I have often grumbled and ranted about the state of the British rail network but today I am sat on a train that is on time and has free Wi-Fi access, yes free, are you reading this hotels and airports? So it’s not the fasted connection but it’s allowing me to catch up with emails and write blog posts.

Attending World Travel Market

This week I am in London for World Travel Market and Travel BlogCamp. It’s going to be an interesting week, and probably one of the few times of the year where I appear from behind the laptop to network with people face-to-face.

Offline networking not my best skill

I am not at my best offline networking, being short means I end up with a stiff neck, but, it’s good to put faces to names. You have two options at WTM; either wander around the exhibitions stalls, of which they are over 4,000 or spend time in the free seminars.

Here are three that I will be attending.

Tuesday

11:00 – 12:00 Online and Onsale

12:30 – 13:30 Content Matters

Wednesday

11:00 – 12:00 Social media for marketers: Unpicking the 2.0 hype

I will be recording some live videos, taking photos and tweeting from ExCeL until Thursday.

Travel BlogCamp format

Obviously, on Tuesday night I along with Kevin May at Tnooz will be host of Travel BlogCamp. The format has slightly changed this year, in that we have two more speakers, a moderator and a Q&A session with the sponsors.

Post from: Travel BlogCamp 2009

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.

Post from: Travel BlogCamp 2009