World Travel Market London 2023, the world’s most influential travel & tourism event, has announced details of its conference programme, with high-profile speakers and seminars.
More than 60 conference sessions are lined up, empowering the global travel community, and reminding them they have the Power to Change travel.
The conference programme will include eight new tracks across three stages over three days, taking place at ExCeL London, from 6-8 November 2023. In a move away from previous years, the 2023 conference stages will be named Discover, Elevate and Innovate – a reflection of their goal.
Furthermore, in response to the demand in 2022 – which saw 9,102 visitors attend the WTM London Conference sessions – stage sizes have been increased, and rather than one main stage, WTM will host three equally important stages across the event.
The eight conference tracks will be titled Sustainability, Technology, Geo-Economics, Emerging Markets, Consumer Trends, Marketing, Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) and Experience and aim to help the global travel community succeed and thrive, by informing, entertaining, and influencing their business decisions.
In another first, the Discover Stage will feature a new layout designed to support networking. Table-based seating, rather than traditional conference-style chairs, will promote networking between sessions, which will also include icebreakers, storytellers, and socialising during breaks.
Some of the key sessions taking place, listed by day, are:
Monday 6th November
The Ministers’ Summit at World Travel Market in association with UNWTO and WTTC
In its 17th year, this important event in the WTM London calendar brings together the largest gathering of dignitaries from around the world to discuss and ratify key tourism agreements. The Summit will take place on Day One of WTM London 2023. This a change from previous years, when it has taken place on Day Two and signifies the increasing importance of the Summit to the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
Also on Monday 6th November, attendees can look forward to the release of WTM’s new research WTM Presents…A Global Travel Outlook. Delegates will gain valuable insights into the trends shaping the future of travel with a presentation of the new WTM Global Travel Report, supported by renowned researchers Oxford Economics.
This session will give a voice to the changing needs of travellers, emerging and growing destinations, and uncover behaviours and trends for 2024 and beyond.
Tuesday 7th November
Diversity & Inclusion Summit (D&I)
This important Summit launch will tackle why a travel business can perform better with diverse workforces, and the importance of inclusivity in the development of leisure travel strategy. Fostering sense of belonging with consideration for under-represented groups will ensure that travel is accessible to all, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.
Amongst the sessions, Darren Edwards, a record-breaking disabled adventurer, will examine the stigma surrounding disability and will explore ways in which businesses can overcome subconscious biases.
Technology Summit
The Technology Summit will cover sessions such as Building Cities for Smart Tourism; the Future of Technology; and AI – Boundless Opportunities for Change in the Travel Sector.
Also, on Tuesday 7th November, on the Innovate Stage, the travel community will hear from Tom Hall, Vice President at Lonely Planet, who will review how changes in traveller behaviour and priorities have shifted the landscape of travel.
Wednesday 8th November
Marketing Summit
Marketing sessions will cover data-driven; storytelling and engaging with influencers. Wednesday’s sessions will also cover the future of marketing and digital tools in travel marketing.
Sustainability Summit
Sustainability is still facing many barriers in the travel industry and the summit discovers how education, socio-economic benefits and effective funding can drive positive change and encourage the adoption of sustainable practices throughout the sector.
Among must-attend sessions: Where Next? Reimagining tourism in a constantly changing climate discovers what good tourism looks like as climate and biodiversity challenges worsen.
In addition, WTM London 2023 will be rounded off on Wednesday 8th November by a not to be missed Keynote speaker, whose identity will be revealed soon.
Brooke Gilbertson, International Conference Manager of WTM London, said:
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the great line-up of speakers and panellists headlining at this year’s event. For those seeking a macro view of the travel industry and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping it, WTM London 2023 is a must-attend show with speakers coming from every corner of the world to spread their wisdom on every element of the travel industry.”
To view the confirmed Conference Programme for 2023.
To book tickets: Register for World Travel Market London (wtm.com)
-ENDS
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World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises leading travel events and online portals across four continents. The events are:
WTM London is the world’s most influential travel & tourism event for the global travel community. The show is the ultimate destination for those seeking a macro view of the travel industry and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping it. WTM London is where influential travel leaders, buyers and high-profile travel companies gather to exchange ideas, drive innovation, and accelerate business outcomes.
Next live event: 6 to 8 November 2023 at ExCel London
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 30th year, is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2022 attracted over 23,000 visitors and hosted over 30,000 participants including 1,500 exhibitors and attendees from 150 countries, across 10 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai
Next in-person event: 6 to 9 May 2024, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai
https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html
Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2023. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes ILTM Arabia, ARIVAL Dubai, Influencers’ events and activations, ITIC, GBTA Business Travel Forums, as well as ATM Travel Tech. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, ATM Speed Networking Events as well as a series of country forums.
https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html
WTM Latin America takes place annually in the city of São Paulo and attracts around 20,000 tourism professionals during the three-day event. The event offers qualified content together with networking and business opportunities. In this its ninth edition – there have been eight face-to-face events along with a 100% virtual one, which was held in 2021 – WTM Latin America continued to focus on effective business generation, and achieved the advance booking of six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors in 2022.
Next event: 15 to 17 April 2024 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2022, WTM Africa facilitated more than 7 thousand unique pre-scheduled appointments, an increase of more than 7% compared to 2019 and welcomed more than 6 thousand visitors (unaudited), the same number as in 2019.
Next event: 10 to 12 April 2024 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/
About ATW Connect: Africa Travel Week’s digital arm, is a virtual hub packed to the seams with interesting content, industry news and insights, and the opportunity to hear from experts on a variety of topics in our new monthly webinar series. All with the aim to keep all of us in the travel and tourism industry connected. ATW Connect focuses on inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel, LGBTQ+ travel and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology.
WTM Global Hub, is the WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/