marketing tourism trade shows

65 Best Tourism Industry Events & Travel Conferences 2024/25

Looking for the top travel conferences 2024 has to offer? If you’re working in the tourism industry and you haven’t booked a ticket to one of the many events, what are you waiting for? Not only are these events an excuse to get out of the office and network with like-minded people, but they’re also great opportunities to learn more about travel and tourism.

Travel conferences are great for making new deals, discovering up-and-coming innovations, learning new skills, or just some good old networking. And there are some really exciting travel and tourism conferences in 2024 that exemplify the importance of travel .

We’ve put together this comprehensive list of conferences happening all over the world in the next year. Have a look at which ones you don’t want to miss and start planning your trip now.

Best Travel Industry Conferences 2024/25 by Month

January: Fitur – International Tourism Trade Fair

February: Travel & Adventure Show

March: B Travel Trade Show

April: World Travel Market

May: Tbex San Sebastian Spain

June: ITT Conference

July: Web in Travel (WIT)l Conference

August: Global Business Travel Association Conference

September: World Youth and Student Travel Conference

October: TBEX Africa

November: The Phocuswright Conference

December: International Luxury Travel Market – Worldwide

Fitur — International Tourism Trade Fair

Dates: 24 – 28 January 2024

Location: Madrid, Spain

Fitur is held every year in Madrid. It is one of the biggest tourism fairs in the world and an ideal gateway to Latin American markets. Fitur draws an international crowd of tourism professionals and travellers alike. It provides a platform to develop strategies for consumer demand and communication.

The first three days of the conference are for trade visitors only, with doors opening to the public on Saturday and Sunday. Visitors can use this conference to network with other tourism professionals and travellers, as well as gain new insights and knowledge in the industry.

Find more info here

Matka — Nordic Travel Fair

Dates: 19 – 21 January 2024

Location: Helsinki, Finland

Being the largest travel conference in Northern Europe and the Baltic Region, Matka attracts over 1000 exhibitors annually. These exhibitors travel to Finland from more than 80 different countries, allowing for a diverse crowd. The conference is open to the public and trade buyers, with two days solely dedicated to the professionals.

The main aim behind Matka is for tourism trade professionals to learn about new products and services. As well as make valuable connections, and gather information on the ever-moving innovations of the travel industry.

Travel & Adventure Show

Dates: 13 – 14 January 2024

Location: Chicago, USA

Dates: 20 – 21 January 2024

Location: Denver, USA

Dates: 27 – 28 January 2024

Location: New York, USA

Dates: 3 – 4 February 2024

Location: Los Angeles, USA

Dates: 17 – 18 February 2024

Location: Phoenix, USA

Dates: 24 – 25 February 2024

Location: Washington DC, USA

Dates: 9 – 10 March 2024

Location: Atlanta, USA

Dates: 16 – 17 March 2024

Location: San Francisco, USA

Dates: 23 – 24 March 2024

Location: Dallas, USA

The Travel and Adventure Shows are a series of exhibits that take place across the USA. So American visitors have the option to catch the business travel conferences closest to them.

Discover new travel destinations across the globe, and take the chance to rub shoulders with some big travel celeb names. These travel events bring tourism businesses and the public together.

Dates: 19 – 21 February 2024

Location: Melbourne, Australia

This is the Asia Pacific region’s leading meetings and event industry trade conference. Decision-makers in the event industry engage with each other during this three-day event to share, connect, and do business.

The 2024 AIME is preparing to be one of their biggest yet as they celebrate their 30th birthday. They expect to host 400 buyers and 2000 visitors from around the world, making it a business tourism conference of 2024 you won’t want to miss.

Business Travel Show

Dates: 28 – 29 June 2024

Location: London, England

The largest business travel conference in Europe will be back in 2024. This conference is very business-oriented, so it’s the perfect place to find suppliers and network.

It also offers the opportunity to grow your business knowledge. This is the type of travel industry networking event that will challenge you and teach you to innovate and grow.

Travel Technology Europe

Despite only lasting two days, this is one of the top travel tech conferences in 2024. The event draws in over 5000 attendees and more than 30 conference sessions. It’s focused on technological development in our ever-growing industry.

Travel professionals looking for technological solutions to the industry’s current problems can find all the latest findings at this conference. It’s a gathering place of refreshing ideas and exciting opportunities.

Dates: 5 – 7 March 2024

Location: Oman

The ITB conference is the perfect place for B2B travel trading and gives visitors a taste of future travel and tourism trends. From panel discussions to keynote speakers, there is no better place to get an inside scoop on the year’s upcoming trends.

The three-day conference is exciting and informative, a great way to get exposure to the respective markets and the ideas that are shaping them.

Women’s Travel Fest

Dates: 3 – 5 March 2024

The Women’s Travel Fest is a conference just for ladies who love travelling. It’s been growing since 2013 and has become the largest women-in-travel summit. Join more than 30 amazing female speakers and network with other like-minded women.

This conference is an incredible opportunity to make good connections and upskill in all the right areas. The aim of this travel convention in 2024 is to connect, support, and inspire women to travel the world safely. It is undoubtedly one of the best tourism fairs in the world for solo female travellers.

Web in Travel (WiT)

Date: 5 – 6 July 2024

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Date: 27 July 2024

Location: Penang, Malaysia

Date: 2 – 4 October 2024

Location: Singapore

Date: 2 November 2024

Location: Seoul, South Korea

For anyone interested in travel technology, distribution, and marketing, this conference will bring it all into one room. Join the masses as you get the opportunity to meet with others in the travel-tech and marketing space and gain new insights into the industry.

While the event occurs in several live locations throughout the year, it’s also one of the few travel technology conferences offering a virtual space. So you can connect with travel and marketing gurus from across the world.

Select Traveller Conference

Dates: 17 – 19 March 2024

Location: Buffalo Niagara, New York

This conference aims to boost the relationship between travel clubs and travel loyalty programs. If you are in the industry and hoping to increase your club membership or add value to your loyalty program, this is the place to be.

B Travel Trade Show

Dates: 15 – 17 March 2024

Location: Barcelona, Spain

The tourism trade show is a great all-around travel trade fair. You’ll learn a lot, be introduced to world-class products and ideas, and socialise with industry leaders. It’s Southern Europe’s biggest travel event, with over 24,000 visitors annually, so expect a crowd.

Travel Technology Initiative

Dates: 20 March 2024

TTI continues to establish and maintain technology standards within the travel industry. This conference is the main event of the year, where all the big travel tech names come together. Learn about the technological trends that will affect your business and the greater travel industry.

Travel and Words

Dates: 12 – 14 November 2024

Location: Missoula, Montana

This is a conference built on passion and voluntary work. The Travel and Words event is a great place for travel bloggers , writers, and destination marketers to get together. Here, they can discuss the future of travel marketing in media and print.

Its focus is on freelance travel writers in the Northwest, making it ideal for exposure to potential new markets.

International Luxury Travel Market – Worldwide

Dates: 19 – 22 June 2024

Location: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Dates: 18 – 21 September 2024

Location: Baha Mar, The Bahamas

Dates: 4 – 7 December 2024

Location: Cannes, France

Dates: 7 – 10 May 2024

Location: São Paulo, Brazil

The ILTM conferences showcase the ultimate luxury travel brands to handpicked travel advisors in different regions. It is here that luxury and travel combine to display fantastic holiday opportunities in each country.

Simply put, it’s one of the best international travel events of the year for luxury marketers and business owners.

World Trade Market

Dates: 6 – 8 November 2024

Dates: 2 – 4 April 2024

Dates: 10 – 12 April 2024

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Dates: 6 – 9 May 2024

Location: Dubai, UAE

WTM hosts thousands of travel professionals in multiple locations each year.

The Latin America WTM showcases the best of Latin America to the rest of the world. Travel agencies, service providers, and travellers themselves all congregate together to see the best of Latin American Tourism.

WTM Africa does much the same, except for the African Continent. All tourism industry people, from hotel owners to tour guides and everyone in between, will meet under one roof to share and expand their network and knowledge.

WTM London celebrated 40 years in 2020 and will host many travel and tourism professionals in 2024. Here, you can connect and mingle with the industry’s head runners, as well as learn more about the world of travel and tourism.

International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association Global Convention

Dates: 4 – 7 October 2024

Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

The IGLTA tourism convention exists to connect the LGBTQ+ community with gay-friendly travel and tourism brands, suppliers, and buyers. There are interesting educational workshops and numerous networking receptions for all attendees.

IGLTA also runs events around the world for LGBTQ+ travellers and promotes equality and safety within the tourism industry.

Skift Forum

Dates: 26 – 28 September 2024

Dates: 12 – 14 December 2024

The Skift Global Forum 2024 provides a space for innovative leaders in travel and tourism to come together and share, gain, and develop new ideas. With research-driven actionable insights, amazing speakers, and an excellent opportunity to network, it’s one of our favourite travel marketing conferences in 2024.

Women in Travel Summit

Dates: 12 – 14 April 2024

Location: Salt Lake City, USA

This is a wonderful conference for women in the travel and tourism industry. There will be brands, influencers, and creators.

Visitors can attend workshops and talks on travel directed specifically to the ladies. It’s A great opportunity for travel writers and influencers who want to expand their monetization strategies and learn from others.

Africa’s Travel Indaba

Dates: 9 – 11 May 2024

Location: Durban, South Africa

Africa’s tourism and travel industry are showcased well at this annual event, with exhibitor booths for travel services and product suppliers. Buyers, media, and the public can enjoy a first-row seat to the best that Africa has to offer.

This conference is geared more towards businesses (like tour operators and travel agents) than travel writers.

Digital Travel Summit 2024

Dates: 12 – 13 September 2024

Location: South Carolina, USA

One of the best tourism conferences for travel executives, Digital Travel, caters to their niche perfectly. With big keynotes and small face-to-face discussions around customer engagement and personalization, you’re bound to come away with creative new strategies to grow your business.

We Are Africa

Enjoy the luxurious side of African tourism as this event hosts both an African and International audience. It focuses on rebranding Africa as a top luxury destination with exciting investments and lavish products.

Tourism & Leisure Studies Conference

Dates: 14 – 16 June 2024

Location: Granada, Spain

This conference offers a space for travel industry professionals to discuss matters within the industry. Past, current, and future trends, issues, and innovations are presented and debated with like-minded individuals.

This is a great space for those looking to change their business model and adapt to relevant tourism in the new decade.

IPW Conference

Dates: 3 – 7 May 2024

IPW is where US travel exhibitors connect with travel buyers and media from more than 70 countries.

This is one of the best tourism events of 2024 that showcases products and builds relationships. It’s a national showcase of what America has to offer and brings in a great deal of tourism to the country.

Global Business Travel Association

Dates: 13 – 15 August 2024

Location: Toronto, Canada

Dates: 22 – 24 April 2024

Visit Canada’s largest conference for business travel and management professionals. As it attracts over 900 attendees, the event is a fantastic way for travel innovators to showcase their latest products and services to industry professionals.

It’s comparatively small in scale to other travel events of 2024, making it best for networking.

Keyframe 23 by Traverse

Dates: 13 – 16 April 2024

Location: Malta

This travel conference is aimed at bloggers, influencers, YouTubers, and other content creators. The vibrant festival combines travel and technological innovation. Digital content creators from around the world will gather to learn, progress, and develop new ways to show off the world of travel.

ITT Conference

Dates: 5 – 7 June 2024

Location: Doha, Qatar

The Institution of Travel and Tourism conference is held each year to provide a space for all those in the tourism industry to discuss and share.

You can find guidelines on how to be a professional in the industry, as well as support and advice on your travel career. You can also enjoy some networking with others in the industry.

Future Travel Experience

Dates: 19 – 21 September 2024

Location: California, USA

Dates: 8 – 9 November 2024

Learn more about the future of travel and hear from hundreds of airline and hotel representatives. Whether you attend the global travel industry event, the Asian event, or both – there is much to learn and many faces to network with.

As the name suggests, it is all about forward-moving tech and industry.

Digital Travel Summit EU

Date: 15 – 16 November 2024

All things digital and travel combine perfectly in this two-day event held in London. Along with industry-leading speakers, there are workshops, presentations, and small group sessions. There are also over 400 other digital travel professionals to network with.

Global Travel Marketplace

Date: 18 – 20 July 2024

Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

This travel conference is an appointment-only event connecting influential travel advisors with travel suppliers. It’s small-scale and tends to lead to many exciting new business deals.

TECNZ Tourism Conference

Dates: 8 –11 August 2024

Location: Rotorua, New Zealand

TECNZ Tourism Conference is for anyone interested in making partners and learning about New Zealand’s tourism innovations and trends.

Inbound 2024

Dates: 5 – 8 September 2024

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Inbound is a yearly conference where big ideas are shared and expanded. It’s all about actionable strategies for growth and improvement. And with nightly parties, you’re likely to make good friends with your new connections.

Massive and exciting, it can be a little daunting. But there’s a surprising opportunity to make close connections and brainstorm your niche challenges.

Travel Writers and Photographers Conference

Dates: 10 – 13 August 2024

Location: Corte Madera, California

More niche than most options on our list, this conference is the perfect place for all travel writers and photographers to come together and expand their knowledge and skills.

Hosted by Book Passage, there is a world of knowledge to be shared over the 3-day event. With workshops, panels, and evening activities, you’ll come away with actionable insights and a lot of new contacts.

PATA Travel Mart

Dates: 4 – 6 October 2024

Location: New Delhi, India

The Pacific Asia Travel Association hosts the PATA travel mart each year. The role of PATA in tourism is essential, allowing sellers, buyers, and other industry professionals in the Asia-Pacific region to meet, greet, and network.

There is also a public day when traders can meet visitors and exhibit their products.

Travel Mart Latin America

Dates: 20 – 22 September 2024

Location: TBD

This is a long-standing conference showcasing Latin American tourism. It’s a great place for tour operators, wholesalers, meeting planners, and incentive companies to meet and share their businesses.

Travel Mart is also an expo of all travel and tourism opportunities in Central and South America.

World Youth and Student Travel Conference

Dates: 12 – 15 September 2024

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

This conference is a must for professionals who work in youth and student travel. It hosts over 150 buyers, represents 100 countries, and offers workshops and networking events aplenty, making it a conference worth your time.

Vestnorden Travel Mart 2024

Dates: 17 – 18 October 2024

Location: Reykjavik, Iceland

This is an extremely important trade show for the North Atlantic region. It allows B2B trading and networking for all travel professionals in and around Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroes Islands.

TBEX Africa, North America, and Europe

Dates: 17 – 20 July 2024

Location: Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Dates: 28 – 31 May 2024

Location: San Sebastian, Spain

TBEX has quickly become the largest conference and networking event for content creators, travel brands, and industry professionals. Partnering with fantastic destinations across the globe and attracting hundreds of delegates each year. This is a great place to network and do business.

It’s one of the best travel and tourism conferences in 2024, with the fantastic convention occurring in Africa, North America, and Europe.

Luxury Travel Advisors Ultra Summit

Dates: 20 – 22 June 2024

Location: Scottsdale, Arizona

This is a great international tourism conference for travel agents to attend to network with suppliers and learn more about the industry. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their businesses and what they offer.

TTG Travel Experience

Dates: 11 – 13 October 2024

Location: Remini, Italy

Anyone looking for a gateway to the Italian travel market should attend the TTG conference. With over 130 countries being represented, this is considered the largest B2B trade conference in Italy.

International Tourism Film Festival

Dates: 24 – 27 October 2024

Location: Caldas Da Rainha, Portugal

This unique event brings travel filmmakers and businesses together, showcasing industry greats and newcomers alike. It’s not a travel conference we all need to attend, but if you have a special talent for promotional travel films or are looking for someone who does, check it out.

GBTA + Conference 2024

Dates: 14 – 16 November 2024

Location: Hamburg, Germany

It’s one of the top business travel conferences in 2024 for B2B exposure. You’ll learn about the latest trends in tourism and make valuable new connections.

Phocuswright Conference

Dates: 13 – 16 November 2024

This is a great place for travel leaders and influencers to meet and discuss the latest innovations in the travel and tourism industry.

Top Travel and Tourism Conferences 2024/25

2024 is an exciting year for travel, with new solutions and innovations constantly breaking ground and a global public itching to explore.

Are you planning to attend any of these conferences? You may just see our team at a few of them too! So maybe, see you there.

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Top 10 Travel Trade Shows in the US

Travel & tourism trade shows offer vast business opportunities. If you plan to exhibit, here are the top 10 US travel expos you can consider.

While the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the travel and tourism industry globally, things are back on track in 2023. People have started traveling again, and the rebound is expected to surpass pre-COVID levels of 2019.

But to make the best of this opportunity, travel businesses must stay up-to-date with the latest trends and consumer preferences. And what better than physical events like trade shows to update yourself with all the latest happenings in the travel industry?

Like travel, trade shows are back in trend after a slump during the pandemic, and many events are witnessing record participation. But with hundreds of travel trade shows organized in the US annually, how will you choose the best? We've created a list of the top 10 travel expos in the US to help you decide.

[READ: Are Live Trade Shows Worth It in 2023? ]

1- Travel Adventure Show

The Travel Adventure Show is the place to be if your goal is to connect with hundreds and thousands of travelers. Travel enthusiasts attend this multi-city event to discover newer adventures and destinations, receive the latest travel information and advice, and connect with tour operators.

• One of the oldest travel trade shows in the US, with the first event organized in 2004
• Travel Adventure Show 2023 was organized in 9 cities across the US
• The event attracted 150,000+ visitors and 1,000+ exhibitors

Upcoming Event Schedule

January-March, 2024

New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas, and San Francisco/Bay Area.

https://travelshows.com/

2- IMEX America

The IMEX America is one of the largest trade shows in the US for conferences, meetings, incentives, business travel, and events industry. Whether you want to meet global travelers, network, or keep up with the latest trends in the tourism industry, IMEX America deserves your attention.

• In 2022, the event attracted over 12,000 participants from 100+ countries
• 3,000+ exhibitors made 60,000+ appointments during the 3-day event
• 75% of the hosted buyers had budgets of over $1 million

17-19 October 2023

https://www.imexamerica.com/

3- Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum

If you run a leisure travel agency and looking for a B2B event for the industry, you should visit Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum (LVTAF). The limited space event offers an extensive opportunity for travel sellers to connect with a large base of global business resources and vacation experiences.

