With one month to go until the start of the fully-virtual Africa Travel Week (ATW), comprising World Travel Market Africa (WTMA) and International Luxury Travel Market Africa (ILTMA), registrations for media and trade are now open, with the Exhibitor Platform available for exhibitors to update their profiles and set up appointments.
The online platform has been open for VIP Buyer registration for several weeks and hosted buyers across the globe have responded with enthusiasm, grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with their industry colleagues in this format.
The easy-to-use and navigate exhibitor portal allows exhibitors to upload a company profile and associated marketing assets, as well the profiles of multiple staff members. The virtual event platform also offers ConnectMe, a powerful portal with robust search capabilities so that buyers, exhibitors, trade partners and media can find and connect with peers to schedule one-on-one meetings from 06h00 to 19h00 CAT across the three days to accommodate different time zones. You can even search for contacts by time zone, among other criteria.
ATW will put a firm spotlight on Africa’s tourism sector, not just from 7 to 9 April, but beyond.
“We have worked hard to provide a pivotal platform for the continent’s travel and tourism industry, inspiring, educating and rebuilding the travel and tourism, whether you’re connecting with new buyers and exhibitors virtually, or attending the exciting panel discussions and presentations run by industry experts,” says Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director: Travel, Tourism & Creative Industries Portfolio for Reed Exhibitions Africa.
“Delegates will also benefit from additional value-adds such as a Product Showcase, speed networking sessions, with short five-minute meeting bursts, robust roundtable discussions, and forums from industry experts on a range of topics from the Gen Z traveller and the changing landscape of the outbound market, to rethinking tourism planning to deal with uncertainty, and leveraging domestic tourism, among many other captivating industry-relevant topics,” explains Oberholzer.
In addition to the virtual show in April, ATW has lined up a collection of events throughout the year, which include:
Educational content webinars from May to August.
Africa Travel Week: Connect in the City Live from 1-3 September, including a series of intimate experiences in the official Host City of Cape Town.
A series of virtual masterclasses from September to November.
Says Oberholzer: “We have taken a blended approach where travel trade professionals benefit from connecting with their industry peers at face-to-face meetings later on in the year. Safety and wellbeing remain our number one priority and we will adjust this element of our offering accordingly.”
The three-day event Connect in the City Live is exclusive to ATW virtual exhibitors and a selection of hosted buyers, and will comprise:
Familiarisation tours. ATW Virtual exhibitors will benefit from the opportunity to invite international buyers to experience their products first hand.
During this time, exhibitors will be given an opportunity to educate buyers about their products and destination during a dedicated 15-minute time slot.
A dedicated travel and tourism conference with a top-notch speaker programme of industry thought leaders and experts.
Our ever-popular speed networking sessions where buyers are split according to region and product interests.
The African Travel & Tourism Awards, with a special category recognising COVID-19 campaigns that focus on reigniting travel.
The blended format of WTM Africa throughout 2021 will also apply to its suite of sister shows including International Luxury Travel Market Africa (ILTMA), International Business Tourism Market Africa (IBTMA), The Sports & Tourism Exchange (SETE), Africa Tourism Investment Summit (ATIS), Travel Forward and EQUAL Africa.
Attendees and industry professionals may remain connected and informed throughout 2021 via atwconnect.com, ATW’s dedicated resource hub jam-packed with free digital tools, industry news and updates.
“Registered delegates will have plenty of opportunities to generate leads, draw up new contracts, and keep the conversation going around bringing travel to Africa, and Africa to the world,” concludes Oberholzer.
