Event Director Chris Carter-Chapman has increased the agent focus in his second year in the job. "Travel agents are core to the show and have been there from the very first edition,” he says. "They are one group we are particularly keen to feel a sense of ownership."
There will be agent-focused content from speakers and a new sector-specific WTM Meet-Up to encourage networking. This is in addition to the TTG Discovery Session, a new initiative with WTM offering tailored events for agents on the third day, as well as free entry.
"We have partnered with TTG for 15 years as our official trade media partner and we really wanted to mark that milestone with something a bit different to what we have done in the past,” Carter-Chapman explains. “We also have agents speaking to our ITT Future You audience on careers, which is great.”
Carter-Chapman began his job last year with an "if it’s not broken, don’t fix it" approach. “I still stand by that,” he says, but mentions something he was particularly keen to fix. “If there was one area where we felt we had work to do it was ensuring everyone was fully connected over the three days.
"As part of ExCeL’s upgrade, it has done a full cellular upgrade of WiFi – it will be dramatically different for visitors and exhibitors.”
It’s connectivity that excites him. “We had more than 40,000 meetings facilitated by [meeting and booking platform] WTM Connect Me. With the enhanced connectivity, that should be dramatically higher.”
Travel tech focus
Last year’s WTM saw a record 46,500 attendees, but it’s not this figure that motivates him. “Crucially, our travel buyers were up by 10% year-on-year to 5,500. They really are the lifeblood of WTM. We are aiming for more than 6,000 this year, and we’re on course at the moment.”
WTM was already vast but is getting bigger. Last year’s technology exhibitors’ zone was 55% bigger than it was two years ago in terms of floor space. This year, it will become the WTM Travel Tech show, a semi-separate entity, helping fill ExCeL’s eastern extension.
Aimed at technology, accommodation and transport providers, the hall will have its own speaker sessions and launch party and a dedicated entrance. Travel Tech will be open to any WTM attendee. “It’s been a huge focus to make sure visitors have access to two shows in one," said Carter-Chapman.
Another recent innovation, Trend Fest, will also be expanded “quite dramatically” in line with the growing search for experiential travel from specialists in areas like sport or culinary tourism, as will WTM TV, another innovation from 2025. “It will be all day at the show and broadcast online so people not at the show can see what they’re missing.”
New faces galore
Among the exhibitors, China’s presence will be nearly 25% larger than last year, while new or returning destinations include Brunei, Cote d’Ivoire, Angola, Panama and Uruguay. “At last count, we had more than 70 new destinations and solution providers," Carter-Chapman confirms. "It has been a difficult year so it’s wonderful to see so many new faces."
A milestone this year is the 20th anniversary of the WTM Ministers’ Summit. Carter-Chapman is keen to stress the event is open to anyone to attend. “Come along and see future policy being debated and set,” he encourages, adding a personal highlight will be Sir Michael Palin’s appearance on the new Headliner Stage, in partnership with Wanderlust.
So, does WTM’s boss have any regrets about moving into travel? “None whatsoever,” he says. “Being able to represent an industry that accounts for one in 10 jobs globally, the benefit we are able to deliver both for the UK economy and the global economy through one of the largest meetings of its kind in the world, is hugely rewarding.
"And the travel’s not bad, either."