• LVTAF is attended by over 1,000 travel agents and suppliers
• Various networking events to help businesses connect with industry peers and partners
• The 3-4 day event includes plenty of educational sessions and roundtable panel discussions

24-27 March 2024

https://www.travelagentforum.com/

4- Global Business Travel Association

The next on this list of trade shows for the travel industry is the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) expo. The event is the go-to destination for professionals from the travel and tourism industry to build business connections and learn from the best in the industry.

• GBTA 2022 had over 1,000+ travel buyers, 250+ exhibitors, and 550 buyer companies from more than 60 countries
• The event had 300+ speakers and 90 educational sessions for the attendees
• GBTA 2023 will feature notable keynote speakers such as Chris Bashinelli, Cassandra Worthy, Paul Polman, Amy Webb, and many more

13-15 August 2023

https://convention.gbta.org/

5- Global Travel Marketplace

The Global Travel Marketplace (GTM) is an appointment-only exhibition for connecting American travel advisors with global travel suppliers. The travel advisors are chosen by the event organizers based on qualification criteria and are fully hosted.

• Only 100-125 travel advisors are invited to GTM events
• One of the qualification requirements for the attendees is to have the authority to make product and partner decisions
• Advisors can have over 50 meetings and participate in over 10 presentations over the 3-day event

1-3 June 2023

https://www.gtmflagship.com/

6- Future Travel Experience

If you're from the travel industry, especially from the air transport sector, you should register for the Future Travel Experience (FTE). Top brands from the aviation industry attend the event to showcase their latest services, products, and concepts created to boost revenue, reduce cost, and offer improved experiences to customers.

• FTE is popularly known as the “CES (Consumer Electronics Show) of the aviation industry”
• More than 300 businesses directly or indirectly associated with the aviation industry attended FTE 2022
• The event had 100+ exhibitors and 120+ speakers

19-21 September 2023

https://www.futuretravelexperience.com/fte-global/

7- Digital Travel Summit

The Digital Travel Summit should be on your must-visit trade show list if you want to learn more about leveraging digital technologies for your business. Hundreds of industry professionals come together at the event to help travel businesses enhance their digital strategies and offer a more personalized experience to their customers.

[READ: 5 Digital Strategies to Promote Your Booth ]

• The event is attended by over 100 travel industry leaders
• Digital Travel Summit 2023 will feature keynote speakers like Derek Schoen, Steve Mayers, Diane Koczur, Andrea Cole, and many more
• Sessions on topics like influencer marketing, social media strategy, user experience, customer servicing, AI, and more

12-13 September 2023

South Carolina

https://digitaltravel.wbresearch.com/

8- CruiseWorld

The CruiseWorld trade show in the USA aims to bring professionals from the travel industry together to help them evolve and grow through general sessions, educational workshops, exhibitor showcases, and networking events. The event is attended by hundreds of global supplier partners and travel advisors.

• Over 100 exhibitors have already registered for CruiseWorld 2023
• Pre-qualified travel advisors under the event’s STAR Program
• Peer-to-peer sessions are free to attend

1-3 November 2023

https://www.cruiseworldshow.com/

Organized by the US Travel Association, IPW is a popular inbound travel expo where exhibitors from the travel industry can connect with buyers from 70+ countries. In the past, the events have generated over $5 billion in revenue for the exhibitors.

• IPW 2022 was attended by over 4,500 people from 60 countries
• The event is attended by over 1,000 travel organizations in the US and 500+ travel journalists
• Over 70,000+ appointments were scheduled over the 3-day event

3-7 May 2023

https://www.ipw.com/  

10- Skift Global Forum

The Skift Global Forum is a flagship conference on the global travel business. It is a great place to connect with professionals from the travel industry, learn from industry veterans, and discover new business opportunities.

• The event attracts over 1,000 travel leaders
• Vast networking opportunities, exclusive talks, and interview sessions
• Speakers for Skift Global Forum 2023 include Ariel Cohen, Jason Calacanis, Fred Dixon, Patricia Yates, Christopher Nassetta, and more

26-28 September 2023

New York City

https://live.skift.com/skift-global-forum/

Must-Visit Travel Expos in the US

How to Make an Impact at Travel Trade Shows?

Hundreds and thousands of exhibitors attend these popular travel trade shows. Encouraging people to visit your booth can be challenging on a crowded trade show floor. Here are some tips to help you stand apart-

• Reserve your booth in advance and prefer spaces close to the entrance, major aisleways, corners, or close to major attractions.
• Ensure the booth design aligns with your brand.
• A trade show activity like a custom trivia challenge can help attract and engage visitors.
• Prefer trade show games with live leaderboards to make them exciting and fun.
• Distribute unique trade show giveaways related to your brand or products/service.
• Ensure the booth staff understands the product/service, features, benefits, and USPs.

Exhibiting at a Travel Trade Show

These are the 10 top travel trade shows in the US. Here’s a detailed guide on 7 Steps to Choose the Right Trade Show For Your Business to help you with the selection. Choose an event and start your trade show planning at least 3-4 months in advance to ensure you have enough time to cover all the bases.

An interactive activity like a trade show trivia game is highly effective in bringing people to your booth. You can also consider customizing the booth game so that it also contributes to your event objectives. Contact us to learn more about trade show gamification and know how our custom games can help.

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Industry & Trends

Martina Marchetti January 22, 2024

The exhibition season is about to start again and we don’t want you to be caught completely off guard and miss out on the most important travel and tourism trade shows happening throughout the year.

How often do you get the opportunity to sit in the same room as your clients, prospects,  competitors and industry experts? If you are an operator of attractions, tours or activities, you should make it a point to attend several events and trade shows as they provide you with the most relevant updates , resources and information within the travel industry. Moreover, travel fairs offer incredible opportunities to network and seek advice to adapt to an ever changing market.

But let’s cut to the chase: here’s a list of top ten travel trade shows and exhibitions not to be missed in 2024.

Biggest travel and tourism trade shows

From immersive cultural experiences to cutting-edge innovations, these events promise to be a treasure trove for industry enthusiasts. Mark your calendars!

When: 24 – 28 January, 2024 Where: Madrid Website: https://www.ifema.es/en/fitur

What’s in store for you

The 44th edition of Fitur 2024 , the International Tourism Fair in Madrid , will be attended by more than 8,000 exhibition companies from more than 130 countries. The tourism offer will be rich and presented in an innovative way, as an interactive live exhibition tour will give visitors the opportunity to access unique content in real time. Cherry on top: Ecuador is the fair’s Partner Country this year.

When: 28 February – 3 March, 2024 Where: Lisbon Website: https://btl.fil.pt/

BTL is one of the best international tourism fairs to attend in the world . The five-day event brings together dozens of professionals in the tourism industry, including tour operators and state government tourism departments. Be prepared to network, debate on different topics and engage in many different activities.

When: 2 – 4 March, 2024 Where: Berlin Website: https://arival.travel/event/2024-berlin/

Arival is Europe’s go-to travel exhibition of the year for the In-Destination European Experiences industry . The event brings the very latest in new challenges, forecasts, strategies and best practices for tours, activities and attractions. If you are interested in discovering innovative solutions and connecting with industry experts, then this is your chance to do so.

When: 5 – 7 March, 2024 Where: Berlin Website: https://www.itb.com/en/  

With the motto “ Pioneer the Transition in Travel & Tourism. Together ”, ITB Berlin positions itself as one of the largest travel industry conferences in the world . 24,000 attendees are expected to be there as the event will cover a total of 17 thematic tracks. Expert speakers will hold sessions about international trends, travel technology, marketing and sales strategy, sustainable tourism, and much more. Are you in desperate need for some expert guidance on crucial topics for your business? You will definitely have the opportunity to meet and debate with leading personalities in the industry at the ITB.

When: 15 – 17 March, 2024 Where: Barcelona Website: https://www.b-travel.com/en/  

B-Travel is Spain’s largest fair and ultimate destination for travel enthusiasts and industry professionals . The event attracts a diverse range of exhibitors, including tour operators, tourism boards and travel agencies. Conferences and seminars will shed light on the latest advances in the industry, and you will also get the chance to get access to new products and services. 

Travel Tech Show

When: 19 – 21 June, 2024 Where: London  Website: https://traveltech-show.com/  

Are you looking for tips and tricks to stay ahead of the curve in the travel and tourism industry? Then you cannot miss this event. The Travel Tech Show is one of the most prominent travel trade shows in Europe , which brings together people, countries and experiences from all over the world. The focus on travel technology and travel’s latest innovations is their trump card. Attend inspiring sessions, discover new technologies and build relationships with like-minded colleagues and professionals.

IFTM Top Resa

When: 17 -19 September, 2024 Where: Paris Website: https://www.iftm.fr/en-gb.html  

IFTM Paris is the biggest international tourism trade show in France , targeting tourism industry professionals from around the world. This year more than 50,000 attendees and around 3,000 exhibiting companies from over 100 countries are expected to participate in the event. The main objective of the event is to foster networking, business deals and market insights. Along with the exhibition area, IFTM features workshops, seminars, conferences, and many interesting events. If you are interested in promoting your tourism offering, then you should definitely participate.

IAAPA Expo Europe

When: 23 – 26 September, 2024 Where: Amsterdam Website:   https://www.iaapa.org/expos/iaapa-expo-europe  

IAAPA Expo Europe is the one-stop leisure industry’s premier event in Europe . Every year the trade show attracts thousands of visitors and industry professionals within the attractions community. Amusement and theme parks, water parks, museums, zoos and aquariums are only a few of the sectors represented at the fair. Fun, expertise and endless opportunities are awaiting for you at the IAAPA. Discover the future of the attractions world in terms of latest tech, booking platforms and other cutting-edge solutions. Meet the experts, ask questions and get powerful insights. 

TTG Travel Experience

When: 9 – 11 October, 2024 Where: Rimini Website: https://en.ttgexpo.it/  

If you are planning a vacation to the Land of “La Dolce Vita” this year, then chances are you won’t want to miss the TTG Travel Experience , Italy’s key B2B tourism trade show .

The three-day event is designed to be a hub of ideas and inspiration for tourism operators worldwide, and it offers valuable input and insights on consumer behavior, new trends and innovations, and emerging solutions. Intensive sessions and workshops from industry experts will transform your way of doing business.

When: 5 – 7 November, 2024 Where: London Website: https://www.wtm.com/london/en-gb.html  

For 42 years WTM has been the world’s most influential travel and tourism event , which gathers together professionals and teams from around the globe. Their motto says, “ Travel has the power to change the world. And you have the power to change travel ”, so if you are looking for successful strategies to fully utilize your potential, then this is the place for you. Digital tools, leading events and inspiring content will lead the way during the conference.

Conclusions

Attending as many travel and tourism trade shows as possible is your key to unlocking a world of opportunities. From industry best practices, professional counsel and guidance, and strategic partnerships, events such these offer a huge platform for learning and experimenting, and will therefore be your pathway to success in 2024 and beyond. Pack your bags and leave for your first destination!

Martina Marchetti Martina started her professional career as a Specialist in SEO content creation and then expanded her knowledge to the Social Media Marketing branch. At bookingkit, she works as Junior Marketing Manager for the Italian market. Passionate about travelling, outdoor activities, writing and cooking, she is always looking for new inspiration and adventures.

Want to learn more about how bookingkit can help you drive conversions and get more bookings on your website?

Then get your free demo now., related articles.

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4 Top Travel Trade Show Marketing Tips for More Leads and Bookings Guaranteed

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Are You Going to Market at a Travel Trade show this Year?  

If so here are four of my t op travel trade show marketing tips, training videos and a free online webinar training to help you succeed.

Watch, listen and learn to increase your bookings and AVOID costly travel trade show marketing mistakes most tourism professional make.

Even if you are not marketing travel at trade shows, the tourism marketing tips I share will help radically improve ALL your travel marketing, especially on your website.

It’s that time of year that tour operators, destinations, lodges and travel agents in the northern hemisphere are thinking about how can I get more bookings this summer. One of the marketing strategies many are looking at are travel trade shows.

Is this a good idea? Are you going to make a lot of bookings or waste a lot of money and time…? 

Find out by listening to Travel Business Success podcast Episode #58 or watching the video below filled with travel trade show marketing tips guaranteed to help your tour operation, destination, lodge or travel agency succeed in trade shows (and ALL your tourism marketing).

The sad truth is most business & destinations suck at travel trade show marketing.

They leave the show tired, confused, little or no new bookings, and may have spent US$6,000 – over US$80,000 or more in travel expenses, booth costs, tradeshow space, marketing materials, staffing and more…

The Good News on How to Market Travel in Trade Shows

The good news is travel trade show marketing can be a profitable investment, when you do it right. In one of the last consumer travel trade show one of my tour operator clients went to booked almost US$25,000 in new bookings.

Over 90% of tour operator exhibitors left empty handed… This sucks. Good new is by following the proven tips in my Travel Business Success podcasts, the videos below and free detailed webinar training on travel trade show marketing, you will radically increase your odds of success.

Four Free Travel Trade Show Marketing Tips – Overview Video

That is why I am giving you these four free travel trade show marketing tips. These are the same trade show marketing tactics that top travel marketers and my tour operator client used to earn US$25K in new booking.  

This includes how–to get great leads, book trips, make awesome new alliances, connect with old and new suppliers, get free publicity and more that you can learn too. All these free travel trade show marketing tips are posted here in Travel Business Success.com under the Topic of Trade show Marketing on the right-hand of this page. 

Here is a summary of the 4 travel trade show marketing tips covered in the video below or this Travel Business Success Podcast episode.

Does your tourism marketing suck 3 top tips on travel trade show marketing.

“Tourism Tim” is the professor of harsh travel marketing reality.

If you don’t have enough prospects or clients… chances are your marketing needs help. Here’s 3 travel marketing tips guaranteed to increase sales and arrivals, simple, fast and easy.   Just back from San Francisco and the OneWorld Travel Mart trade show. After seeing how poorly over 50% of the exhibitors marketed themselves at […] More here…

7 Secrets to Travel Trade Show Marketing Success

T ravel Trade Show Marketing Fact: 85% + of travel trade show exhibitors struggle at marketing their tours, travel destination, services, lodge, resorts, etc. The other 15% rock and it’s one of their best tourism marketing investment. Find out why… Can you relate to any of these common travel & hospitality marketing challenges at trade shows […] More Here

Award Winning Tour Operator Dan Austin Shares Sales Conversion Secrets

Have you ever been to a travel trade show booth or visited a travel website, left your name because you are interested, but never heard back? Or it took forever to get back to you?   How did you feel about that company? What if you were that company, that didn’t follow-up with the leads […]  More here

Free Travel Show Marketing Webinar – Sign Up Here

• How to profit from “Pre-Show” promotions.
• The “5 simple secrets” to trade show booth that SELLS…
• How to double your sales with post show follow-up

Need Consulting on Your Trade show Marketing Success?

Tired of spending tons of money and time on trade show marketing (or any of your marketing) with little results? I can help you increase bookings, arrivals and avoid COSTLY MISTAKES in your travel trade show marketing, and all your tourism marketing, especially online.

For 1 on 1 marketing consulting with Tourism Tim Warren, call (707) 867-1496 or email [email protected]

Travel Trade Shows 2023 for Tour Operators

As 2023 rapidly approaches, tour operators around the world are looking for ways to stay ahead in the travel industry. To help them get a jumpstart on their plans and make sure they don’t miss out on any key opportunities, we have curated a thorough list of the 2023 travel trade shows and conferences that will be taking place throughout the year.

From cities such as New York, London, Berlin, and Las Vegas to far-flung destinations such as Cairo, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro – these travel trade shows bring together some of the best minds in tourism from around the world.

Exhibitors at each event include keynote speakers discussing current trends in travel marketing and sales strategies; entrepreneurs who can give insights into how best to develop new products; sustainability experts sharing tips on how destinations can remain green even during periods of immense growth; plus plenty more advice for those seeking inspiration for their tours or businesses within this ever-changing industry.

So if you’re an ambitious and dedicated tour operator ready to grow your business or expand into exciting new markets this coming year – make sure you check out our comprehensive list below to find all of the key events happening throughout 2023!

To make it easy for you to find the best match, we’ve arranged travel trade shows by month and highlighted key topics and industries that can help you decide which show is best for you. 

What is a Travel Trade Show?

Travel Trade Shows are large-scale events that bring together professionals from across the travel industry. They are designed to provide a platform for travel companies, tour operators, hotel chains, and other related businesses to come together and share ideas, network and showcase their products and services.

Attending travel trade shows is an ideal way for travel professionals to gain insights into current trends in the industry, connect with potential partners, and forge new connections with customers.

What is the main purpose of a trade show?

Attending travel trade shows is an invaluable opportunity for tour operators to get ahead of the competition and ensure that their business stays on top in the ever-evolving travel industry.

Here are just a few reasons why tour operators should consider attending these events:

• Discover new destinations, itinerary options, products, and services
• Network with potential partners and customers
• Meet industry experts who can help tour operators expand their business
• Learn about the latest trends in tourism marketing and sales strategies
• Stay up to date on new technologies and sustainability initiatives
• Find out about the latest opportunities in travel and tourism
• Get inspired for fresh ideas for their tours or business

What is the difference between a trade show and a conference?

A trade show is an event centered around a particular industry or sector, during which organizations and businesses can showcase their services, products, itinerary options, and technologies to prospective customers and partners.

During a trade show, exhibitors will typically have booths set up where they can market their offerings and establish relationships with new leads and potential buyers. Trade shows often run over multiple days and usually include seminars on safety protocols, keynote speeches, informational travel workshops, and other educational activities.

A conference is an event that focuses on a specific topic or theme related to the industry in question. It can involve presentations from industry experts and panel discussions on topics of interest. Conferences are often used as an opportunity for professionals within the sector to discuss current trends and best practices.

Upcoming 2023 Travel Trade Shows and Conferences

We've carefully sorted travel trade shows and conferences by month and highlighted the topics and industries that will benefit your tour business the most. Some have two and even up to eight events scheduled for this year, so we listed all their events under one subheading for easier navigation.

So without further ado, here is a comprehensive list of all the travel shows taking place in 2023 around the world.

