAG) took to the WTM Global Stage.
Tim and Willie’s session proved extremely popular, providing the packed audience with valuable insight into their respective company strategies, future plans and even the South East of England runway debate.
Following the session, we caught up with moderator and Director of JLS Consulting, John Strickland, for a summary:
More to come tomorrow…
Those are some of the highlights from day one at WTM London 2016, but there are still two more packed days to come!
Thanks to all those who attended today, we look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. For those who didn’t attend, if you haven’t already done so, you can still register for a free admission here:
For more from today and throughout WTM London 2016, join us on Social Media for all the latest updates and insight live from the show floor.
@WTM_London & #WTMLDN
good luck