The UK Government have announced the resumption of the exhibitions industry in the country as of October 1st 2020 meaning that England can once again welcome international business delegates from around the world.
WTM London – the event where Ideas Arrive – is set to take place between November 2nd and November 4th 2020 and promises to be one of the first major exhibitions to take place globally since the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This year’s event is centred on the concept of recovery, rebuild and innovate, as global travel and tourism leaders will meet to discuss the future of the industry and begin its resurgence.
The show will reflect the diverse needs of the travel and tourism industry by incorporating both a live event, at ExCeL London, as well as a virtual event taking place online the week after.
Furthermore, the leading travel technology exhibition, Travel Forward, which is co-located with WTM London at the ExCeL Centre, will also be taking place this year inspiring visitors to embrace the latest technology that will help rebuild the industry.
Encompassing both WTM London, Travel Forward and the myriad of industry events taking place across the capital, London Travel Week will happen in 2020 embracing flavours and experiences from around the world giving attendees the chance to learn, network and socialise to accelerate their business needs.
The highest standards of health and safety will be followed across all elements of the shows this year with WTM London, Travel Forward and London Travel Week adhering to UK Government guidelines on social distancing and all other aspects of COVID-19 prevention.
Visitors can be safe in the knowledge that not only will they have the chance to meet other travel and tourism professionals in person for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19, but they will be able to do this in a safe environment too.
WTM London will be once again taking place at the premier exhibition space in the UK, ExCeL London. ExCeL has been working with the AEV (Association of Event Venues) and other key stakeholders to develop the All Secure Standard, an industry wide benchmark to enable the safe return of organised events.
The vast majority of the venue (90%) has been restored to its original state now, with the remaining space secured as equipment storage for NHS Nightingale. This ongoing support will not impact the normal operation of our venue and the centre will be able to host safe, secure, and successful business events and conferences from 1st October onwards.
Throughout the pandemic, the WTM Portfolio have delivered a wide variety of events and tools designed to help the industry in its recovery. The WTM Global Hub was launched in April creating an online resource filled with webinars, blogs and videos designed to assist all aspects of the industry.
In June, the portfolio also debuted its first online exhibition – ATM Virtual. The event was a huge success with over 12,000 attendees from 140 countries joining the proceedings for one-to-one meetings, conferences & seminars and virtual stand visits.
Earlier this month, Travel Forward launched its inaugural Travel Forward Online event too. It brought together industry leaders from the global travel tech community to share their wisdom, discuss & debate the issues and to advance the adoption of innovative technologies to help smooth the transition to a new post-COVID reality.
In response to the news about the resumption of the exhibition industry, WTM London’s Event Director Simon Press said;
“This is truly fantastic news to hear with regards to not only our industry but also the thousands of companies we directly support through WTM London in the global travel and tourism industry.
“We look forward to welcoming people to London this November in a safe way and providing the platform to help our industry recover, rebuild and innovate. In the lead-up to the event, we will be in constant communication with the UK Government with regards to plans surrounding the NHS Nightingale hospital in London making sure to find a solution for all parties involved.
“By hosting both a live and virtual event as part of WTM London 2020 we will be providing a truly essential service for the global travel and tourism industry as it looks to rebound heading into 2021. We look forward to welcoming you once again to the event where Ideas Arrive – WTM London”