Arival Events for 2023

• January 5, 2023 - Insider Pro Meetup January (Virtual Event)
• March 5-7, 2023 - ARIVAL 360 | BERLIN (In-person)
• June 12-14, 2023 - ARIVAL | ACTIVATE BANGKOK (In-person)
• October 9-12, 2023 - ARIVAL 360 | ORLANDO (In-person)

Arival Travel is the talk of the travel industry, renowned as the ultimate resource for anyone working in space.

At Arival, you'll get more than just keynotes from industry superstars.

There are also informational travel workshops and panels to fill out your toolkit with business basics such as channel management, dynamic pricing strategies, and digital marketing.

Plus, Arival's program of forward-thinking talks explores sustainability and DEI initiatives that apply to your business—gleaned from on-the-ground experts with firsthand experience.

Arival is more than just an event—it's a guarantee of up-to-date insight that will drive your business forward.

Read: Take Your Tours and Experiences Business to the Next Level With These Arival 360 Insights

Skift Megatrends: Defining Travel in 2023

• January 10 – New York City & Online
• January 11 – London (In-person)

Skift Megatrends is back bigger and better than ever, with exclusive insights from top travel experts around the globe to help guide the industry through an unpredictable post-pandemic world.

Skift Megatrends 2023 will unpack the trends that will shape the next two years; a much-needed resource as we navigate major shifts in consumer demand and industry innovation.

Tune into Skift’s latest reporter briefing series to get ahead of what‘s coming and prepare businesses for success in 2023.

Reserve your spot on Skift's website.

• January 18-23, 2023
• Madrid, Spain

Fitur 2023 is going to be the biggest travel and tourism event of the year!

Building upon Fitur as a leading trade fair for inbound and outbound markets in Latin America, this year’s Fitur will make sure to cover all things related to the future of technology and business in tourism.

From destination management, cruises, internationalization, and beyond — Fitur 2023 will focus on finding solutions that help strengthen travel and tourism post-pandemic for the inbound and outbound markets anywhere in the globe..

Register for Fitur 2023 through their website here.

IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism

• January 22-25, 2023
• Victoria, Canada

IMPACT 2023 is set to be a game-changer for sustainable tourism development across Canada. The initiative seeks to bring together the best of industry, research, and the public sector to create innovative solutions that will help protect our unique Canadian nature while ensuring destinations and communities can benefit from responsible tourism.

Together, IMPACT 2023 will drive inspiring collaborations to ensure positive change, rooted in science and innovation to demonstrate sustainable strategies that can be replicable nationwide.

Register for IMPACT 2023 through their website here.

Travel & Adventure Shows

• January 14-15, 2023 - Chicago
• January 21-22, 2023 - Boston
• January 28-29, 2023 - New York
• February 4-5, 2023 - Washington DC
• February 18-19, 2023 - Los Angeles
• February 25-26, 2023 - Denver
• March 25 - 26, 2023 - Atlanta, Georgia

America's favorite travel show, The Travel and Adventure Shows is coming to 8 cities across the USA in 2023! The showcase will travel to Chicago, Boston, New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Denver, Atlanta, and Dallas - giving tour operators and travel agents the perfect platform to market their services directly to consumers.

The Travel and Adventure Show is North America’s go-to event for anyone wanting to explore new destinations, get the latest info on their next trip, or connect with some of the world's leading global travel providers. The event allows travelers to plan an unforgettable trip and receive invaluable advice from industry experts in a single day.

The combination of exciting destinations, valuable insight, and the chance to talk directly to representatives from various operators makes The Travel and Adventure Show a must-attend event for anyone looking for their next great getaway!

Click here to buy tickets directly from TAS' Website.

ETOA 2023 Events

• Britain and Ireland Marketplace 2023 : January 27, 2023 - London
• The Nordic Marketplace 2023 : February 21, 2023 - Copenhagen
• ETM - North America 2023 : March 21, 2023 - Virtual
• Destinations Exchange Europe 2023 : June 12-13, 2023 - London
• Global European Marketplace 2023 : November 2-3, 2023
• European Travel Marketplace | Asia Pacific: November 21, 2023

ETOA provides an exclusive platform for global European travel professionals to network and drive their businesses forward with the ETOA Annual Marketplace.

In 2023, ETOA has taken it a step further by delivering an extensive range of webinars beyond the traditional meet and greet - providing drop-in sessions, facts and figures, expert panels discussing destination recovery plans, and even origin market insights!

ETOA is a powerhouse of opportunities - giving buyers and suppliers alike the chance to make valuable connections, so don't miss out on this valuable opportunity to propel your business forward.

Know more about ETOA Events 2023

• March 7-9, 2023
• Berlin, Germany

ITB Berlin 2023 is the ultimate destination for travel professionals and pioneers, where trends are made and valuable connections are formed!

Change is THE buzzword of ITB this year, as it slowly begins to re-emerge from a global pandemic. ITB Berlin is the world´s biggest travel show and convention enabling global leaders in the industry to take action on the reunification of in-person travel experiences.

ITB is bursting with opportunity, so don't miss out - get ready to join your fellow professionals on their mission to make tourism great again at ITB Berlin 2023!

Visit the ITB website for tickets and exhibitions.

Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum

• March 31 to April 3, 2023
• Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum is your ultimate destination to discover the magic of travel. Put yourself in the thick of the action, engaging with top professionals from the industry.

Immerse yourself in a global marketplace of vacation experiences and enjoy exclusive business resources designed to enhance your enterprise. With limited space available, this B2B leisure travel agency program brings together an incredible 360-degree approach to networking, education, and business opportunities. 

Visit their website for tickets and booth registration here.

World Travel Market (WTM) Africa

• April 3-5, 2023
• Cape Town, South Africa

World Travel Market Africa is the premier platform for meeting, networking, doing business, and growing in the travel industry.

With over 6,000 representatives from around the African continent each year, World Travel Market Africa presents a unique opportunity for companies to make contacts, launch new products and services, raise brand awareness, size up the potential competition, conduct market research, and gain press coverage.

As part of one of the most influential events in the global travel sector – including WTM London and Arabian Travel Market Show (See below)– World Travel Market Africa is dedicated to helping businesses drive commercial success and accelerate growth.

Register with WTM Africa here.

International Conference on Food, Tourism and Destination Management

• April 13-14, 2023
• Rome, Italy

If you live and breathe food, tourism, and destination management, mark your calendars - the International Conference on Food, Tourism, and Destination Management is here!

This incredible event provides a platform for like-minded professionals to exchange experiences and research results, as well as discuss the most innovative trends from their respective fields.

Here’s your chance to attend hands-on sessions on relevant topics and gain insight into practical challenges that field experts have encountered – all that in one jam-packed conference!

Know more about registration here.

Arabian Travel Market Show

• May 1-4, 2023
• DWTC Dubai, UAE

Get ready to travel the world from Dubai! Arabian Travel Market Show is an international tourism event offering something for everyone – from tour operators and hospitality providers to tech trends and attractions – all to demonstrate potential in the Middle East.

Come 2023, this event will be one worth looking forward to; it will focus on creating net zero impact while exploring sustainable travel trends that shape business strategies. Get ready to set off on a green journey with Arabian Travel Market Show!

Take part, register, and know more about ATM-Dubai here.

U.S. Travel Association’s IPW

• May 20-24, 2023
• San Antonio, Texas

IPW is the best of the best when it comes to international inbound travel. It's an event that brings together US exhibitors, buyers, and media from 70+ countries to collaborate on promoting America as a top global destination.

What makes IPW so successful is that it creates business opportunities while driving $5.5 billion of future tourism into the US - it shows potential travelers all the amazing places they can visit! For businesses that have partnerships with the U.S. travel industry, IPW presents a unique opportunity to host international meetings and show their product to foreign marketers.

As far as sure-fire ways to get Americans out exploring their own country and prospects from overseas wanting to holiday here, IPW is your go-to ticket!

Register for IPW 2023 here.

International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Asia Pacific

• May 9-12, 2023 - São Paulo, Brazil
• June 19-22, 2023 - Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
• September 18-21, 2023 - Baha Mar, The Bahamas
• December 4-7, 2023 -   Cannes, France

If you're a luxury travel connoisseur in search of brand-new partnerships or need to stay in the know on industry developments, ILTM Events is where it's at. 

From connecting with like-minded advisors and brands to learning about the latest trends and developments, ILTM has got you covered.

Every event offers premier access to a unique selection of luxury travel brands, personalized meetings, and networking opportunities - all of which take place at their global flagship events in Cannes, Asia Pacific, and core locations such as Arabia, Latin America, and North America. Plus they have an extra special event dedicated just to Africa - ideal for finding everything you need to know about luxury travel in this area!

Business Travel (BTN) Show Europe

• June 28-29, 2023
• London, United Kingdom

Business Travel (BTN) Show Europe is the ultimate networking paradise for professionals in the travel and tourism industry. Who wouldn't want to get their hands on vital insights from top executives?

This annual extravaganza brings its attendees a wide array of keynote speakers and topics, ranging from sustainable travel, diversity, behavioral economics, and traveler management.

With such an amazing lineup every year, Business Travel (BTN) Show Europe is the one place to be for any travel industry professional wanting to experience the latest trends, benchmark other companies’ strategies, and acquire relevant information from experts in their field!

Sign up for updates and register for interest here.

Destinations International Annual Convention 2023

• July 18-20, 2023
• Dallas, Texas

If you work in the travel industry, you know that the last few years have been a real ride. From the COVID-19 pandemic to social unrest and budget cuts, these ever-changing times mean that all destination management professionals are constantly adapting.

That's why it’s great that Destinations International Annual Convention 2023 is happening!

Grab your ticket ASAP for valuable insights from representatives in the field on recovery strategies, networking opportunities with peers, and more. It’s the perfect place to gain new knowledge about this rapidly changing industry.

Keep posted for convention updates on their website.

Adventure Travel World Summit

• September 11-14, 2023
• Hokkaido, Japan

The upcoming Adventure Travel World Summit is set to be the event of the year for adventure travel professionals. The ATTA Community is bringing this unique experience to Asia, with an estimated 800 attendees gathering from around the world to explore, network, and promote the best of adventure travel.

From inspiring keynotes and enlightening panel discussions to a bustling international marketplace showcasing content from new destinations across Asia, a Day Of Adventure offering up immersive experiences and MediaConnect Sessions providing a networking platform for pitching ideas — get ready for The Adventure Travel World Summit in Asia!

See more event information and registration details.

Digital Travel Summit US 2023

• September 12-13, 2023
• Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Digital Travel Summit US 2023 is the premier event for travel executives to ignite their customer journey - and you don't want to miss out!

Get savvy insight from top minds in hotel chains, OTAs, airlines, and transportation companies, as well as other industry players on how to optimize personalization and elevate your online strategies.

With Digital Travel Summit allowing you to connect with 300+ leaders committed to shaping the travel industry of tomorrow, you'll obtain the necessary weapons to WIN THE BOOKING each time. 

Know more about Digital Travel Summit 2023 here.

IFTM Top Resa

• October 3-5, 2023
• Paris - Porte de Versailles

IFTM Top Resa is an essential gathering for anyone in the French tourism industry. With over 32,000 experts and 1,700 companies attending annually, IFTM Top Resa has become the best in its class.

The show's villages are impressively organized into 21 different themes of exhibition space that are sign-posted to make it easy to find just what you're looking for.

IFTM Top Resa is the number one event in France with a plethora of potential business opportunities. This year is sure to be no different!

Sign up for updates here.

IMEX America

• October 17-19, 2023

IMEX America is the award-winning showcase that brings together all corners of the meetings industry - during IMEX professionals from all sectors meet, network, and do business.

Held at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas IMEX hosts four days full of fun - you'll get to attend specialist education sessions and meet up with industry leaders all for free! Plus there are plenty of networking opportunities, both on and off the trade show floor.

Register your interest and sign up for free here.

• October 25-27, 2023
• Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

ITB Asia is a unique tourism experience that sets itself apart from all others. With over 11,000 participants in attendance at its hybrid BtoB and BtoC gathering on the Asian continent, ITB Asia gives attendees an unbeatable insight into the industry.

The event is particularly ideal for those companies looking to grow their business in the east, as 70% of buyers hail from Asia.

ITB Asia has also gained a reputation for its efficiency when it comes to business opportunities – over 22,000 meetings were registered during last year's conference alone!

ITB Asia is truly a must-attend event if you want your profile on the rise in the east.

Register and know more about ITB Asia here.

• November 28-30, 2023
• Barcelona, Spain

IBTM World is the place to be for businesses in the meetings, incentives, conferences, and events industry.

Each year, this event brings together 15,000+ industry professionals from across the globe to establish meaningful connections with 3,000+ destinations and suppliers. IBTM World fosters innovative experiences to guarantee customers exceptional results by providing key industry insights, unparalleled networking opportunities, and more.

Join IBTM World to be part of an inspiring event and discover how collaborations can help create better business outcomes!

Register your interest here.

• November 6-8, 2023
• ExCel, London

WTM London is the must-attend event for anyone in the travel industry!

As the leading international travel event, WTM London allows tourism professionals to unlock business opportunities inbound and outbound as well as connect with other global players.

The premier location brings accommodation and hospitality, renowned destinations and attractions, innovative travel technology providers, airlines, and world-class travel buyers under one roof.

WTM London is also a great chance to showcase your brand and services to a large international press by attending interactive events year after year.

See the latest updates on their website.

As we move into the new year, it's time to start thinking about which tourism trade shows and conferences you'll attend in 2023. Attending these travel events is a great way to stay up-to-date on current trends in the tourism industry, connect with potential partners, and build relationships with customers.

Whether you're interested in Adventure Travel , Culinary Tourism, or Sustainable Tourism , we have a trade show for you. We've sorted through all of the upcoming events and highlighted the ones that will be most beneficial for your tour business. 

Start planning now for a productive and successful 2023! ‍

Read our new blog? Get to know the latest travel trends in2023.

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With the power of automation , it allows you to concentrate on what matters most: creating awesome tours and providing great experiences for your customers!

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The Top Travel Trade Shows to Attend in 2024

Tour operators who attended last year’s travel trade shows could notice that they are better, bigger, and more relevant than ever.

World Travel Market London (aka WTM London), one of the main events in the segment, attracted nearly 45,000 attendees, an increase of 22% compared to 2022.

And it’s no wonder that organizers are expecting even more participants this year.

Fairs like WTM London, ITB Berlin and Arival 360 are a golden opportunity for industry professionals to connect, learn the latest travel trends, feel the market’s energy, and receive real-time feedback about their offers from potential customers.

Are you ready for 2024’s season of travel conferences?

To help you navigate this year’s calendar of events and focus your time and resources on the most relevant to your business, we prepared a list of the ones you can’t miss this year.

Why should tour operators attend travel trade shows?

Attending a travel trade show is a great New Year’s resolution for tour operators who have never set foot on this type of event before.

It doesn’t matter whether your business is big or small, which is your segment, and what are your goals, travel conferences are a great opportunity to:

• Connect with business partners : most people attending travel trade shows are open to new partnerships.
• Showcase your products and services in a more personal way : this is something you can’t achieve through virtual meetings.
• Meet your target audience : travel trade shows are a great opportunity to better understand your customers and their needs.
• Discover the latest industry trends and get valuable insights : participate in keynote sessions and panel discussions with industry experts about relevant topics that can help you improve your business.

Are you excited to attend travel conferences this year?

If so, let’s check some tips for you to make the most of them and don’t miss any business opportunities.

Tips for tour operators to make the most of travel trade shows

Ruth Franklin, the co-founder of Secret Paradise Maldives and a veteran of travel trade shows, wrote on LinkedIn a piece about her experience during WTM London .

Besides a very interesting description of the event, her article also gives a handful of tips for tour operators who want to attend such events in the future.

1. Make sure to register online and download your badge before arrival

Travel trade shows usually don’t have onsite registration.

2. Contact your local tourism board and check if they will be exhibiting

If positive, you can agree on a partnership to save costs.

3. Contact your partners and clients to check if they will be at the event

A face-to-face meeting is always a great way to strengthen relations and maybe kick off new projects.

4. Check the official event website and its social media to get to know the attendees

If you find potential partners it’s a good idea to contact them in advance to arrange a meeting.

5. Plan your visit in advance

Have in mind which panels you want to attend and which stands you would like to visit. This will save you precious time.

6. Book transportation and your accommodation in advance

The closer to the event date the more expensive are the tickets, and, in the worst-case scenario, you risk not finding transportation or a room to stay.

7. Plan your meetings in advance

Write everything you want to discuss with your potential partners as well as a short, but complete, presentation of your business and how it can add value to your potential partner.

8. When in the event wear comfortable shoes

These events are huge and you will need to walk a lot during them.

9. Don’t forget to follow up after your meetings

Sending an email is a great way to say thank you for the time spent and agree on the next steps of the partnership. Also, connect with your contacts on LinkedIn to keep in touch after the event is over.

Top travel trade shows to attend in Europe

1. ITB Berlin

With visitors and exhibitors from 181 countries, this is considered the world’s biggest travel event for tourism professionals and key players from the industry. In addition to networking, visitors to this trade show are presented with the latest innovations and trends in the tourism industry.

Date: 05-07 March 2024 Estimated Turnout: 160000 Visitors / 10000 Exhibitors Place: Berlin, Germany

2. World Travel Market London

If you are looking for an event to meet industry professionals and close deals, this is the right place for you. WTM London is the market-leading international travel event to unlock business opportunities for inbound and outbound tourism professionals.

Date: 05-07 November 2024 Estimated Turnout: 51500 Visitors / 5000 Exhibitors Place: London, United Kingdom

This event is a must for tourism professionals working with inbound and/or outbound markets in Latin America. There you can promote your brand, meet new products, and learn about the latest trends related to this market.

Date: 24-28 January 2024 Estimated Turnout: 136000 Visitors / 8500 Exhibitors Place: Madrid, Spain

4. East Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition

EMITT is a valuable business platform providing new business and cooperation opportunities to the Turkish and global travel sectors. It showcases country pavilions, holiday destinations, summer and winter tourism, outdoor tourist destinations, hotels and tourist centers, tour operators, travel agencies and much more.

Date: 06-09 February 2024 Estimated Turnout: 29000 Visitors / 600 Exhibitors Place: Istanbul, Türkiye

5. TTG Travel Experience

TTG Travel Experience Experience is Italy’s key B2B show for the promotion of global tourism in the country and the marketing of its tourism offer worldwide. Over three days, it brings together international operators and key players in the industry.

