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WTM Portfolio reschedules global trade shows

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Reed Travel Exhibitions has rescheduled the dates for the three spring global trade shows in its WTM Portfolio: WTM Latin America, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) and Africa Travel Week, which comprises of WTM Africa and International Luxury Travel Market Africa.

The original dates of the events have had to be changed in response to the escalation of COVID-19.

Firstly, ATM has been rescheduled from 19-22 April 2020 at Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE, to the new date of 16 – 19 May 2021 at the same venue.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market (ATM), said: “We at Arabian Travel Market want to express our concern for everyone impacted by the coronavirus.

“We are fully aware of the important role that ATM plays for industry professionals across the Middle East region and beyond. We are grateful for the full endorsement that we have received from our customers and partners, who assisted in helping us reach our decision and agreed the 2020 event should be rescheduled.

“In the meantime, while the physical show will be rescheduled to 2021, we will keep the industry connected by hosting an ATM Virtual Event from 1-3 June 2020 featuring a series of webinars, live conference sessions, speed networking events, one-on-one meetings and much more.”

WTM Latin America 2020, which was due to take place from 31 March-2 April, will now be held from 20-22 October 2020 at the same venue, Expo Center Norte, in São Paulo.

Luciane Leite, Director WTM Latin America, said: “We appreciate the hard work that goes into the planning and preparations that our partners and exhibitors prepare for the event and we have to unite in this challenging period. These are difficult times, but I am sure that together we will emerge stronger from this situation.”

Meanwhile, Africa Travel Week, which comprises of WTM Africa and International Luxury Travel Market Africa, had been scheduled to take place from 2-8 April this year, will now be postponed until 2021 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Carol Weaving, Managing Director of Reed Exhibitions Africa, said: “Due to the uncertainty in the region and around the world, with many of our clients facing company travel bans, we have decided to postpone the event to 2021. Our thoughts are with all those affected in these difficult times.”

Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director for Africa Travel Week, added: “We would like to thank the industry for their support in these unprecedented times.”

Claude Blanc, WTM Portfolio Director, said: “We are constantly reviewing the situation around COVID-19 and the impact on our events in line with local and national government and public health advice and World Health Organization guidelines. Our policies reflect those of the country governments in which our events take place.

“There has never been a more crucial time for the travel industry to work together and our newly scheduled shows promise to be the quality business events that exhibitors and visitors have come to expect – just a little later in the year.”

“We will meet at WTM events in the future. Until that time comes, WTM Portfolio has launched a new online portal called WTM Global Hub, to connect and support the travel industry professionals around the world. WTM Global Hub will keep you informed, inspired and connected.”

Visitor registration remains valid for the new event dates and anyone who has booked travel and/or hotel accommodation should contact their respective tour operator, airline and hotel they booked with.

#rebuildingtravel

MEDIA CONTACT: Natalia Hartmann [email protected]

Portfolio Press & PR Executive

World Travel Market

Tel. +44 (0) 20 8439 5535

Mobile. +44 (0) 7775 036 858

Leading Travel Industry Speakers lined-up for WTM London 2019

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WTM London will once again host a series of high-profile industry conferences and seminars showing that Ideas Arrive Here. The leading global event, taking place between the 4 – 6 November 2019, has lined-up esteemed speakers including the President of Hilton Hotels in the EMEA region, a top easyJet boss and the CEO of Virgin Atlantic.

Following on from last year’s successful introduction of Regional Inspiration Zones, WTM London 2019 will continue to host a varied selection of informative sessions in each of the areas – fitting with the region in which the stage is located.

On the opening day of WTM London (Monday 4 November) the Global Stage will play host to a panel discussion moderated by the Telegraph’s Deputy Head of Travel Ben Ross focusing on the current state of UK Travel Markets and what to expect in 2020.

Speakers will discuss what they think the key factors developing the travel trade will be heading into 2020 and will highlight the new possibilities for the industry. Speakers such as Jo Rzymowska, VP and Managing Director of Celebrity Cruises, Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel at Euromonitor and Neil Slaven, UK Country Director of EasyJet. They will all be sharing their views and addressing issues from consumer confidence to changing holiday preferences and the ever-present effect of Brexit.

On Monday afternoon, visitors will have the chance to listen to Simon Vincent OBE, the Executive VP and President of Europe, Middle East & Africa for Hilton Hotels. The company celebrates its centenary this year as one of the leading players in the global travel industry. As a crucial part of the travel and tourism industry, Simon will be expressing his views on the future of both Hilton and the hotel industry in general.

