World Travel Market 2011, the leading global event for the travel industry, experienced an impressive 5% increase in visitors compared to the previous event.
More than 28,000 visitors (28,183) attended WTM 2011 compared to 26,908 that attended WTM 2010, reveals unaudited figures.
The 2011 rise cements the massive 10% increase in visitors WTM 2010 experienced compared to WTM 2009.
The first day of World Travel Market 2011 was a resounding success with exhibitor invitations visitors up a massive 14% on WTM 2010.
The Monday of WTM is an Exhibitor Invite-only day with the aim of allowing exhibitors to hold discussions and negotiations with those people that they want to conduct business with.
The first day of WTM 2011 saw 7,614 Exhibitor Invitations visitors attend.
Furthermore, 204 of the exhibitor invitees buyers and 457 exhibitors took part in the highly successful Speed Networking session, which took place for the first time before the exhibition opened to allow even more time for exhibitors and buyers from WTM Meridian Club to negotiate and conclude deals at WTM 2011.
Also, 29 luxury travel buyers had pre-scheduled business appointments with 37 luxury travel brands in the session – A Taste of ILTM at WTM. It is the first time WTM has hosted a pre-scheduled appointment session.
Total attendance on the first day at WTM 2011 was 8% up on WTM 2010 with almost 23,000 (22,913) participants, with a 19% rise in buyers and exhibitors 4% higher than at WTM 2010, the raw data reveals.
Overall WTM 2011 attracted 47,776 participants compared to 47,719 in 2010.
Reed Travel Exhibitions Director World Travel Market Simon Press said: “I am delighted with the attendance figures for WTM 2011. To cement last year’s 10% visitor increase with a further 5% rise is a great result.
“Most important is the record number attending the first day of WTM 2011 under the Exhibitor Invitations policy. The 14% increase in Exhibitor Invitees on the Monday of WTM 2011 and the success of the WTM Speed Networking sets the event up to conduct a record amount of business.”
WTM 2010 generated a record £1,425 million in industry deals up 25% on the 2009 figure of £1,139 million.
Full ABC audited attendance figures for WTM 2011 will be available shortly.
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About World Travel Market
World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
Almost 48,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL - London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM.
WTM, now in its 32nd year, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals.
WTM 2010 generated £1,425 million of travel industry contracts, revealed independent research by Fusion Communications.
WTM is owned by the world’s leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which organises a portfolio of other travel industry events including Arabian Travel Market and International Luxury Travel Market.
In 2010, RE held more than 460 events in 36 countries bringing together more than seven million people from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.
Reed Travel Exhibitions
Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) is the world’s leading provider of exhibitions in the travel and tourism industry. Its wide-ranging portfolio of events around the globe covers leisure travel, luxury travel and the meetings and incentives industry.
The 12 events are; World Travel Market (WTM), Arabian Travel Market (ATM), International French Travel Market (IFTM), La Cumbre, International Golf Travel Market (IGTM), International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM), International Luxury Travel Market Asia (ILTMA), Asia Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) (owned by Melbourne Convention Visitors Bureau), Global Exhibition for Incentive, Business Travel, and Meetings (EIBTM), Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings (GIBTM), Americas Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings (AIBTM) and China Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings (CIBTM).
RTE is a business unit of Reed Exhibitions. In 2010, Reed Exhibitions held more than 460 events in 36 countries bringing together more than seven million people from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.
Reed Exhibitions is owned by Reed Elsevier, the world’s leading provider of professional information and online workflow solutions.
Nicole Collett
Press and PR Executive
T: +44 (0) 20 8910 7836
F: +44 (0) 20 8334 0624