Date: 09-11 October 2024 Estimated Turnout: 67000 Visitors / 2700 Exhibitors Place: Rimini, Italy

6. Arival 360 Berlin

If you are a tour operator this is the place to be. The event is focused on the in-destination experiences industry. Three days of learning, peer-to-peer connections & leading insights from thought leaders, so you walk away with practical strategies that position your business for success in an always-changing landscape.

Date: 02-04 March 2024 Place: Berlin, Germany

6. IAAPA Expo Europe

This prestigious event showcases the latest trends and innovations shaping the fast-moving attractions industry, with new technologies driving ever more immersive and memorable experiences.

Date: 23-26 September 2024 Estimated Turnout: 36000 Visitors / 640 Exhibitors Place: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Top travel trade shows to attend in the APAC region

SATTE is recognized as Asia’s Leading travel and tourism exhibition to conduct business, share knowledge, and exchange ideas in order to arrive at solution-driven innovations to accelerate the pace of the growth of the industry.

Date: 22-24 February 2024 Estimated Turnout: 35000 Visitors / 1200 Exhibitors Place: Greater Noida, India

2. ITB Asia

Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show is an annually held B2B trade show and convention for the travel industry. Designed to be the primary event for the Asia Pacific travel industry, much like its parent event – ITB Berlin.

Date: 23-25 October 2024 Estimated Turnout: 50000 Visitors / 500 Exhibitors Place: Singapore

3. Thai International Travel Fair

This event is a great opportunity for travel companies to promote their tourism products and services, and to improve sales and visibility within the Thai market.

Date: 25-28 January 2024 Estimated Turnout: 225000 Visitors / 1100 Exhibitors Place: Bangkok, Thailand

4. MATTA Fair

This is the number one consumer travel fair in Malaysia. An event that provides global exposure and business opportunities for visitors and exhibitors.

Date: 22-24 March 2024 Estimated Turnout: 100000 Visitors / 4500 Exhibitors Place: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

5. OTM Mumbai

The second fastest growing outbound travel market in the world and the largest and most international gathering of travel trade buyers and professionals in India.

Date: 08-10 February 2024 Estimated Turnout: 35000 Visitors / 1600 Exhibitors Place: Mumbai, India

Top travel trade shows to attend in North America

1. International Tourism & Travel Show

This travel trade show attracts more than a hundred countries represented by their tourism offices, tour operators and travel agents.

Date: 01-03 November 2024 Estimated Turnout: 37000 Visitors / 400 Exhibitors Place: Montreal, Canada

2. Vancouver International Travel Expo

This event is known for gathering all sorts of travel businesses under the same roof, such as airlines, tour operators, independent hotels & hotel/resort companies, travel agencies, cruise lines, tourism boards, plus ground transportation, attractions, and related services.

Date: 28 September 2024 Estimated Turnout: 10000 Visitors / 200 Exhibitors Place: Vancouver, Canada

3. Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum

LVTAF connects travel sellers from North America with a global base of vacation experiences, business resources and more. This limited-space B2B leisure travel agency-focused program will provide delegates with a 360-degree approach to networking, education, immersion and business opportunities.

Date: 24-27 March 2024 Estimated Turnout: 40000 Visitors / 1000 Exhibitors Place: Las Vegas, USA

4. The Travel and Vacation Show

Focused exclusively on destinations & travel, The Travel and Vacation Show is the most effective way to target consumers that are seeking travel and holiday information and travel agents looking for the latest tours and destinations.

Date: 06-07 April 2024 Estimated Turnout: 17000 Visitors / 200 Exhibitors Place: Ottawa, Canada

5. IMPACT Sustainability Travel & Tourism

This conference has the goal to drive, inspire and demonstrate innovative and collaborative sustainable solutions for positive tourism development across Canada.

Date: 21-24 January 2024 Estimated Turnout: 275 Delegates Place: Victoria, Canada

6. Arival 360 Orlando

Three-and-a-half days of connection, collaboration, and boundary-pushing innovation in San Diego at THE premier conference for the In-Destination Experiences Industry. Discover the latest cutting-edge strategies and trends to watch as the travel sector’s remarkable recovery continues.

Date: 30-03 September/October 2024 Place: San Diego, USA

Top travel trade shows to attend in the Middle East and Africa

1. Arabian Travel Market Dubai

Arabian Travel Market is the market leading, international travel and tourism event unlocking business potential within the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals.

Date: 06-09 May 2024 Estimated Turnout: 39000 Visitors / 2500 Exhibitors Place: Dubai, UAE

2. International Mediterranean Tourism Market

IMTM 2024 is entirely customized to maximize industry connectivity and visibility with an in-person event in Tel Aviv, where participants can meet established contacts, and develop more through supplementary meetings and seminars.

Date: 03-04 April 2024 Estimated Turnout: 27000 Visitors / 1900 Exhibitors Place: Tel Aviv, Israel

3. World Travel Market Africa

One of six shows in the WTM portfolio, the Africa show was launched in 2014 under the Africa Travel Week umbrella to bring the benefits and opportunities of the WTM global industry expertise to travel professionals in the region.

Date: 10-12 April 2024 Estimated Turnout: 9500 Visitors / 600 Exhibitors Place: Cape Town, South Africa

Top travel trade shows to attend in Latin America

1. World Travel Market Latin America

WTM Latin America is the B2B travel and tourism event for Latin America, offering excellent business opportunities, return on investment and access to relevant and qualified travel and tourism industry buyers, influencers, and professionals. It is the perfect opportunity for the continent to connect with the world through valuable connections and ideas.

Date: 15-17 April 2024 Estimated Turnout: 27000 Visitors / 620 Exhibitors Place: São Paulo, Brazil

This year is packed with travel trade shows that tour operators should consider attending. With events happening on all continents, I’m sure you can find one that will take place next to you.

As some of them are right at the beginning of the year, we encourage you to book your tickets in advance.

The benefits of attending these fairs and conferences pay off the ticket. Meeting customers, potential partners, and industry colleagues is a rich experience that could be a game changer for your business.

While waiting for the next travel trade show, why not learn how to price your tour and vacation packages?

This way you can make sure to have your best offers ready to be presented to new partners and potential customers. Download the ebook The Best Way to Price Tour and Vacation Packages to learn the best strategies in pricing your tours.

ORIOLY on January 10, 2024

by Felipe Fonseca

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Upcoming global travel trade events to attend in 2024

Monday, December 11, 2023 Favorite

The year 2024 promises a diverse selection of travel industry events throughout the world. From the famous ITB Berlin in Germany to the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai and the World Travel Market in London, these events cover a wide variety of regions and industries of the travel industry. Maximise your business in 2024 by attending key travel industry events worldwide. From ITB Berlin 2024 and Arabian Travel Market 2024 to World Travel Market London 2024, these trade shows offer unparalleled business networking, travel and tourism insights, and versatile collaboration opportunities.

Don’t miss these influential travel trade shows to stay informed, connect with industry leaders, and propel your travel business forward.

24 – 28 Jan 2024

IFEMA, MADRID

FITUR, a premier global tourism trade exhibition, marks its 43rd edition from January 24 to 28, 2024, at IFEMA MADRID. Recognised for its international significance, the event showcases innovations, trends, and collaborations across the tourism industry, with support from governments, institutions, and key stakeholders. A vital platform for exploring specialization, technology, and sustainability in global tourism.

BALTTOUR 2024

2–4 February, 2023

Riga, Latvia

Balttour, the leading international travel trade fair in the Baltics, aids travelers in destination selection and planning. It also serves as a vital networking platform for tourism professionals. Scheduled for February 2–4, 2024, it enhances regional tourism sector growth.

EMITT Istanbul 2024

6 – 9 February 2024

TUYAP Fair & Congress Centre

EMITT, a global top-five tourism exhibition, draws 40,000 industry professionals and tourists annually, showcasing travel opportunities and fostering cooperation. Organized for 26 years and supported by key entities, EMITT contributes significantly to sector growth. The 27th edition in 2024 is backed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, TOBB, Turkish Airlines, and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

19 – 21 February 2024

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne hosts the prestigious Asia Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event 2024 (AIME), blending business opportunities and cultural experiences. Scheduled from 19–21 February at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, this trade event unites event planners and exhibitors, fostering connections through AI-driven appointments and 13,000+ meetings.

ITB Berlin 2024

5 – 7 March 2024

Berlin, Germany

The ITB Berlin Convention 2024, themed “Pioneer the Transition in Travel & Tourism. Together,” leads the industry from March 5 to 7. Experts will discuss innovative concepts and strategies across 17 tracks, covering trends in marketing, technology, hospitality, and broader industry challenges.

Arabian Travel Market 2024

6 – 9 May 2024

The Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, from May 6 to May 9 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, explores the evolving luxury travel market in the Middle East. Global experts will delve into themes of heritage, innovation, and sustainability.

World Travel Market Latin America

15 – 17 April 2024

São Paulo, Brasil

WTM Latin America is the premier B2B travel event in the region, providing unparalleled business opportunities and ROI. Connecting professionals from travel agencies, operators, airlines, and more, it’s a 3-day platform to discover trends, new products, and enhance your business network.

ILTM Africa

7 – 9 April, 2024

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Cape Town

ILTM Africa is a key sales and marketing opportunity for travel specialists seeking to enter or expand in the African market. With curated meetings connecting exclusive experiences to top agents, it’s the place to meet clients, generate leads, and build lasting relationships.

IBTM Africa

10 – 12 April 2024

Cape Town, CTICC

14-16 May 2024

Frankfurt, Germany

IMEX is the epicenter for the global business events community, uniting 3,800 meeting planners and 2,900 suppliers worldwide. Enjoy expert education, discover event trends, and make powerful connections for real ROI. Attend IMEX 2024, where participation is completely free.

IBTM America 2024

August 21 – 22, 2024

Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City

IBTM America, held annually in Mexico City, is the premier event for the Americas’ incentives, meetings, and business travel industry. It offers a platform for professionals to discover products, network, and build relationships, with seminars and workshops providing valuable insights and connections. Stay ahead in the industry at IBTM America.

Uzbekistan International Travel Market 2024

16 April 2024 to 18 April 2024

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

UITM (Uzbekistan International Travel Market) is scheduled from April 16 to 18, 2024, at the International Hotel Tashkent. This event serves as a platform for companies in the tourism sector, showcasing news and developments in Uzbekistan and internationally. With a focus on tourism, UITM provides an opportunity for networking, collaboration, and the exchange of information within the industry, contributing to the growth and promotion of tourism in Uzbekistan and beyond.

IGTM – International Golf Travel Market

14–17 October 2024

Lisbon, Portugal

IGTM (International Golf Travel Market) is a community for golf travel professionals seeking a focused and cost-effective platform for business growth. Pre-scheduled meetings form the core, connecting golf destinations, resorts, and courses with leading travel agents to boost the global outbound tourism market.

1 – 4 July 2024

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) presented their latest research, “Decoding the Luxury Traveller’s Mindset: Spotlight China,” during the ILTM Asia Pacific Opening Forum. The report, a collaboration with Altiant, delves into the behaviors and expectations of Wealthy Chinese travelers, serving as a crucial resource for luxury travel professionals.

WTM London 2024

5 – 7 November 2024

ExCeL, London

World Travel Market London 2024, the global travel and tourism event, witnessed a remarkable increase in attendance, with numbers rising by more than a fifth compared to the previous year. The event continues to be a significant platform for industry professionals to connect, collaborate, and explore new opportunities in the travel sector.

Tags: Arabian Travel Market , ITB Berlin , ITB Berlin 2024 , travel trade events , World Travel Market London 2024

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IMEX America is the largest trade show for the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry.  Our award-winning show brings the meetings industry together to do a year’s worth of business under one roof. Suppliers and buyers from every sector of the meetings industry come together at IMEX, held at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. It’s free to attend, and our four-day program offers specialist education, networking and much more, on and off the trade show floor. Let’s go! Discover why IMEX America is your work smarter choice

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Trade Shows

Attending trade shows has long been an important aspect of any tourism businesses marketing plan and while the way we all communicate has evolved over the years the ability to meet face to face in a focused environment remains vitally important.

ATTA® both takes part in, and partners with, a number of trade shows around the world and our supplier members either have the opportunity to take space on a shared ATTA® stand or are able to avail themselves of exclusive discounts to attend the shows. For our buyer members, priority registration and invitations are often available.

More information about the shows we take part in are available below.

OurAfrica.Travel | Online | February

About OurAfrica.Travel

OurAfrica.Travel is THE tried and trusted, completely virtual trade show that connects exhibitors from Africa and Indian Ocean Islands with buyers from around the world. In partnership with ATTA®, Wetu, The Africa Hub and Nightsbridge, the show delivers quality 20-minute one-on-one meetings, networking via a chat function and social event feed.  The show is inclusive, affordable and importantly, environmentally friendly if not carbon neutral.  

Why Attend?

It is affordable, convenient, inclusive and accessible, appealing to those who might not travel to physical tradeshows and to those exhibitors who want to reach smaller companies, individuals and new markets. Participants have the ability to control who they meet, their own diary in their own time zone, with one-to-one, 20-minute virtual meetings on an easy to use platform. Participants have 11 pre-show networking days, 5 show days, and 7 days post-show to collect all the relevant information they require after the show. 

Participation Type

Virtual - from your own office / home, in your timezone. 

Where: Virtual, Online Next Event:  05 – 09 February 2024 Daily Timings: 20 minute meetings, 24 hours a day

Costs - TBC

ITB Berlin | Berlin, Germany | March

About ITB Berlin

ITB Berlin is a global show with a focus on B2B customers for 2023. Since 1966, ITB Berlin has been the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show. The ITB Berlin convention is the world’s largest travel industry event of its kind. In 2022 it took place as a virtual event on the brand’s website itb.com and registered 60,700 attendees from 125 countries who took part in more than 100 sessions featuring 223 speakers. 

ITB Berlin is a popular show which attracts not only a European but a global buyer audience. With a shift in focus to an exclusively B2B event in 2023, the show is set to be more focused for the attendees and provide a great opportunity to meet with key buyers.

ATTA® shared stand with desks available to members

Where: Messe Berlin, Germany Next Event:  4 – 6 March 2025 Daily Timings: 10:00 – 18:00

Since 1966 ITB Berlin has been the cradle, innovation driver, and one of the leading platforms and trade shows for the tourism industry.

Sorry, registration for this event is now closed

WTM Africa | Cape Town, South Africa | April

About WTM Africa

This is a B2B show, focusing on inbound travel to Africa and to a lesser extent, outbound travel to other destinations. World Travel Market Africa  delivers the leading global events for the travel industry. One of six shows in the WTM portfolio, WTM Africa was launched in 2014 under the Africa Travel Week umbrella to bring the benefits and opportunities of our global industry expertise to travel professionals in this region.

East African suppliers find this a great opportunity to connect with Southern African based travel trade, along with international trade.  

Where: Cape Town, South Africa Next Event:  9 - 11 April 2025 Daily Timings:  10:00 – 18:00

Indaba | Durban, South Africa | May

About Indaba

The largest pan-African inbound show, attracting global buyers who purchase across the market from budget to high-end.  Africa’s Travel Indaba brings together a showcase of African tourism products and services for the international travel trade. Exhibitors in the DEC (Durban Exhibition Centre) include provincial authorities, provincial products and African Countries. In the ICC (International Convention Centre), exhibitor categories include accommodation, tour operators, game lodges, transport, online travel, luxury products, Hidden Gems, media publications and industry associations. Outdoor exhibitors include transport, camping and safari companies.

Indaba is the most popular traditional trade show in the ATTA® event calendar and ATTA® is one of the largest private sector exhibitors at the show. Attracting suppliers from across Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands and buyers from around the world, Indaba really is an event to attend. Open to all sectors of the African and Indian Ocean tourism industry it is an inclusive event and provides great opportunities for every level of the industry to network, engage and do business. We really encourage all our members to attend and bring their teams along so that everyone is able to expand their network, educate themselves on what is happening across the industry and do business

Where: Durban ICC Next Event:  TBC Daily Timings: TBC

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We Are Africa | Cape Town, South Africa | May

About We Are Africa (WAA)

We Are Africa is the world’s most vibrant gathering of luxury african travel brands, the finest buyers and top international press. With a shared mission to transform and rebrand african travel for the global luxury market, the We Are Africa tribe celebrate the continent’s diversity, unsurpassed beauty and incredible opportunity.

The pre-scheduled appointment system gives you up to forty eight 20-minute meetings with industry-leading, African specialist buyers. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet top international and African travel editors passionate about covering the many unexpected and unique stories of Africa

Where: Cape Town, South Africa Next Event:  06 - 09 May 2024 Daily Timings:  10:00 – 18:00

If you would like more information on participation or would like to apply to exhibit, please let us know and we will facilitate an introduction at the exclusive ATTA® members rate

Experience Africa | London, UK | June

About Experience Africa

Experience Africa by ATTA® – the premiere platform for African travel trade – has been uniting suppliers from across the continent with active buyers from the UK, Europe, and  other international destinations since 2018. 

Since its inaugural event, Experience Africa has become #ThePlaceToConnect as it offers strategic networking events and a market for buyers and sellers who want to add inspiring travel products to their portfolios.

Experience Africa 2024 will be held at 155 Bishopsgate, London, from 1-3 July, and will once again provide exhibitors and buyers with an opportunity to forge new partnerships, share insights, celebrate African tourism, and drive business growth.

The pioneering B2B platform continues to evolve, allowing unparallelled access to a global network of buyers keen to expand their Africa-focused travel offerings.

Desks available to members

Where: London , United Kingdom Next Event:  01 - 03 July 2024

For more information  Click Here

PURE | Marrakech, Morocco | September

PURE Life Experiences is the world’s leading experiential travel show and a community with the attitude, commitment and belief that travel can be more than just an industry. Experiential travel connects every industry in the world. It has the power to transform ourselves, our communities and the planet, which is why PURE is all about igniting the passion of experiential travel’s brightest minds and providing them with the relationships and inspiration to Change Worlds.

PURE Life Experiences offers a pre-scheduled appointment system that provides up to forty-eight meetings. You will have access to a curated selection of the most inspiring and desirable suppliers, buyers, and international media in the high-end experiential travel industry for four days of unconventional networking. At PURE, every interaction leads to new business possibilities, helping to elevate our industry to new heights.

