The event will now take place in April 2021, but there will also be a global show in an on-line format
WTM Latin America has announced that the event is being postponed until April 2021. Out of consideration for the safety of visitors, customers and staff, the show had already been moved to October this year, but now has a new date and will take place on 6, 7 and 8 April 2021 at Expo Center Norte in São Paulo.
The news is that there is going to be a Virtual WTM event, an initiative of the global WTM portfolio, which is going to combine the five brands – WTM Latin America, WTM Africa, ATM, WTM London and Travel Forward – under one umbrella event on a single online platform. The Virtual WTM will take place in November.
The announcement of the changes was confirmed during a press conference held in digital format. The director of WTM Latin America, Luciane Leite, said that the decision to postpone the event until April 2021 was taken after assessing the current COVID-19 scenario.
“Our main aim as a business event is to generate a flow of opportunities and generate good partnerships for our customers, but all in a responsible and safe way. Although we’ve had a very low cancellation rate of around 3% for the October event, we understand that the international travel restrictions that have been imposed, the still very uncertain scenario with regard to containing the disease, the easing of lockdown in the State of São Paulo , and the market prognosis that business will pick up in 2021, led us to rethink holding the event this year, so we could look after the health and safety of those attending and the staff involved”, said Luciane.
In the lockdown easing protocol put in place by the São Paulo government, events of the size of WTM Latin America will only be authorized from 12 October 2020, provided the state has been in the green phase of easing for 28 days.
WTM Latin America 2021
In 2021 the WTM Latin America event will take place on 6, 7 and 8 April at Expo Center Norte, in São Paulo.
The WTM portfolio recently carried out a survey with its customers to understand their expectations and feelings with regard to holding physical events; 77% responded that face-to-face meetings are very important, if not the most important aspect of the process. The two main reasons for physically participating in events are to re-establish old relationships and to meet new contacts and discover opportunities. The result is a reflection of the market’s appetite and the confidence people place in personal contact, especially for first-time connections.
Bianca Pizzolito, sales manager for WTM Latin America, highlighted how closely the sales team interacts with customers and the positive expectation of the market with regard to generating business.
“A study published by Euromonitor International reveals that there has been a 45% reduction in inbound revenue between 2019 and 2020 in the Latin American region. It is hoped that revenue growth will be positive in 2021 and, according to the survey, by 2023 the region is expected to have returned to the same level as in 2019. We’re confirming this positive expectation in practice with our exhibitors”.
With efforts and investments focusing on the 2021 event, WTM Latin America will later announce what’s going to be new at the show, and its dynamics and full programme.
Virtual WTM
The WTM Global portfolio has scheduled the 1st edition of its Virtual WTM for this year, an online event bringing together the five brands of the portfolio on a single platform. The event is planning on holding webinars with exclusive content, conference sessions, round tables, speed networking and one-to-one meetings.
The Virtual WTM is being developed by the team in London and more information about the meeting’s dynamics and programme will be announced shortly.
Relationship and Content
In addition to the Virtual WTM, WTM Latin America will continue to invest in 2020 in generating qualified content and spreading good practices in the sector. The event’s marketing manager, Thais Del Ben, pointed to the robust programme that the WTM Global Hub, a content platform developed by the portfolio to help the tourist industry with relevant information and quality content, will bring to the market.
“We’ll continue working very closely with our exhibitors and the entire tourist chain, with opinions from professionals, news from destinations, the view of the authorities, and the participation of specialists on how the tourism market is doing in Brazil and Latin America through our hub. The idea is to contribute with topics that either discuss the market, or even bring experiences from different sectors to serve as a benchmark and as inspiration” she concluded.
For further information WTM Latin America