Tuesday’s schedule will include a ministers’ summit hosted by the UNWTO’s Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili and WTM London’s Senior Director, Simon Press on the Global Stage. This summit will provide a practical platform for tourism leaders in the public and private sectors to share best practices and create new innovative perspectives for the travel sector. The session will run for two hours and include a networking opportunity.

Later in the day, Shai Weiss, the CEO of Virgin Atlantic will be talking to John Strickland of JLS Consulting on the European Inspiration Zone stage. Virgin Atlantic is taking off in a new direction this year with a new CEO and ownership structure so this interview will provide a fascinating opportunity for the audience to understand how they plan to compete in the airline industry over the coming decades. What will they plan to do with newly acquired Flybe? What are the airline’s plans regarding the delivery of its brand new Airbus A350s? And, what does the airline plan to do should London Heathrow build a third runway?

Wednesday’s schedule is filled with specific talks designed to benefit all sectors of the industry. Travel Perspective will be taking over the Global Stage in the afternoon to host a talk focusing on the past 40 years of travel and what we have learned from this, which will assist in plans for the future of the industry.

For those interested in travel technology, Genesys will be hosting their own panel session in the UK and Ireland Inspiration Zone on the Future of Digital Travel. Paul Richer, Founder and Senior Partner of Genesys, will moderate in this talk. He will be asking Daniel Wishnia of Aroundtown SA and Joel Brandon-Bravo of TransPerfect what it takes to succeed in the online travel world through their efforts to inspire fresh thinking.

Simon Press, Senior Director of WTM London, said “To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of WTM London, we couldn’t be more pleased with the stellar line up of speakers and panelists speaking at this year’s event.

We have speakers coming from every corner of the world to spread their wisdom on every element of the travel industry and there will be something of interest to everyone who works in the travel industry over the three days of talks at WTM London 2019.”

To view the confirmed Event Program for 2019 and to register to attend WTM London visit – www.london.wtm.com

eTN is a media partner for WTM.

About World Travel Market

World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises eight leading B2B events across four continents, generating more than $7 billion of industry deals. The events are:

WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. About 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating about £3.4 billion in travel industry contracts. http://london.wtm.com/

Next event: Monday 4 – Wednesday 6 November 2019 – London #IdeasArriveHere

London Travel Week, brought to you by WTM London, is the one-stop-shop for event hosts and visitors to be able to shape the next 12 months of travel together. The festival of events supports the global travel and tourism industry by capturing invaluable news and enhancing industry connections.

The inaugural London Travel Week will take place from Friday 1st November – Saturday 7 November 2019.

Travel Forward is the travel technology event co-located with WTM London and part of the WTM Portfolio of events. The second Travel Forward conference, exhibition and buyer program will take place on 4–6 November 2019 at ExCeL London, showcasing next-generation technology for travel and hospitality. http://travelforward.wtm.com/

International Travel & Tourism Awards (ITTAs), presented by WTM London, celebrate the success of national, regional and city tourist boards and recognize outstanding private sector companies and individuals. Now in their second year, the awards will showcase the best in class of the global travel & tourism industry at the new venue, Magazine London on Tuesday 5 November 2019. https://awards.wtm.com/

BorderlessLive is the brand-new festival where content creators, brands and the community join each other to learn, collaborate, create, inspire and be inspired. This one-of-a-kind event is open to all who have a keen interest in social media, travel, lifestyle, hospitality and the future of influencer marketing. BorderlessLive will debut at London’s Tobacco Dock on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 September 2019. http://www.borderlesslive.com/

WTM Latin America attracts about 9,000 senior executives and generates about US$374 million of new business. Taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, this show attracts a global audience to meet and shape the direction of the travel industry. More than 8,000 unique visitors attend the event to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry news. http://latinamerica.wtm.com/

Next event: Tuesday 31 March to Thursday 2 April 2020 – Sao Paulo.

WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Nearly 5,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors. http://africa.wtm.com/

Next event: Monday 6 to Wednesday 8 April 2020 – Cape Town.

Arabian Travel Market is the leading international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2019 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, with representation from 155 countries over the four days. ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre.

To find out more, please visit www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com

Arabian Travel Market 2020 will take place in Dubai from Sunday 19 April to Wednesday 22 April 2020.

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face-to-face through data and digital tools at more than 500 events a year, in more than 43 countries, attracting more than seven million participants. Reed’s events are held in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa and organized by 41 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events. It is part of RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries.