Where: Marrakech, Morocco

When: 09 – 12 September 2024

MKTE | Nairobi, Kenya | October

About Magical Kenya Tourism Expo (MKTE)

Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) in partnership with On Show brings you  MKTE , in Nairobi. Network and explore business opportunities at the leading travel trade expo in East Africa. In October 2022, there were approximately 200 exhibitors from East and Southern Africa and 150 global buyers from key source markets.

MKTE is ideal for those who want to target and work with the East African outbound and inbound markets.

Where: Nairobi, Kenya Next Event:  TBC

MKTE will  NOT  be taking place in 2023, further updates will be published when they are available

WTM London | London, UK | November

About WTM London

Recognised as the global meeting place for the travel trade; World Travel Market London is the leading global event for the travel industry to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals. Through its industry networks and unrivalled global reach, WTM London creates personal and business opportunities, providing customers with quality contacts, content and communities.

WTM London provides a global marketplace in terms of both buyers and suppliers. 

Where: London, United Kingdom Next Event:  5 – 7 November 2024 Daily Timings: 10:00 – 18:00

Costs - To Be Confirmed

ATTA® will have a stand and we would welcome our members participation. Please sign up here

COTTM | Beijing, China | November

About COTTM

Universally acknowledged as the most professional travel fair in China, China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market (COTTM) is the event of choice for organisations and countries wanting to develop their business in the Chinese outbound market. 

To meet with and do business with Chinese tour operators sourcing outbound destinations and travel product for Chinese tourists.

Where:  National Agricultural Exhibition Center, Beijing Next Event:  15-17 November 2023 Daily Timings:  10.00am-17.00pm (Wed-Thurs) 10.00am-16.00pm (Friday)

For more information Click Here

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• Tips & tricks

The Top Travel Trade Shows to Attend in 2024

Table of Content

Btm italia 2024, arival 360 berlin 2024, itb berlin 2024, bmt borsa mediterranea del turismo 2024, rendez-vous en france 2024, dstncmp 2024, iaapa expo europe 2024, ttg travel experience 2024, rencontres etourisme 2024, world travel market (wtm) london 2024, ibtm world 2024.

In 2024, the landscape of the tourism sector is undergoing profound changes, driven by evolving consumer preferences, technological advancements, and a growing emphasis on sustainable and experiential travel. In the midst of this transformation, travel trade shows serve as key platforms for industry professionals to keep abreast of these developments, adapt their strategies accordingly, and ensure that their offerings remain appealing to today’s discerning travelers. But why should tour and activity providers take time out of their already busy schedules to attend these events? Here are the top reasons:

• Networking opportunities : One of the most valuable aspects of travel trade shows is the unparalleled networking opportunities they provide. These events serve as a global stage, attracting industry leaders, decision-makers and innovators from every corner of the globe. As a tour or activity provider, you can make connections with potential partners, clients and influencers that can open new avenues for business expansion and increased visibility.
• Learn about the latest trends : In an industry as dynamic as tourism, staying on top of the latest trends is critical to survival. Travel shows offer a comprehensive overview of emerging technologies, evolving customer preferences and innovative market strategies through expert-led seminars, panel discussions and exhibition booths. These insights are invaluable for tour and activity providers looking to refine their offerings and align them with current market demands.
• Collaboration and partnership : Beyond the networking and learning opportunities, travel shows are fertile ground for fostering partnerships. These events often facilitate connections between complementary businesses, leading to joint ventures, cross-promotions and collaborative initiatives that can significantly increase business results. For example, a local tour operator might find a technology provider that can offer an innovative booking solution, or an international travel agency that can help it reach a wider audience.

Now that you know why attending travel trade shows is so important, let’s take a look at the top events taking place in 2024.

Date: February 27 – 29, 2024

Location: Bari, Italy

Official website: https://www.btmitalia.it/

Number of exhibitors: Over 250 exhibitors

Number of attendees: More than 27.000 visitors expected, based on past editions

Key highlights:

• Expanded exhibition area and innovative format: For its tenth anniversary, BTM Italia 2024 will feature an expanded floor space, doubling in size to accommodate a wider range of exhibitors and visitors. This expansion underlines the growth of the fair and its role as a key event for tourism professionals in Southern Italy and beyond.
• Diverse thematic areas: The event is structured around seven main thematic areas, including B2B Business Meeting, Incoming Workshop, B2C Travel Trade – Outgoing, BTM Gusto (food and wine tourism), BTM SAY YES (destination wedding), BTM SPORTnACTION (sports and adventure tourism) and BTM Start Innovation (innovation, digitalisation and start-ups).
• Launch of the “Outgoing” segment: As mentioned above, BTM Italia 2024 will reintroduce the “Outgoing” segment, a platform for international tourism companies to connect with the Italian market.

Date: March 2 – 4, 2024

Location: Berlin, Germany

Official website: https://arival.travel/event/2024-berlin/

Number of exhibitors: Not known

Number of attendees: Over 700 expected​​

• Outlook for the experiences economy : Arival 360 will provide in-depth insights into traveller trends and booking patterns, anticipating the future of tours, activities and attractions across Europe. There will be a focus on the US leisure market, highlighting its importance for European destinations and operators.
• The future of technology and AI in travel experiences : Arival 360 will look at the integration of generative AI in the travel experience sector, discussing its practical applications and the balance between technology and the human element of travel. Experts from Autoura and Magpie Travel, among others, will share their insights on the use of AI to enhance travel experiences.
• Innovation showcase : A new addition to the Arival line-up, the Innovation Showcase will explore the latest technological and business innovations relevant to the in-destination experience industry.

Date: March 5 – 7, 2024

Official website: https://www.itb.com/

Number of exhibitors: Approximately 10.000

Number of attendees: Around 180.000 visitors expected

• Global networking opportunities: ITB Berlin 2024 will continue to be the premier gathering spot for the travel industry, offering unparalleled networking opportunities. Attendees can expect to meet a wide range of industry professionals, from tour operators to travel bloggers, enhancing potential business collaborations and partnerships.
• Innovative travel technologies: The event is renowned for showcasing the latest in travel technology, including booking systems, VR experiences and sustainable travel innovations. This is a unique opportunity for attendees to discover cutting-edge solutions that could revolutionise the way they work and interact with their customers.
• Educational sessions and workshops: The event will feature a series of seminars, workshops and keynote speeches delivered by industry leaders and experts. These sessions are designed to provide valuable learning experiences and cover topics ranging from digital marketing strategies to sustainability in tourism.

Date: March 14 – 16, 2024

Location: Naples, Italy

Official website : https://bmtnapoli.com/

Number of exhibitors: The event is expected to host 400 exhibitors

Number of attendees: The event is expected to attract around 6.000 accredited travel agencies, along with a significant number of industry professionals

• International networking opportunities : BMT 2024 will host 140 national and international buyers, providing exhibitors and attendees with unparalleled opportunities to network with industry leaders and forge meaningful business relationships​​.
• Comprehensive representation of Italian tourism : The fair will showcase a wide array of tourism offerings from across Italy, including regions like Campania, Toscana, Emilia-Romagna, and more.
• Croatia as the country of honor : This edition will put Croatia in the spotlight with an institutional promotion led by the Croatian Minister of Tourism and the participation of numerous Croatian tour operators. This special feature will offer a deeper insight into the Croatian tourism offering, promoting intercultural cooperation and knowledge exchange.

Date: March 26 – 27, 2024

Location: Toulouse, France

Official website: https://rendezvousenfrance.pro/

Number of attendees: Rendez-vous en France is expected to attract close to 750 industry professionals from 55 countries, alongside numerous professionals from French destinations

• Leading international trade show : Rendez-vous en France is the premier international trade show dedicated to French tourism, offering a unique platform for strengthening contacts between tour operators, international travel agents, and French tourism professionals​​.
• Networking and business opportunities : With nearly 750 industry professionals from 55 countries, along with an equal number of French tourism professionals, the trade show serves as an excellent opportunity for networking, discovering new suppliers, and promoting tourism businesses on an international scale​​.
• Focus on sustainable and inclusive innovations : Reflecting the industry’s move towards sustainability, the event will spotlight territories and sectors that are pioneering sustainable and inclusive innovations, meeting the evolving expectations of international customers ahead of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Date: May 21 – 24, 2024

Location: Bregenz, Austria

Official website: https://www.destinationcamp.com/

Number of attendees: Not known

• Leading industry event: Recognised as the premier gathering of the German-speaking tourism industry, it provides a unique platform for leaders and ambitious professionals.
• Comprehensive format: A mix of conferences, roundtables and workshops that allows for honest, open and controversial discourse across all tourism segments.
• Innovative setting: The layout of the event, with sessions spread throughout the city and various immersive activities, promotes a unique “workation” experience and encourages a deeper exploration of the host city and its surroundings.

Date: September 17 – 19, 2024

Location: Paris, France

Official website: https://www.iftm.fr/

Number of attendees: More than 29,000 tourism professionals expected

• Competitive events: The inclusion of competitions such as “The Travel Agents Cup” and “The Travel Agents Cup Junior” adds a competitive edge to the show, spotlighting the talents of current and future tourism professionals and giving them the recognition they deserve.
• Educational and entertainment programs: The show is complemented by a rich program of workshops, conferences and evening events, ensuring that attendees have access to informative sessions as well as entertainment.
• Innovative solutions showcase: The Start-up Contest continues to be a highlight, bringing together the most promising newcomers to the travel industry. Participants will have the opportunity to present their innovative solutions to a panel of esteemed judges, fostering innovation within the industry.

Date: September 23 – 26, 2024

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Official website: https://www.iaapa.org/expos/iaapa-expo-europe

• Broad industry representation : The expo will feature a diverse range of segments, including amusement and theme parks, water parks, family entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums, museums and more. This broad representation provides attendees with a comprehensive overview of the latest trends and innovations across the entire spectrum of the leisure industry.
• Educational sessions : The show features educational sessions led by industry experts, designed to provide valuable learning opportunities on a variety of topics.
• Global reach : IAAPA Expo Europe is part of a global series of trade shows organized by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). This global perspective ensures that attendees have access to a wide range of insights and best.

Date: October 9 – 11, 2024

Location: Rimini, Italy

Official website: https://www.ttgexpo.it/

Number of exhibitors: 2.700

Number of attendees: 67.000 attendees last year, with a 19% increase over 2022.

• International B2B networking opportunities : As Italy’s leading B2B exhibition for the tourism industry, TTG Travel Experience offers unparalleled networking and business development opportunities for tourism professionals from around the world.
• Diverse exhibition : With 2,700 participating companies, attendees can explore a wide range of offerings from across the tourism industry, including destinations, technologies, hospitality and more.
• Global buyer participation : The event’s ability to attract 1,000 buyers from 62 countries underscores its global appeal and effectiveness as a marketplace for fostering international business relationships.

Date: October 15 – 17, 2024

Location: Pau, France

Official website: https://www.rencontres-etourisme.fr/

Number of exhibitors: 40

Number of attendees: 850

• Innovative sessions on digital trends: Rencontres eTourisme is known for its focus on digital technologies in the tourism industry, providing attendees with insights into the latest trends.
• A wide variety of workshop topics: From the basics of Web3 and Blockchain to the practical applications of AI in daily operations, the show promises a rich program. The workshops are designed to address current industry challenges and opportunities, such as creating engaging communication strategies and enhancing the appeal of tourist attractions through ancillary services.
• Startup showcase: The fair will host sessions dedicated to startups, allowing emerging companies to share their experiences and achievements.

Date: November 5 – 7, 2024

Location: London, United Kingdom

Official website: https://www.wtm.com/london/en-gb.html

Number of attendees: Over 51,000 attendees expected

Key highlights

• Product launches and demos : Exhibitors at WTM London will have the opportunity to showcase new products, services and technologies designed to improve the lives of both suppliers and end users. Attendees will be able to see first-hand the latest advances in travel technology, including booking systems, virtual reality experiences and customer relationship management tools.
• Focus on sustainable and responsible travel : Sustainability and responsible tourism are key themes at WTM London, reflecting the industry’s growing commitment to preserving the environment. The event will highlight sustainable travel initiatives, eco-friendly accommodation options and community-based tourism projects. It will also provide a platform for discussion on how the travel industry can contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• Global Village and Regional Pavilions : The exhibition space is thoughtfully organized into a Global Village and several Regional Pavilions, each representing different parts of the world. This layout allows attendees to explore a wide range of destinations, cultures and travel products all in one place.

Date: November 19 – 21, 2024

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Official website: https://www.ibtmworld.com/en-gb.html

Number of exhibitors: 2.500

Number of attendees: 12.000

• Global networking opportunities: IBTM World 2024 provides a platform to connect with over 12,000 professionals from across the MICE industry.
• Hosted buyer program: The Hosted Buyer Program is a unique feature of IBTM World, designed to connect top-level decision makers with exhibitors through pre-scheduled appointments. It ensures that both buyers and exhibitors make the most of their time at the show, fostering productive business relationships.
• Innovative event technology: Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the latest in event technology, from cutting-edge software solutions to the most advanced digital engagement tools.

As we discussed in the introduction, attending travel trade shows is indeed critical for those ambitious tour and activity providers seeking long-term growth. These events offer invaluable networking, learning and partnership opportunities that can have a significant impact on the success of your business.

Speaking of which, Regiondo provides a robust platform that can help you turn the insights gained from travel expos into tangible results. By streamlining the booking process, improving the customer experience and better managing multiple distribution channels, you will be able to optimize your processes and generate record levels of revenue.

To learn more about Regiondo, Europe’s leading booking solution for tour and activity providers, don’t hesitate to book a free demo with one of our consultants.

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Travel Trade Shows for Travel Trade Professionals

The tourism industry has so many different groups who all work together to provide awesome travel experiences to a world full of domestic and international travelers – the ultimate end consumer of the travel product. How do so many millions of visitors learn about, plan for and participate in these trips? They most often do so with the help of a travel professional, cumulatively known as the “travel trade.”

The Travel Trade is made up of people who sell travel to the visitor. They are group tour operators (offer trips for groups of people), receptive operators (sell to group tour operators and often work with the international market) and travel agents (work directly with individual consumers). But, who sells the travel experience to the travel trade? That’s where tourism offices, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), attractions and accommodations come in.

Travel Trade Shows

So – how and where do all these travel professionals connect to do business? One of the most common and effective ways for the tourism industry to work together is attending travel trade shows.

At a travel trade show, the travel trade are the “buyers” and the destinations, attractions and accommodations are the “suppliers.” These shows are typically 2- 5 days long and most often made up of a series of short appointments where the suppliers sit down with the buyers on an individual basis. That’s right – speed dating for travel!

There is always a cost for a supplier to attend a show, however, if there is a cost for a buyer to attend, it is significantly less. The reason being, the more buyers that attend, the more suppliers will want to meet with them. Also in attendance at these industry shows are sponsors. They are vendors who work within the travel and tourism industry, and might include media companies, manufacturers and others who want to do work with the buyers and suppliers. This provides a wonderful forum for people to do business! In addition to the short meetings, there are always networking events (primarily in the evenings) where all attendees can be together and build relationships.

There are several trade shows for travel trade professionals available within the industry. It can be a daunting task to determine which is the best show for you, regardless if you are a buyer or a supplier. They vary in location, size, and format. Here are a few of the top shows that should be considered for travel trade sales.

American Bus Association (ABA)

ABA Marketplace . This week-long event is the largest trade show for group tour business in the country. Over 3,500 attendees come together in January every year to kick off a new year of business opportunities. In addition to the seven-minute pre-scheduled appointments, there is a trade show separate from the meeting space filled with exhibit booths of various proportions. There are educational opportunities throughout the event as well. Free 30-minute seminars featuring personal, professional and industry training are available to all attendees every day of the event.

• Duration: 5 days
• Meetings: Pre-schedule appointments, 7 minutes long
• Show: Trade show with exhibit booths
• Educational opportunities: breakout sessions, education “bites,” roundtable
• Differentiator: Largest group tour show in U.S.A.

National Tour Association (NTA)

NTA Travel Exchange . NTA’s annual convention is a week-long show that happens in December and features buyers of all sizes who package travel to, from and within North America. The attendees represent the United States, Canada and 30+ countries worldwide. Different from ABA Marketplace, a component of this event is targeted toward the international market. Also offered here are seven-minute pre-scheduled appointments, a trade show separate from the meeting space and educational opportunities throughout the event.

• Educational opportunities: seminars in 4 tracks
• Differentiator: International component

Ontario Motor Coach Association (OMCA)

OMCA Marketplace . This event is basically the Canadian version of ABA’s Marketplace. The buyers who attend are primarily Canadian. This travel show is held in various Canadian destinations and takes place on an annual basis in November. This event is 3 days in length and the scheduled appointments are 8 minutes. Other than that, the format and style as far as trade show and educational sessions are similar to ABA’s Marketplace and NTA’s Travel Exchange. This conference is great for those suppliers who want Canadian business!

• Duration: 3 days
• Meetings: Pre-schedule appointments, 8 minutes long
• Educational opportunities: daily sessions for tour operators, coach operators and sellers
• Differentiator: Buyers are primarily Canadian

Travel Alliance Partners (TAP)

TAP Dance . This week-long travel show is a national conference, however at a much more intimate size. The typical attendance at TAP Dance is less than 200 people, unlike the few thousand of attendees at the other events noted above. TAP Dance is an invitation-only event, but you can request an invite. Buyers at this gathering are approximately 20 individual tour companies throughout North America who collaborate by buying and selling from each other. They make up the organization that is Travel Alliance Partners. Each partner (or buyer in this case) invites specific suppliers (called PPTPs – Preferred Professional Travel Providers) to come together at this annual event. Every supplier meets with every buyer in 25-minute meetings. The suppliers are organized in regional groups, called pods, and the individual pods meet with each buyer. This event offers a much more collaborative experience allowing for more detailed conversations and time for relationship building. The smaller size means you also get more networking time with the tour operators at meals and evening events.

• Meetings: Pod appointments, 25 minutes long
• Show: individual appointments only
• Educational opportunities: guest speakers at meals
• Differentiator: A more intimate experience

These are some of the national events that should be considered. There are also many options for local and regional travel trade shows. These events are usually shorter in length (1-2 days) and don’t often include educational seminars. A quick online search of “travel shows in x region, state, etc.” will provide options of local and regional opportunities.

Learn more about Break the Ice Media’s capabilities for travel trade sales and marketing .

