World Travel Market– how to get the most out of exhibiting

Another year, another WTM goes by in a flash. My first WTM was somewhere back in the early 2000’s when I was a lot younger and could stay out and party a lot later! Times have changed of course, but the enjoyment I get out of it never wanes.

Unlike at my first WTM, I am now the proud owner of my own company and so my approach to WTM differs significantly from how it was in the beginning. First of all the cost. Back then, it didn’t cost me anything and was simply another event to attend as part of my day-job. That said, I learned so much during those early WTM’s and still use those skills I learnt back then at todays’ shows.

When asked recently by Switzerland Tourism, on whose stand I have my booth each year, whether I’d had a good show, my response was the same as it is every year – “Yes, because you get out of WTM what you put into it.” For those that aren’t familiar with WTM, it is (in my view at least) the world’s best event for the travel trade. Not only does it of course allow you to spend time with your existing clients and industry partners, but it also allows you to generate a huge amount of new business which, in my case, can contribute significantly to your company’s long-term future. Furthermore, spending time to visit the stands of other exhibiting countries enables you to take on loads of new ideas and use them to your advantage. Not to mention also that it’s all great fun.

But what do I put into it that guarantees success? First of all, lots of preparation. I genuinely hate the last hour or so of WTM and often compare it to the feeling you get when you take the Christmas decorations down. On my way out of Excel that evening however, I check to see whether the dates are already confirmed for next year. And that’s where the preparations start. Get it in your calendar immediately and book your flights and accommodation. Not only can you then plan other things around it accordingly, but you can also save yourself a small fortune in doing so. As far as the event itself is concerned however, if you don’t prepare well in advance of WTM, it won’t go well. Whilst nowadays we have access to an online appointment booking platform, I strongly recommend that this isn’t the only way of filling up your three days. Not only should you allocate time to your existing clients, but you should also block slots deliberately in order to allow time to handle new business leads that turn up without prior appointment on the day. As a general rule, I block 50% of the slots in order to welcome new contacts to the stand.

One thing I never do is use any un-booked slots to catch up on emails or any other non-WTM related work. Having committed at significant expense to three full days on the stand, I dedicate 100% of my time to WTM and instead of sitting behind my laptop during those un-booked time slots, I work the front of my stand as if I were a market trader. I have always found that in doing so, people come and see me and in some cases, it has led to new business and I am more or less convinced that those same people wouldn’t have approached me had I been busy catching up on emails.

Of course, my approach to WTM isn’t necessarily the right approach, nor one which will work for everyone, but over 20+ years, it has certainly worked for me. I can however add that I was exhausted afterwards, thus proving that I had once again put everything into it, and more. In any case, I would love to hear from my network about how you approach WTM, both as an exhibitor and also a buyer, so that I can continue to be best prepared for the next 20…..