About Reed Travel Exhibitions

Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organizer with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether they are global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have more than 35 years’ experience in organizing world-leading travel exhibitions.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Julia Newbound – WTM Portfolio Press & PR Lead

E: [email protected]

T: +44 (0)20 8910 7056 / M: +44 (0)7775 036 858

“Plan For Our Kids” and “African Earth Lung” to launch at WTM Africa

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eTN Publisher Juergen Steinmetz talks to Professor Geoffrey Lipman Co-Founder of SUNx – STRONG Universal Network, about the development of “Plan For Our Kids” and the signature “African Earth Lung” to be launched during WTM Africa.

Steinmetz  

Hey Geoffrey, I wanted to get an update from SUNx for  WTM Africa

Lipman

Hi Thomas, we’re just rolling out “Plan for Our Kids” (PFOK)  launched at WTTC’s COP 24 event in Poland at the end of last year. Its goal is to create 100,000 STRONG Climate Champions by 2030 across all UN States. It’s a low cost, CSR linked program, with lifetime learning, from school through graduation into corporate training programs, and it will support Climate Friendly Travel ~ measured to manage: green to grow & 2050 proof to innovate. It will provide cloud connected online education, analytics and a heavy emphasis on innovation, to spread best practice around the system.

Steinmetz

Why is this different from what other organizations like WTTC or UNWTO do ?

Lipman

It’s complementary to all the excellent SDG related sustainability initiatives, of industry and government organizations – across the mobility, hospitality, technology spectrum.  PFOK is just totally focused on responding to eXistential Climate Change. Because if we don’t fix that, all the other stuff won’t matter. So, it targets the next generation of decision makers. And we are appealing to companies and communities who connect with them for the strategic engagement and financing support to make it happen. Industry leaders, financial services, technology innovators all have a massive stake in the future. SUNx is just a catalyst.

Steinmetz 

Why the next generation……… What about now?

Lipman

Climate change is a multi-generational issue. The last generation defined it: This generation recognized it. The next generation will be in the middle of it. They don’t have the institutional baggage and they will have the mindset to implement solutions.

But we have to start now – that’s the climate scientists’ message: that’s the economists’ message and that’s the Greta Thunberg message.

I kind of like the Titanic analogy.  At the end of the day we have to avoid the iceberg and if we do that the ship sails on, life carries on and evolves. But the ship takes a long time to change course – in the case of the Paris Agreement 5 years from 2015 inception to 2020 coming into force. 2030 to ramp up and integrate with the SDG’s And 2050 to stabilize at liveable weather conditions.

Steinmetz

OK why 100,000 STRONG Champions– or did you pull the number out of the air.

Lipman

Well it’s a significant target of educated thought leaders – even for a global  movement – but it’s basically the equivalent of 500 for every UN State. Even for a small island that’s not huge. For a big State we know it will spawn more. And we have a decade to put them in place. They’ll be the Greta Thunberg support system for our sector – helping ensure that Paris targets are met. What’s exciting is that we will be able to provide them with dynamic lifetime learning from our web portal, focused good practice from across the global climate resilience spectrum and a capacity to spread innovation on a real time basis.

Steinmetz    How Will you Finance such an Ambitious Program

Lipman

Visionary Corporate Sponsors from the Travel & Tourism sector and supporting industries, as well as far thinking public sector sources; will take it to scale, country by country. We have a Sponsor and Impact Investor program, as well as a country initiative that costs just 5000 Euro. And we operate as an NGO with low costs and high focus.

We’ve been fortunate to find our first Anchor Sponsor, of 12 we are seeking worldwide for 2019/2020 – and we are grateful to Robin Ingle for his willingness to step up to the plate so quickly. Our plan calls for one from each sub-sector – Transport: Hospitality: Travel Services: from each of 3 regions. Americas: Europe / Middle East/ Africa: Asia/Pacific. As well as one leader per UN State.

Our signature African Earth Lung will of course  require a much bigger Alliance, with much greater finance. But frankly it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something that can have such clear global and local significance. I  saw it before at Rio 92 when Maurice Strong mobilized so much for the planet and a focus on the Amazon. We think this is our chance to help the world and the Congo Basin.

Steinmetz Will you ever stop this kind of corporate campaigning

Lipman

I doubt it.  I worked for IATA for the first 20 years of my career – a wonderful organization that instilled a sense of purpose –  its first Director General told a journalist when he was in his 90’s, that his days began by crawling out of bed to get the Times Newspaper from the doormat. He turned to the obituary column and if he wasn’t there, he got dressed & carried on with life. I’m kind of from that school of thought.

For more information on SUNx, please visit: https://www.thesunprogram.com/

3 min Video About SUNx

 

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