Rhonda Carges

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Tourism & Trade Show Representation

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has hit the travel and tourism industry the hardest. The industry is dealing with an estimated $519 billion decline in spending, and a $1.2 trillion economic loss for the year (as of July 2020). The unemployment in the U.S. was 25%, but for the travel industry it was 51%, which is double the rate of the Great Depression.

These challenging times require innovative thinking and subject matter experts to develop solutions for success. That’s where CJF Marketing International comes in.

What has CJF Marketing International been doing for their clients?

Immediately following the shutdown, we started to read all we could, participate in webinars, study the research, and pivot frequently as everything was changing rapidly. Within a month, a “Predictions Report” was generated along with a “Roadmap to Recovery” presentation for clients, along with constant market updates.

As soon as timing was appropriate, we launched our “Tour Operator/Travel Trade Engagement Campaign” via e-blast and social media to let the trade know we were thinking about them and missing them. Part of the campaign included videos of clients, each sending their own individual message. This campaign will continue for as long as necessary.

The industry will bounce back stronger than ever.

Once travel comes back, and it is just beginning to with very localized travel, shopping and dining will continue to be the most popular activities for travelers. CJF Marketing International has the expertise to help companies attract more travelers to their destinations and/or attractions.

With CJF Marketing International’s growing client base, Carolyn can leverage resources and partner clients together to save money on many tourism activities including trade show participation, sales missions, sales calls, and shopping and dining packages.

Visit our SHOP*DINE*PLAY*USA brand that effectively leverages resources and see how you can save money, reach the lucrative travel and tourism trade and achieve an increase in incremental sales at your property. 

CJFMI prides themselves in aligning with the top Representation Companies from around the world. They include:

Success Stories

CJF Marketing has become a key alliance partner States-side for supporting our international tourism business. With this great partnership we have been able to leverage resources and budgets to maximise presence for both of our portfolio’s of clients at international trade shows. In more recent times, we have been meeting weekly via video conferencing to navigate through the choppy waters of the Covid-19 crisis to assist our clients in strategic planning for the future. And looking into the future, with the possibility of 24 hour appointments at virtual trade shows, we are already planning for the possibility of sharing virtual trade show meetings accommodating different time zones. This trans-atlantic partnership of like-minded businesses will continue for the long term as we emerge and grow together in the new look tourism landscape.

Kevin Brett

Managing Director

HAT Tourism Marketing

UK/Europe/Canada

While serving as Vice President of Marketing and Tourism for the world famous Grand Central Terminal, I needed to refocus the national and international tourism industry on the grand building as a New York City destination. Due to its deplorable condition prior to a major half-billion dollar restoration in 1998, the Terminal was no longer on any visitor’s itinerary. What was needed was a comprehensive Tourism Marketing Plan and subsequent implementation to reverse this negative perception. Carolyn J. Feimster provided both through her years of successful strategic planning, her innumerable contacts in the Tourism Industry and representing Grand Central at major tourism conventions and meetings. Through her efforts, tourists once again came in large numbers to marvel at the grandeur of the 100 year old building, view the constellation sky ceiling 125 feet above them and shop and dine at the 100 new retail stores and restaurants which had been added during the restoration. Today, over 750,000 people traverse the corridors of Grand Central Terminal daily, many of them visitors from across the country and around the world as a result of CJF Marketing International’s expertise.

Paul Kastner

President, Interaction Communication

Tourism Marketing

A frequent public speaker on tourism issues and strategies, CJFMI’s Carolyn J. Feimster can assist your organization in capitalizing on lucrative tourism opportunities.

Specifically, CJFMI offers the following tourism marketing services:

• Audit existing tourism strategies
• Research and development of a tourism marketing plan
• Development of an appropriate collateral package
• Development of partnership programs with hotels, attractions, DMOs, etc. to leverage the tourism budget
• Development of Shop and Dine commissionable programs
• Investment Tourism
• Pre-opening Tourism Plan that sets the stage for opening and beyond

Want to create a winning tourism strategy?

Contact carolyn to find out how she can help you design tourism marketing strategies that propel your organization to success..

Trade Show Representation

CJF Marketing International has extensive experience representing a variety of destinations at trade shows around the world. Carolyn’s approach is different from other companies. With her extensive industry contacts and in-depth knowledge, she is able to identify the most important tour operators for the client and the particular trade show and works to arrange meetings with them. But a meeting is not enough. To achieve ROI for her clients, she works hard to negotiate programs, partnerships, promotions, social media engagements, early booking incentives, destination sweepstakes and more. Following the trade show, Carolyn follows up with tour operators on an on-going basis.

Global and Domestic Trade Shows

• ITB in Berlin
• IPW (formerly International Pow Wow)
• La Cita (formerly La Cumbre)
• WTM - World Travel Market, Latin America
• IITA - International Inbound Travel Association (formerly Receptive Services Association of America)
• SYTA - Student Youth Travel Association
• ABA - American Bus Association
• NTA - National Tour Operators Association
• Florida Huddle
• DNE - Discover New England
• Active America China
• RTO Summits - East, West, and South
• Go West Summit
• WTM - World Travel Market in London
• ABAV in Brazil
• FIT in Buenos Aires
• ANATO in Bogotá
• Destino Shows in Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Chile
• Multiple Sales Missions to Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, California, Upstate NY, New England and NYC.
• Brand USA Sales Missions to Shanghai and Beijing, China for multiple years.

Need your project represented at a travel trade show?

Contact carolyn to find out how she can represent your company or destination at trade shows around the world., privacy overview.

Virtual Trade Show 2021 Recap

2021 Virtual Trade Show

The 2021 version of the Re•think Virtual Travel Trade Show was even more successful than the first. We had even more travel buyers, vendors, suppliers and media making more connections and doing more business. Once again, a big note of gratitude to all participants.

Facts & Figures

Awaze Tours Adventure Consults African Adventure Specialists Amazing Africa Tours Cheli & Peacock Safaris Classic Journeys Africa Ltd Cousine Island East Africa Camps EcoTraining Eden Bleu Hotel Seychelles Fancourt South Africa Foxes Safari Camps Grootbos Private Nature Reserve Heritage Hotels Ltd. Hornbill Treks and Safaris Indigo Safaris Kagera Safaris Kantabile Afrika Kazinga Tours Kenya Airways Kingfisher Journeys Kuza Cave L'Escale Resort Marina & Spa Minor Hotels Southern Africa Nziza Hospitality Rwanda Eco Company Sawa Sawa Africa

SkySafari Southern Cross Safaris Tanzania Safari Bug Tribe Hotel

Amazonas Explorer Andean Travel Company Bolivia Milenaria Canyon Madness Ranch Chile Nativo Travel Chile Concept Colombian Journeys Condor Travel Costa Rica Sun Tours Enchanted Expeditions Enigma Peru Eurotur Explora Grand Hotels Lux Integrity Galapagos LATAM Airlines Metropolitan Touring Peru Napo Wildlife Center PROMPERU* Pure Brasil Pure Travel Group Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel

Tanit Trails Tropic Via Natura Via Venture Wanderlust Expediciones Where Next Travel

Encounters Asia Into Japan Specialist Tours JungleSutra Last Frontiers Trekking Path DMC Wildlife & Experiential Journeys

Adams & Butler Carole Baden Hotels Clark Kotula Representation Cobblestone Freeway Tours Graham International Wanderlust Portfolio Wanderlux Collection Oceanwide Expeditions Quark Expeditions

50 Degrees North Eastern Europe Tours Georgian Travel Group Iceland ProCruises Iceland ProTravel Italy Charme Journey 2 Croatia Secret Dalmatia Travel Exchange Travel Tailors Unforgettable Croatia Valesa Cultural Services

Cultural Cuba Custom Latin Travel

Keynote Videos

Virtual Trade Show 2020 Recap

Well, our inaugural Re•think Travel Virtual Trade Show is in the books, and if you go by the numbers, it was an undeniable success.  And we were able to make a $1,500 donation to the Land and Life Foundation. Not bad for four days.

Absolute Ethiopia Tours African Travel Amazing Africa Tours Anantara Southern Africa AwazeTours Black Panther Safaris Bush and Beyond Cheli &. Peacock Safaris EcoTraining Eliakim Tour Operation Heritage Hotels Hornbill Treks &. Safaris Kapama Karula Kenya Airways Kuza Cave Culture Centre Sawa Sawa Afriica Singita Lodges Rwanda Singita Lodges South Africa &. Zimbabwe Singita Lodges Tanzania SkySafari Sopa Lodges Southern Cross Safaris Sun International Tanzania Safari Bug The Elewana Collection The Victoria Falls Hotel Uganda Safari Chapter

Andean Travel Company Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa Baja Expeditions Bolivia Milenaria Borello Travel &. Tours Chile Concept Chile Nativo Travel Costa Rica Sun Tours Cruce Andino I Hotel Puerto Blest I Hotel Natura Cultural Cuba El Silencio Lodge &. Spa Enchanted Expeditions Eurotur Far Out Trails Futangue Grand Hotels Lux Guyana Tourism Authority Hotel Lago Grey lnara Travel lnkaterra Jungle Experiences La Yegua Loca Hotel Las Torres Patagonia Latin Trails Lima Tours Los Altos Resort

Metropolitan Touring Peru EcoCamp Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel Terranova Viajes Pacifico Wanderlust Expediciones Wilderness Explorers Quark Expeditions Hotel Plaza San Francisco Le Reve Hotel Boutique Ismael Hotel

360° Mongolia Encounters Asia Into Japan Jungle Sutra Wildlife Journeys Kizuna Travel

Adventure International Adventure Portfolio Carole Baden Daphne Warner&. Associates Emerging Destinations The Kusini Collection Wanderlux Collection

50 Degrees North Adams &. Butler Celtic Tours World Vacations Eastern Europe Tours Georgian National Tourism Administration Georgian Travel Group Iceland ProTravel &. Cruises Prime Findings Sagres Vacations Travel Exchange Greece Valesa Cultural Services

Testimonials

"I am so much pleased joining the Re•think travel show. I found it very helpful for our company. I would like to thank the whole team."

Eyerusalem Mulugeta, Eliakim Tours (supplier / vendor)

For future trade shows sign up for our newsletter and to stay up to date with Re•think Travel Marketing!

Indian States/UTs

Trade visitors.

The TTF series is India's oldest and largest travel trade show network, which aims to provide effective marketing platforms to promote tourism in 8 major travel markets across India, including Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Patna, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai.

To download, please fill in your details:

TTF opens the doors to one of the world's fastest-growing travel markets: India. Whether you are interested in domestic, outbound, business, MICE, or luxury travel, India is the final frontier. As the oldest and leading travel trade show network in India, TTF is uniquely positioned to help you access this exciting market.

Testimonials

To request a call, please fill in your details:

Thank you for your request. Our team will get in touch with you within the next 48 working hours.

You can also email us at [email protected]

With kind regards,

Client services team TTF

Our Response to COVID-19 →

Medical Tourism

Event marketing mastery for medical tourism: navigating trade shows and conferences.

In the competitive world of medical tourism, establishing a strong presence at trade shows and conferences can be a game-changer for your organization. These events provide invaluable opportunities to connect with industry professionals, showcase your services, and generate new leads. However, to maximize your return on investment, it is essential to develop effective event marketing strategies.

In this article, we will discuss the importance of event marketing for medical tourism, tips for participating in trade shows and conferences, and best practices for networking and follow-up.

The Value of Trade Shows and Conferences for Medical Tourism

Trade shows and conferences offer numerous benefits to medical tourism organizations, including:

• Exposure : These events attract industry professionals, potential clients, and media, providing an excellent platform to showcase your services and increase brand awareness.
• Networking : Trade shows and conferences provide opportunities to connect with industry peers, potential partners, and clients, helping you establish valuable relationships and expand your network.
• Education : Attending industry events can help you stay informed about the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in medical tourism, ensuring your organization remains competitive and up-to-date.
• Lead Generation : By engaging with event attendees, you can generate new leads for your international patient programs and medical tourism business.

Preparing for Trade Shows and Conferences

To make the most of your participation in trade shows and conferences, consider the following preparation steps:

• Set Clear Goals : Establish specific, measurable objectives for your event participation, such as generating a certain number of leads or securing a specific number of meetings.
• Research and Select the Right Events : Choose events that align with your organization's goals and target audience. Consider factors such as event size, location, and focus to determine the best fit.
• Plan Your Exhibit : Design an eye-catching, professional booth that effectively communicates your organization's expertise and services. Consider incorporating interactive elements, multimedia presentations, and engaging visuals.
• Promote Your Participation : Utilize your website, social media, email campaigns, and other marketing channels to announce your event participation and generate interest among potential attendees.

Event Marketing Best Practices for Medical Tourism

To optimize your presence at trade shows and conferences, follow these event marketing best practices:

• Engage Attendees : Actively engage with event attendees through informative presentations, product demonstrations, and one-on-one discussions. Be prepared to answer questions and provide relevant, concise information about your services.
• Network Effectively : Attend networking events, such as cocktail receptions and luncheons, to establish connections with industry professionals and potential clients. Approach networking with a genuine interest in others and listen actively.
• Collect Contact Information : Encourage booth visitors to share their contact information by offering incentives, such as giveaways or access to exclusive content. This will enable you to follow up with leads after the event.
• Leverage Social Media : Utilize social media platforms to share updates, photos, and insights from the event, engaging with attendees and expanding your online presence.

Post-Event Follow-Up and Analysis

Following up after the event is crucial for nurturing leads and capitalizing on the connections you've made. Consider these strategies for effective post-event follow-up:

• Organize Contact Information : Categorize and organize the contact information you've collected during the event. Use a customer relationship management (CRM) system to store and track your interactions with leads.
• Personalize Your Follow-Up : Reach out to your leads with personalized messages, referencing specific conversations or interests they expressed during the event. This will demonstrate your attention to detail and genuine interest in their needs.
• Offer Valuable Content : Share relevant and valuable content with your leads, such as articles, case studies, or whitepapers, to showcase your expertise and maintain their interest in your services.
• Track Your Success : Analyze your event participation's success by measuring the number of leads generated, meetings held, and conversions made. Use this information to refine your event marketing strategy for future events.

Event Marketing as a Catalyst for Medical Tourism Growth

Participating in trade shows and conferences can be a powerful tool for promoting your medical tourism business and generating new leads. By preparing effectively, engaging with attendees, networking strategically, and following up promptly, you can maximize the impact of your event marketing efforts and drive growth for your international patient programs.

Elevate Your Medical Tourism Business with Global Healthcare Resources

Are you ready to expand your medical tourism business and increase your international patient programs? Global Healthcare Resources is the leading consulting firm in medical tourism, offering expert guidance and support to help organizations like yours grow and succeed. From event marketing strategies to comprehensive consulting services, our team of professionals is dedicated to helping you navigate the complex world of medical tourism. Visit https://www.globalhealthcareresources.com/medical-tourism-consulting today to learn more about how we can help your organization thrive.

Unveiling the Power of Social Media Marketing in Medical Tourism

Korea: turning the focus to an emerging global leader in medical tourism, exploring the surge of cosmetic tourism: trends and considerations in aesthetic procedures abroad, holistic healing: exploring integrative medicine and wellness retreats, meeting the surge: the growing demand for knee replacement surgeries and advances in the field, south korea, a medical tourism leader pioneering the future of medicine  , surgical solutions for obesity and weight management ~ a team effort, south korea ~ stepping into the spotlight in global healthcare, south africa ~ making great strides in healthcare, continue reading, best countries for stomach cancer treatment: a global perspective, ponderas academic hospital: elevating medical tourism with jci accreditation and personalized care, featured reading, guide to choosing korea for medical travel, transforming healthcare through innovation: ceo spotlight interview with matthew a. love, medical tourism magazine.

The Medical Tourism Magazine (MTM), known as the “voice” of the medical tourism industry, provides members and key industry experts with the opportunity to share important developments, initiatives, themes, topics and trends that make the medical tourism industry the booming market it is today.

Trade show visitors and key technological trends: from a literature review to a conceptual framework

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing

ISSN : 0885-8624

Article publication date: 24 October 2022

Issue publication date: 19 December 2022

This study proposes a literature review and, based on the findings, the authors develop a conceptual framework, attempting to explain how technology may influence visitor behavior and eventually trade show performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The present research explores the role of visitors in the trade show context. The analysis specifically focuses on the variables that influence visitors’ participation at business-to-business trade shows and how their satisfaction and perception can be related to exhibition performance. The authors also take into consideration technological trends that prior to COVID-19 pandemics were slowly emerging in the trade show industry.

The findings highlight a continuity between pre-, at and postexhibition phases. Visitors’ behavior represents a signal of how a trade show is perceived as postexhibition purchases and next visit emerge as signals of an exhibition evaluation in relation to visitors’ perception. Besides being urgent tools for the continuity of the sector due to the pandemics, emerging technological trends can be key elements in understanding visitors’ behavior and in boosting their interest and loyalty toward trade shows.

Originality/value

The paper proposes a conceptual model including top notch and innovative technological trends to improve the understandment of visitors’ behavior. Both practitioners in companies and academics might find the study useful, given the digital uplift generated by the pandemics.

• Satisfaction
• Literature review
• Technological trends

Vitali, V. , Bazzani, C. , Gimigliano, A. , Cristani, M. , Begalli, D. and Menegaz, G. (2022), "Trade show visitors and key technological trends: from a literature review to a conceptual framework", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing , Vol. 37 No. 13, pp. 142-166. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-10-2021-0461

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Veronica Vitali, Claudia Bazzani, Annamaria Gimigliano, Marco Cristani, Diego Begalli and Gloria Menegaz.

Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

1. Introduction

According to the recent literature, trade fairs are, in some ways, the ultimate example of marketing excellence ( Mora Cortez and Dastidar, 2022 ). In fact, these events represent points of contact among groups of managers held with a specific duration and where a large number of companies of one or more industry sectors have the possibility to propose their main product range ( Kirchgeorg et al. , 2010 ; Mora Cortez and Dastidar, 2022 ). Hence, such events can be considered as an integral part of the marketing program of a firm ( Kerin and Cron, 1987 ).

