by admin
Tips to get the best out of World Travel Market
1:40 pm in World Travel Market by admin
For those attending the World Travel Market for the first time it can be a daunting experience. The ExCeL exhibition halls are pretty huge and you can find yourself wandering around and not achieving anything. Last year I spent most of my time wandering around the different zones, taking loads of photos and enjoying the atmosphere.
This year I plan to spend more time in the seminar’s because I found the few ones I went to last year really useful.
Plan your time
When you register for WTM you will receive a map; take some time to plan your time, be it for the day or over the whole period of the show. Look at the zones and what interests you; there is a lot to distract you, so if you plan ahead you can get the most out of your visit.
Take business cards
Remember that everyone you will meet at the World Travel Market will have met many other people; those on the stalls will have met thousands. So, hand out your business card so that they can keep in touch. Most of the stalls have business card boxes where you can leave your card, so keep a look out for them.
Don’t overload yourself with freebies
We all love freebies, but, you can overload your self with items from all of the stalls that you will never read or use. Not only does it slow you down but it’s a pain having to carry everything around if you are networking with people or off to a seminar. Make sure you try out some of the food and drink on many of the stalls though.
Hotel location
I’ve not been to the WTM where there has been major delays or strikes on the tube network, so my best piece of advice is to find a hotel near the ExCeL exhibition centre. Last year I stayed at the e-tap hotel near London City airport, it’s a very basic hotel and a 20/30 minute walk to ExCeL.
It sounds like a long walk, but to be honest, it was quicker than having to spend an hour or two stuck on the London Underground. I found the walk gave me an opportunity to have a think about what I wanted to get out of the day. They are other hotels near ExCeL to choose from.
Come to the Travel BlogCamp
Places will be up for grabs in September, but, the night is about relaxing in an informal environment, after a hectic day walking around. You can sit down and get involved in the discussions and then network. I’ll have more information about the venue and speakers soon.
In my experience Tuesday and Wednesday are the busiest days, Thursday last year was pretty quiet, but that is good if you want to get around the stalls and meet people who are still around. Hopefully, this will help you plan your trip to WTM this year, and if you have any questions or tips, leave them in the comments.
Take the ferry!
I found the easiest way to get from central london to WTM last year was on the ferry.
Alex, how much did it cost you for that ferry? I might give it a try this year if we have the blogcamp at the same venue.
Don’t take a coat! It’s generally fairly warm in there and if you put a coat in the cloakroom you can get caught in a queue for at least an hour at the end of the day.
You’re right that it does get quieter at the end of the week, but the Monday and Tuesday are traditionally seen as the more serious business days so a lot of hoteliers that come over will be gone by the Thursday.
So if you’re planning on meeting a lot of people it’s a safer bet to go earlier in the week, but it is less hectic as the week progresses.
And for those of you who want to explore London while you’re here or have to take the tube to your accommodation, please be sure to by an Oyster Card. It costs about £3.50 but you’ll save that just in two trips. It’s a card where you have to charge it with money and then it depletes from the balance on the card as you travel.
You can buy one in any station – usually they’re easy to spot.
More info:
https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do
This was helpful information, Darren.
I’ve been to Pow-Wow here in the US, and it sounds like WTM can be just as overwhelming. Is there a press room with wi-fi access, mail files, publish stories, etc.?
I’m just in the process of winnowing down hotels now, hoping to find something convenient to ExCel, but also well located for other sightseeing. I’m going to add on a few days on one end or the other and get some other travel work done and hopefully have a day or two of holidays.
Looking forward to Travel BlogCamp!
Hi Mary Jo
If you apply for ‘press’ entrance then yes there is a good sized press area with wifi and standalone PCs for you to use. It also has facilities to get a quick bite to eat and drink.
The biggest advantage for me last year was that I was able to get away from the crowds and take some time-out.