Literature brings critical attention to assessing their definition ( Blythe, 2010 ; Kirchgeorg et al. , 2010 ). The expression “trade show” can be often interpreted as a synonym of different types of events, such as fairs, expositions and exhibitions, nevertheless, the basic function of the activity represents a major industry marketing event ( Herbig et al. , 1997 ). To give an idea of the relevance of trade show business, according to the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), in 2018, approximately 32,000 exhibitions took place, directly involving 303 million visitors and nearly five million exhibitors across more than 180 countries. In the same year, the total global economic impact of the exhibitions sector generated €275.1bn ($325bn) in economic output (business sales) and €167.2bn ($197.5bn) in global gross domestic product contribution ( UFI, 2019 ). UFI has indicated Europe as the largest market in terms of exhibition participants (33%) in 2018, followed by North America (30.1%) and Asia/Pacific (26.9%).

Organizing and managing a successful trade show is not an easy task. Indeed, many exhibitors significantly invest in marketing and promotion strategies for such events, striving to attract and retain visitors ( Chongwatpol, 2015 ). Due to the considerable contributions made by the exhibiting organizations, the sector bears a need to justify the commitment on trade shows. In evaluating these efforts, authors agree it is useful to acquire knowledge about visitors, their behavior as well as their activities, movements and experiences ( Gopalakrishna et al. , 2010 ; Rinallo et al. , 2010 ; Pettersson and Zillinger, 2011 ; Gopalakrishna and Lilien, 2012 ; Chongwatpol, 2015 ). As Tafesse and Skallerud (2017) pointed out, trade show literature from 1980 to 2014 has been mainly focusing on the analysis of exhibitors’ perspectives rather than visitors’. Accordingly, we notice that especially examining performance of exhibitions, most authors considered the exhibiting organizations’ perspective, leaving little space to explore visitors’ satisfaction associated with such events ( Hansen, 1999 ; Shoham, 1999 ; Hansen, 2004 ; Lee and Kim, 2008 ; Reinhold et al. , 2010 ; Çobanoğlu and Turaeva, 2014 ; Sarmento and Simões, 2018 ). However, exhibitors and visitors are two different modes of trade show participation, and the differences existing between such categories may converge into a gap between visitors’ expectations in attending a trade show and exhibitors’ motivations. In fact, as Haon et al. (2020) stressed, trade fair exhibitors are driven by transaction objectives, such as higher sales or marketing-oriented personnel, hence not complying with the preferences of visitors that are generally oriented toward information acquisition needs. The authors named such misalignment “disconnect” and demonstrated it holds regardless visitors come from business-to-business (B2B) vs business to consumer firms, come from small vs large firms, play a decision-maker vs influencer role in the purchasing decision process and are consistent in trade shows at both regional and national level ( Haon et al. , 2020 ).

Particularly, in their literature review related to trade show performance, Tafesse and Skallerud (2017) stated that “the visiting and the organizing modes present equally exciting research opportunities” ( Tafesse and Skallerud, 2017 , p. 21). The call of deepening knowledge about the role of visitors’ needs and satisfaction on trade show performance is, as well, one of the main outcomes of the systematic literature review by Sarmento and Simões (2018) . Hence, we accredit that a more detailed analysis on visitor behavior and intentions would allow to discern and, consequently, to smooth the approaches to be adopted by researchers and managers whose activities pertain to the trade show domain.

The standpoint adopted in the present article focuses on exhibition environment that relates to a B2B context, where visitors are generally defined as “buyers.” It is remarkable that buyers play a paramount role in such context because they find themselves in the position to influence the purchasing decisions that occur in their firms ( Rosson and Seringhaus, 1995 ; Godar and O’connor, 2001 ).

So, starting from considering research by Tafesse and Skallerud (2017) and Sarmento and Simões (2018) , for the first time in the literature, we attempt to examine findings on the figure of trade show visitors by conducting a broad review of sources focusing on visitors of exhibitions. We believe that exploring marketing strategies leveraging on the analysis of visitors’ behavior and motivations would set the basis for significant advantages for trade shows organizers and exhibitors, leading to a lift in the audience numbers and in visitors’ loyalty. Accordingly, we call for the need to provide a better picture on which factors may influence visitors’ behavior and their impact on trade show outcomes ( Godar and O’connor, 2001 ; Smith et al. , 2003 ; Gottlieb et al. , 2011 ). Hence, in the first place, the objective of the present research is to critically examine, by means of a literature review, the variables which influence, along the trade show “journey,” visitors’ perceptions and decision-making processes and to accordingly develop a conceptual framework explaining visitors’ role and trade show performance.

Moreover, due to the current COVID-19 global pandemic, recognizing visitors’ behavior and preferences represents, in our opinion, a topic of outmost importance in a moment of drastic challenges. In fact, the trade show business has been largely exposed to the need to reinvent itself, notably enduring new strict sanitary norms, triggering a digital transition where trends that previously were explored mainly by industry pioneers, have spread globally; undeniably, it is under such unexpected circumstances that technology is acquiring a broader role in the exhibition industry. For instance, the combination of in-person and online participation at the moment is a choice adopted by many trade show organizers that are experiencing such a fast digital transition, pressing them to explore new paradigms and strategies to keep the business lucrative ( Exhibitoronline, 2020 ).

Thus, the present analysis is also aimed at setting the grounds for defining strategies based on the observation of trade show visitor behavior to improve the exhibition performance in a novel scenario where the “conventional” state of the fairs is shifting toward an extensive adoption of technological tools.

In fact, as stated by Lacka et al. (2020) , “there is a scarcity of research concerning technological innovation and B2B trade-related activities” ( Lacka et al. , 2020 , p. 1). Accordingly, the present research aims at advancing the existing literature by exploring the emerging trends in the exhibition scenario, extrapolating important aspects from areas related to the field under analysis, such as fairs open to the general public or tourism events, and we attempt to apply them to the trade show context. For instance, factors such as the exploitation of new tools made available by recent advances in information technology (IT) ( Sarmento and Simões, 2019 ), social media ( Tafesse and Skallerud, 2017 ; Gopalakrishna et al. , 2019 ), techniques for tracking attendants’ paths ( Pettersson and Zillinger, 2011 ; Chongwatpol, 2015 ; Mashhadi et al. , 2016 ; Joppi et al. , 2018 ; Gentilin et al. , 2019 ) have up to now scarcely been exploited and observed in the trade show context. Hence, our further objective is to review emerging technologies which can be implemented in the trade shows business and to integrate them into our conceptual model, attempting to explain how these may influence visitor behavior and therefore trade show performance.

What are the different phases of visitors’ participation in trade shows and what are the variables which influence visitors’ journey?

How can trade show performance be addressed holding visitors’ point of view?

What are the main technological trends that can have an impact on business exhibitions?

How would the use of technology impact visitor behavior and, eventually, trade show performance?

The remainder of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 exposes the context of trade shows and provides definitions of exhibition attending modes: organizers, exhibitors and visitors. Section 3 describes materials and methods used for the research, while Section 4 details the results of the literature review, namely, the factors influencing the experience perceived by visitors during the three phases of trade shows as observed by literature (pre-, during and post-event) and describes trade show performance perceived by visitors. Section 4 also discusses the results of the literature review regarding the emerging trends in the trade show domain that have been increasingly exploited following the outbreak and fast changes imposed by the COVID-19 pandemics and the related sanitary measures and that are enabled through the availability of modern technologies (e.g. Web, artificial intelligence [AI], customer profiling – physical and digital trade shows – and social listening); furthermore, the conceptual framework of the research is explained in such section. Section 5 reports the discussion of our results. Finally, managerial implications emerging from the proposed analysis, the authors’ conclusions and the suggested directions for future research are laid out.

2. Background

2.1 trade show context.

The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) lays out criteria useful for defining expositions. Specifically, the terms “exposition” and “exhibition” can be considered as generic appellations, that define an event where two parties, buyers and sellers interact, displaying goods and services. From the point of view of trade show attending roles, three key participants may be identified: organizers, exhibitors and visitors, each having their own objectives, expectations, actions and achievements ( Tafesse and Skallerud, 2015 ; Tafesse and Skallerud, 2017 ). For the purpose of this article, trade shows are interpreted as important market events of a specific duration, held at intervals, where a large number of companies present the main product range of one or more industry sectors ( Kirchgeorg et al. , 2010 ).

However, exhibitions can be considered as an integral part of a firm’s marketing program ( Kerin and Cron, 1987 ). Furthermore, they represent an important moment for market demand and supply meeting. To shed light on sales nurtured by exhibitions, Smith and Smith (1999) observed that distributors who were exposed to the trade show, tended to purchase larger volumes of the product than distributors who did not attend the exhibition. Also, they compared sales values between exposing and nonexposing distributors within each category of distributor and confirmed that sales per distributor were higher among the exposed group as compared to the unexposed group ( Smith and Smith, 1999 ; Smith et al. , 2003 ). Further, Smith et al. (2003) focused on the complementary effect of trade shows on personal selling and, through a field study with a group of industrial distributors, proved that follow-up sales efforts generated higher sales productivity when customers had already been exposed to the firm’s product at a trade show. The study also confirmed better return-on-sales figures among show attendees than nonattendees; moreover, it demonstrated positive effects on customer purchase intentions generated by the trade show.

2.2 Trade show attending modes: organizers, exhibitors and visitors

In the literature, it is common to find research on trade shows perspectives combining one or more participating modes, i.e. organizers, exhibitors and visitors ( Tafesse and Skallerud, 2017 ; Sarmento and Simões, 2018 ).

To illustrate, organizers are service providers that make the event possible through marketing strategies which are aimed at creating a match between exhibitors and visitors based on information such as attitudinal, political, economic and/or sociocultural factors ( Jung, 2005 ). Jiménez-Guerrero et al. (2020 , p. 11) argued that “the organizer is responsible for conceiving the fair itself and dealing with all the complexities involved in its organization”; hence, it is an essential role for the success of the event itself. The authors analyzed the influence of organizers-related quality aspects that can impact the fulfillment of exhibitors’ objective in attending an event. Two dimensions of quality are linked to the event organizers, namely, event design (including aspects such as the event date and the promotion before the event) and quality of results (including aspects that define the reputation of a fair such as quality and number of exhibitors and visitors), have been demonstrated to be highly correlated with the final perceptions of exhibitors; furthermore, the research revealed that, if quality level offered by organizers is lacking, this will prevent exhibitors from reaching their participation goals.

Also, for organizers to achieve successful marketing strategies, monitoring customers’ behavior and satisfaction are of extreme relevance ( Reinhold et al. , 2010 ).

At trade shows, exhibitors and visitors interact for the purchase of displayed goods or services that can be realized at the time of presentation or consequently in the future ( Lee and Kim, 2008 ). Generally, exhibitors participate at trade show mainly for selling products/services, reaching new business, increasing sales and evaluating the performance of the products offered for sale ( Chu and Chiu, 2013 ; Silva et al. , 2021 ). Nevertheless, studies have also revealed the role of nonsales reasons such as building brand image, fostering new and servicing established relationships, checking-up on competitors and identifying market trends ( Chu and Chiu, 2013 ; Sarmento et al. , 2015a ; Silva et al. , 2021 ). Silva et al. (2021) conducted a study to identify sources of information needed by exhibitors and proposed a model to describe exhibitors’ trade fair intelligence process (activities related to the collection and analysis of information). The authors illustrated that the main sources of information that may help empowering exhibitors are related to: customer, product and market condition intelligence. The research demonstrated that, if exhibitors use well these three sources of intelligence, they can improve the management system related to the information useful for their business; furthermore, the strategic marketing will be strengthened, and as a result, they can boost their companies’ competitiveness. Hence, the authors described that “an exhibitor creates competitiveness based on an intelligence process from trade fairs” ( Silva et al. , 2021 , p. 17).

Regarding visitors, trade shows offer them great opportunities to meet in person current and potential suppliers, to gain information about products, companies, industry and technology, new trends and inspiration for their activities ( Bello, 1992 ; Berne and García-Uceda, 2008 ; Rinallo et al. , 2010 ; Gopalakrishna et al. , 2010 ; Bettis‐Outland et al. , 2012 ; Menon and Edward, 2014 ; Tafesse and Skallerud, 2015 ), to receive advice from technical personnel ( Rinallo et al. , 2010 ) and to establish relationships in a network where they feel part of a community and can experience leisure ( Berne and García-Uceda, 2008 ; Rinallo et al. , 2010 ; Mensah and Lestyo, 2012 ; Sarmento et al. , 2014 ; Tafesse and Skallerud, 2015 ; Jin and Weber, 2016 ). Indeed, visitors carefully plan their attendance, ahead of time, arranging for travel, establishing which suppliers to meet and reflecting about other activities to do at the show ( Gopalakrishna et al. , 2019 ). We, thus, find it critical to systematically delineate the reasons behind the choice of visitors to participate in expositions and to observe in what manner they do so. To this end, we rely on the literature on the expositions that involve an interplay of actors in a B2B context, where visitors are generally defined as “buyers.” Buyers are critical actors in the trade shows context because they are in the position to influence purchasing decisions within their firms, making shows very attractive venues for sellers ( Rosson and Seringhaus, 1995 ; Godar and O'connor, 2001 ). However, some authors pointed out that visitors of trade shows may not be necessarily labeled as “buyers” since their duty is not merely to receive information about a purchase or to carry out such task. Instead, they may attend for different reasons as for habit, for social and networking motives or to attend to seminars ( Bello and Lohtia, 1993 ; Godar and O’connor, 2001 ). Accordingly, several studies on exhibitions find it essential to diversify among visitors’ categories, adopting segmentation criteria, hence underlining visitors’ heterogeneity ( Godar and O’connor, 2001 ; Blythe, 2010 ; Gopalakrishna et al. , 2010 ; Gopalakrishna et al. , 2019 ).

3. Materials and methods

As we aim at exploring in detail literature research that specifically assumes the standpoint of the visitors who participate in the trade fair for job-related reasons, the selection of the articles for the present review is mainly based on an analysis of studies concerning visitors of business-related trade fairs. However, to provide an exhaustive and original perspective on visitor profiling, articles on consumer exhibitions, tourism, festivals and outdoor sports are also considered.

The process of the literature review starts by collecting data in January 2020. Moreover, as an attempt to make our search process replicable, we adopt a systematic collection of reports following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines ( Snyder, 2019 ; Page et al. , 2021 ). The PRISMA analysis has been conducted on two online journal databases: Scopus and Web of Science; the process of literature review following the PRISMA guidelines is illustrated in Figure 1 .

The research on Scopus has been conducted on April 20th, 2022, while on Web of Science has been conducted on May 2nd, 2022. The keywords used for the online research on the two scientific databases are the following: “trade show*” and visitor*; “trade fair*” and visitor*; “trade show*” and effectiveness; “trade fair*” and effectiveness; “trade fair*” and performance; “trade show*” and performance; “trade show*” and “social media”; “trade fair*” and “social media”; “trade show*” and “covid-19”; “trade fair*” and “covid-19”; “trade fair*” and “digital”; “trade show*” and “digital”; events and “gps-localization”; visitors* and profiling; “virtual trade show*”; “virtual trade fair*”[ 1 ].

subject areas : Business, Management and Accounting; Computer Sciences; Social Sciences; Economics, Econometrics and Finance; Decision Sciences;

language : only articles in English are included in the process; and finally

type of article : Article; Conference Paper; Review are included.

The resulting number of articles removed before screening is: 613 in Scopus and 2,236 in Web of Science. The screened records after the filtering through automation tools are 583 in Scopus and 674 in Web of Science.

visitors and trade shows;

the effectiveness and/or performance of trade shows especially considering the perspective of attendees;

social media linked to trade shows and/or to topics of business and profiling use for sales;

the COVID-19 pandemics situation and its consequences on the trade show or exhibition sector;

digital tools at trade shows or exhibitions;

virtual trade shows, exhibitions and events;

trade shows, exhibitions and events using geo-localization techniques; and

innovative techniques for profiling visitors of trade shows, exhibitions and events.

Thus, such passage has led to 428 articles excluded on Scopus and 585 excluded on Web of Science.

Then 155 articles from Scopus and 89 from Web of Science have been sought for retrieval: precisely, four articles from Scopus and three from Web of Science have not been retrieved.

59 articles whose focus is not on visitors’ of trade shows, exhibitions or events but rather on organizers and or exhibitors;

33 articles that do not cover innovative technologies for the objective of profiling visitors trade shows, exhibitions or events;

5 articles that are not business related;

5 articles that cover the topic of performance of trade shows but not from visitors’ perspective; and

4 articles covering the topic of social media but not including the trade show environment.

1 result identified as a book chapter, which we had decided to exclude;

21 articles whose focus is not on visitors’ of trade shows, exhibitions or events but rather, e.g. on organizers and or exhibitors;

12 articles that do not cover innovative technologies for the objective of profiling visitors trade shows, exhibitions or events;

6 articles that are not business related;

3 articles that cover the topic of performance of trade shows but not from visitors’ perspective; and

This results in 45 articles to be included in the review from Scopus and 39 from Web of Science. At this point, 27 records have been identified in both databases, resulting in 57 useful articles that are included in the present article as reference.

In addition to Scopus and Web of Science, we have used a cross-reference process, and further articles have been identified through Google Scholar, Emerald and Elsevier. This has helped us to improve the completeness of our literature review. Precisely, as a result, a total of 81 reports have been used for the present review.

As we aim at providing our paper with an updated perspective, most recent articles have been marked as paramount in the research process. Still, articles that are less recent are used as “seminal papers” with the aim of providing definitions.

Table 1 shows that, among the 81 articles selected for the study, 34 of them have been used in detail because they cover issues concerning trade show business visitors’ behavior and variables affecting their participation and trade show experience (41.9%). In addition, 15 articles have been used because trade show performance is discussed (18.5%); 11 focus on virtual trade shows, exhibitions, events (13.5%); 8 articles discuss techniques for profiling visitors of trade shows, exhibitions, events (9.9%); 6 present trade shows, exhibitions, events using the geo-localization techniques (7.4%); 4 discuss social media use in business environments (4.9%) with one specifically discussing trade shows and social media. Finally, 2 articles have been adopted to make an introduction on exhibitors as part of the trade show context (2.5%); and 1 covers technological trends in business (1.2%).

Regarding methods commonly used for research on trade show visitors, we found questionnaires often used to investigate different issues under evaluation ( Bello, 1992 ; Berne and García-Uceda, 2008 ; Sun et al. , 2018 ; Gopalakrishna et al. , 2019 ). Moreover, interviews to and conversations with visitors before, at or after a trade show have been exploited ( Godar and O’connor, 2001 ; Rinallo et al. , 2010 ; Chu and Chiu, 2013 ). Researchers have also used field observations through which they were able to acquire notes and pictures ( Borghini et al. , 2006 ; Rinallo et al. , 2010 ).

4.1 Analysis of the state of the art: factors influencing pre-, at, post-event behavior and trade show perceived performance

Since it is our goal to provide an overview of visitors’ journey at trade shows as observed by existing literature, we categorize their behavior into three sequential phases: pre- , at and post- show examination. A three-step process has been consistently adopted by trade show literature for studying exhibitions ( Herbig et al. , 1994 ; Rosson and Seringhaus, 1995 ; Lee and Kim, 2008 ; Chu and Chiu, 2013 ; Çobanoğlu and Turaeva, 2014 ). Rosson and Seringhaus (1995) described that such process entails the combination of a series of activities that are conducted pre-, at and post-trade show (in terms of months/years for the pre- and post-phase, while in a frame of days for the at phase). They also argued that such stages diversify themselves in terms of visitors’ behavior. The three-step unfolding represents a useful tool in examining visitors thoughtfully, for instance, by considering in a detailed manner their motivations, selection criteria, evaluation of the exhibitions as well as the outcomes of their participation to such types of events.

There exist multiple factors affecting pre-, at, post-event behavior and trade show visitors’ perceived performance. In the following paragraphs, we outline such components, as detailed by exhibition literature. Considering methods used by trade show authors to study the three stages of exhibitions, it emerges clearly that a quantitative approach based on questioning actors involved in the exhibitions through surveys is the most prominent regardless of the stage.

4.1.1 Pre-show

Identifying the criteria behind the choice of which event to attend constitutes a useful information for trade shows organizers and exhibitors to reach a large audience and for understanding the counterpart of their interaction ( Berne and García-Uceda, 2008 ). In fact, trade shows have increased in number and variety; thus, visitors are offered a wide selection of exhibitions to pick from.

In each of the three considered phases, starting from the period prior to the exhibition, participants evaluate their potential participation and start interrogating themselves on a possible event to attend. Rosson and Seringhaus (1995) provided a scheme considering visitors’ questions and decisions in each of the three moments. Hence, they stated that in the pre-trade show phase visitors query themselves on issues the firm should attend, for what purpose, how many visitors and which ones should participate in the event.

When making a decision on which trade show to visit, visitors may hold different reasons/motivations, which we refer to as endogenous factors . Among these, seeking new products, sharing information regarding these products with experts, comparing alternative solutions and collecting new information have been considered as the main motives for visiting trade shows by Shoham (1992) and further confirmed by Haon et al. (2020) . Indeed, the pursue of knowledge represents an essential element in motivating visitors, as both visitors who have purchasing goals and those who do not are involved in a continuous query for notions ( Borghini et al. , 2006 ). In fact, Haon et al. (2020) demonstrated that a great majority of trade show visitors are motivated only by information-acquisition objectives, for instance, comprising “to see and talk to current vendors/suppliers” or “to gain insights on industry conditions” ( Haon et al. , 2020 , p. 12, article in press). Furthermore, information sources may vary according to the visitors’ role positions in a company ( Bello, 1992 ).

Additional reasons for participating to trade shows include: meeting regular suppliers, updating professional skills and improve the credibility of the organization they work for, feeling part of a community, taking part in an important event in the industry, being reassured during crises through meeting suppliers and customers ( Borghini et al. , 2006 ). For such reasons, trade shows constitute a networking site. Indeed, visitors often indicate participating in social events as well as attending industry briefings as means to establish and maintain networks ( Rosson and Seringhaus, 1995 ; Godar and O’connor, 2001 ; Mensah and Lestyo, 2012 ). Other factors such as confirming previous years participation have been described by literature as “buyers return in large numbers year after year” ( Godar and O’connor, 2001 , p. 79). Trust might be considered as a cardinal element in reaching a satisfactory relationship, in fact, as highlighted by Lacka et al. (2020) , “trusting relationships are key in B2B international trade” ( Lacka et al. , 2020 , p. 7). Jia and Wan (2021) explored the factors that may influence the generation of trust relationships at the trade show between exhibitors and visitors. The authors found that preconditions such as early experience, institutional trust in the environment and trust propensity may influence general trust patterns. Moreover, they have identified elements which can facilitate the establishment of trust between exhibitors and visitors, such as stakeholders’ treatment, trust transfer, on-site restraints, reward and punishment expansion and on-site personnel arrangement. Loyalty also emerges as a key element in such frame as exhibitions are a tool to foster confidence in brands and to support customer loyalty ( Kirchgeorg et al. , 2010 ).

After having identified the motivations, it is important to determine the main criteria adopted by visitors when evaluating which trade shows to attend, that we name exogenous factors . Visitors increasingly depend upon information and their perceptions of fundamental exhibition attributes ( Berne and García-Uceda, 2008 ). Hence, visitors contemplate elements such as the type of trade show, its location and time convenience, its reputation and management, as well as the quantity and quality of attendance and of exhibitors ( Godar and O’connor, 2001 ; Berne and García-Uceda, 2008 ). These elements are important to acknowledge when evaluating a trade show because they are directly related to the experience lived at the exhibition itself. Details directly linked to customer relations and trade show costs are also taken into account, including planning, budgeting and differential costs (the latter referred to the different costs that could be incurred at different venues). However, only the first two categories would be relevant for visitors ( Berne and García-Uceda, 2008 ).

4.1.2 At-show

Trade shows usually unfold during a period of days. In this time period, visitors make decisions considering motivations such as specific booths to visit, which information to collect and interact with exhibitors while formulating impressions about them ( Rosson and Seringhaus, 1995 ). As this section takes into consideration factors influencing trade show performance according to visitors’ point of view, it is paramount to underline that we refer to events that occurred prior to the COVID-19 pandemics, hence, a more general definition of the time period concerning the “at-trade show” phase specifically involving online or mixed modality (offline integrated with online modes) should be formulated and analyzed. At trade shows, visitors can meet in person current and potential suppliers, gain information about products, companies, industry and technology, new trends and inspiration for their activities ( Bello, 1992 ; Berne and García-Uceda, 2008 ; Blythe, 2010 ; Rinallo et al. , 2010 ; Gopalakrishna et al. , 2010 ; Bettis‐Outland et al. , 2012 ; Menon and Edward, 2014 ), receive advice from technical personnel ( Rinallo et al. , 2010 ), interact in a network where they feel part of a community while establishing relationships and experiencing leisure ( Berne and García-Uceda, 2008 ; Rinallo et al. , 2010 ; Mensah and Lestyo, 2012 ; Sarmento et al. , 2014 ; Jin and Weber, 2016 ).

During each visit to an exhibition, there may be several factors that can make the difference in the experience accomplished by visitors. To give an example, Jung (2005) identified the determinants of visitors’ exhibition service quality perception. The author highlighted six dimensions: booth management, contents, registration, access, booth layout and function, exhibition and booth attractiveness. He particularly stressed “contents” such as number of participating exhibitors, quality of products or services exhibited, conferences, seminars and events organized as the most important item and observed that exhibition service quality perception was, unexpectedly, mostly dominated by booth layout and function. Salem et al. (2010) explored user profiling and adaptation in relation to exhibition booth. The authors adopted three criteria for the evaluation of exhibition booth: effectiveness (the amount of received information), efficiency (the measurement of time taken to collect the information) and affect (the perception of the experience and the mood booth visitors have during and after their visit). Bloch et al. (2017) investigated the relation between booth design and visitors’ behavioral response in selecting booths by considering individual differences and agenda characteristics as moderating factors. According to their findings, design elements such as shape, layout and surface decoration affect preference and the decision to visit a specific booth, but these preferences may vary depending on visitors’ agenda breadth and a design-related trait (e.g. Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics [CVPA][ 2 ]). Sun et al. (2018) explored the consequences of booth staff’s clothing in determining visitors’ approach to such areas. The authors categorized booth staff’s clothing into conform and nonconform, referring to the general social acceptance of a way of dressing. The authors highlighted how conforming clothing leads to a greater willingness to approach the booths, hence to an increased desire of participants to enter, visit, interact and come back to an exhibition booth.

Rinallo et al. (2010) observed business visitors’ behavior at trade shows through an approach based on “experiential perception in marketing” ( Rinallo et al. , 2010 , p. 249). This approach is based on the analysis of observations and interviews, identifying the most appreciated experience for both organizers and exhibitors. “Presence of products” and “competent personnel” were depicted by the respondents as the most valuable services provided by the organizers. Furthermore, concerning exhibitors, “selection of exhibitors and distribution of exhibitors in the exhibition space according to visitors’ search processes, trend and rest areas, and social and technical events” were depicted by respondents as the most appreciated provided services ( Rinallo et al. , 2010 , p. 253). Jha et al. (2019) studied the effects of service-related resources on exhibitors personnel attitudes and visitor responses. They demonstrated a positive effect of service leadership (commitment of top-management of the exhibitor) and service technology (tools available for customer services) in developing a customer-oriented service strategy with satisfied exhibition employees. The study also found service-related resources influencing job satisfaction of exhibitor personnel and visitors’ responses, for instance, concerning booth interaction quality, satisfaction and word-of-mouth intentions. Zhou et al. (2020) determined that different job positions of visitors participating to trade fairs (e.g. sales staff, functional department staff, middle and senior management and personal) have an influence on visitors’ learning style. To illustrate by administering questionnaires, the authors determined that middle and senior managers used direct talks more than buyers with the aim of acquiring knowledge. Further, visiting forms carried an impact on both learning behavior and its effects since visitors that participated in groups communicated more with different exhibition participants than those visiting alone. Also, the authors found observation as a relevant mean for acquiring knowledge, more important than direct conversations; they found explanations for such factors in the limited time of the visit, numerous tasks and objectives of visitors; hence, a selection would be made by visitors on most significant communications.

Sarmento et al. (2015a ) focused on the relational aspect of exhibitions. The authors observed a shift from a transactional to a relationship marketing perspective by combining observation of relational dynamics among participants and research interviews. In fact, according to the authors, “the transactional approach no longer responds to the current business context” ( Sarmento et al. , 2015a , p. 591). Through their research, Sarmento et al. (2015a ) demonstrated that interaction and networking at trade shows help developing relations among multiple subjects, thus going beyond the point-to-point exhibitor-visitor relationship. Furthermore, the authors stressed that thanks to interchanging points of view of many actors in the exhibition environment, trade fairs constitute a place for generating innovative solutions to problems. Sarmento et al. (2015b ) further investigated the issue of socialization in the trade show context by examining buyer-seller interactions. The authors highlighted that socialization at exhibitions is encouraged by the trade show atmosphere that facilitates the creation of bonds and commitment. Further, Sarmento et al. (2015c ) explored the reasons for participating in B2B trade shows and for visitors’ interaction with suppliers; their study shows that visitors “do not highlight buying at these events and the most experienced visitors are the ones who devalue most buying at trade fairs” ( Sarmento et al. , 2015c , p. 273).

The knowledge sharing and learning at trade shows has been investigated by Reychav (2009) , Sarmento et al. (2015b ) and Zhou et al. (2020) . Reychav (2009) explored supplier learning and knowledge acquisition in trade shows through knowledge sharing. By depicting exhibition as “an important source for creating learning and continuous processes with external sources for both suppliers and customers” ( Reychav, 2009 , p. 143), the author observed that knowledge sharing about customer adaptation (defined as efforts to adapt to the other part to engage into more effective relationships) and knowledge sharing about joint actions (namely, moves toward mutual customer and supplier adaptation) are critical to knowledge acquisition in both visitors and exhibitors’ perspectives. Furthermore, customer and supplier learning would be boosted by sharing knowledge concerning joint actions. This highlights the importance of customer-supplier relationships at trade shows. Also, the more knowledge on joint actions is shared by suppliers, the more likely they are to enhance their process of knowledge acquisition at exhibitions. Moreover, by distinguishing different types of exchanges, Sarmento et al. (2015b ) observed that when a relationship between buyer-seller is in its infancy, social exchange is more critical than information exchange. On the contrary, when the relationship gets older, the focus of the liaison would lie in sharing reciprocal knowledge. Finally, Bettis‐Outland et al. (2012) conducted an exploratory study of “Return on Trade Show Information” (RTSI) variables. RTSI summarizes the information that visitors gather during the trade shows and can be valuably used in their organizations. The authors underline the intangible, long‐term benefits of introducing the acquired information to the firms after participating in a trade show and collecting information ( Bettis‐Outland et al. , 2010 ; Bettis‐Outland et al. , 2012 ).

Lacka et al. (2020) called the attention on previous research concerning key elements in trade at multiple levels and, at the international level, the authors have corroborated the role of culture in B2B exchanges and its impact on satisfaction in buyer-seller relationships. Hence, we deduct that differences in cultures between exhibitors and visitors, in parallel to ways of dressing, may impact visitors’ stay at the exhibitions.

Finally, Li et al. (2021) focused on visitors’ perceptions toward environmental sustainability (ES) in the context of exhibitions. The study found that visitors’ ES perception of an exhibition is generally based on the following aspects: technology-based consumption reduction, reduction of exhibition supplies, recycling and emissions reduction, green food and beverage and strengthening the concept of sustainability.

4.1.3 Post-show

This stage of the process usually entails further efforts by exhibitors who engage visitors through follow-up activities, leveraging on techniques including personal e-mail thank-you note, a personalized letter with further information, a personal visit, a reminder of the final expiration date for a special offer, etc. Thus, these elements are the ones affecting post-show phase and have been found crucial by Chu and Chiu (2013) , who argued they entail a positive influence on image-building, sales-related and information-gathering performances of exhibitors.

Furthermore, after the participation to a trade show, visitors establish how to report their experience, question themselves over the evaluation of the event and decide how to react in terms of what actions to take ( Rosson and Seringhaus, 1995 ).

4.2 Evaluation of trade show performance

Sales-related performance : secure sales lead from existing clients, secure sales leads from new clients, secure contracts with existing clients, secure contracts with new clients, create new prospective clients and expectations for sales increase.

Relationship-building performance : build relationship with new clients, enhance relationship with existing clients, contacts with major decision-makers, enhance relationship with core clients and create new distributors.

Information gathering performance : collect market information and collect information on competitors.

Image building performance : corporate recognition reinforcement, corporate image improvement, brand recognition reinforcement and brand image improvement.

Such studies have determined that nonsales activities at a trade show might influence the choices of potential buyers in the long-term. Accordingly, “the sales performance effects can last over a longer period of time than the show itself” ( Chu and Chiu, 2013 , p. 64).

Studies taking into account visitors’ perceptions and evaluations of trade fairs are not comparable, in number, to the ones concerning exhibitors ( Sarmento and Simões, 2018 ); still, we verified that they acknowledge the relevance of assessing visitors’ needs and satisfaction, leading to the conclusion that understanding what motivates visitors to participate in trade shows and observing their behavior pre- and post-attendance are key factors in the process of defining suitable performance measures. Hence, the strong relation between visitors’ motivations and their final satisfaction suggests that visitors’ perception of trade show performance might be evaluated, addressing first their motivations to participate in exhibitions. This is why, as mentioned above, for this research, we adopted the definition of performance as argued by Gottlieb et al. (2011) , who referred to “consumer’s belief about the degree to which he/she is able to achieve his/her attendance objectives” ( Gottlieb et al. , 2011 , p. 91).

As stressed by Godar and O’connor (2001 , p. 79), “even given the concentrated nature of trade shows, the control exercised by sellers, and the resulting stress, buyers return in large numbers year after year.” Especially when visitors’ long-term motives meet their participation goals (e.g. maintaining relationships with exhibitors, which are sellers), they will tend to confirm participation at the next edition of the event, as a result of:

[…] a carry-over effect from one annual exhibition to the next, and for the individual attending the trade show and/or the company for which he or she works, are strategic rather than tactical ( Godar and O’connor, 2001 , p. 79).

This may result in visitors’ participation at trade show as a “tradition,” becoming loyal and confirming their participation year after year. Smith et al. (2003) studied visitors’ goals in participating in exhibitions and explained how their accomplishments would affect future attendance intentions. In their research, they compared exhibitions at the local vs offshore level. They demonstrated that for visitors, “the perceptions of success in seeing new product introductions, seeing actual product features, and gathering industry trends” ( Smith et al. , 2003 , p. 411) significantly affected future show interest at the domestic level. On the other hand, their results show that, at the international level, future interest in the event was generated only when successful supplier interactions were combined with seeing products and trends and gathering information related to buying processes.

Sarmento and Farhangmehr (2016) stressed the consequence of “determinants of visitors’ global satisfaction and intention to participate in the next edition of the fair, taking into account their different motives for trade fair participation” ( Sarmento and Farhangmehr, 2016 , p. 736). Data analysis involved exploratory questionnaires. The main finding stressed that, although the event service is supplied by the organizers of the exhibition, exhibitors are more critical than organizers in shaping visitors’ satisfaction and intention for future participations. Furthermore, the authors described that visitors’ satisfaction and intentions to future participation are influenced by their intention of buying or nonbuying, namely, exhibitors’ quality and product innovativeness and by the experience characterizing the interaction with the staff at the exhibitors’ booths. Hlee et al. (2017) explored the characteristics of trade show on-site IT at a Korean trade show and used a survey approach to empirically understand visitors’ perception toward on-site IT usage. The authors highlighted relationships among on-site IT usage, effectiveness and visitors’ perception toward different innovation characteristics (e.g. relative advantage, compatibility and complexity). The authors disclosed that relative advantage and compatibility had positive impacts on trade show effectiveness. Lin et al. (2018) proposed a framework called “the visitor–exhibitor–organizer (VEO)” to examine dimensions of overall satisfaction of both trade show exhibitors and visitors. Results indicate that satisfaction of the self-performance, and satisfaction associated with organizers and exhibitors or visitors, contributed to the overall satisfaction of each stakeholder group and positive behavioral intention. Satisfaction associated with the self-performance was marked as the strongest predictor of overall satisfaction in both the exhibitor and visitor models. The authors highlighted that visitors’ satisfaction with both exhibitors and organizers contributed significantly to visitors’ overall satisfaction.

To sum up, visitors’ behavior has been acknowledged as a signal of how a trade show is perceived. Indeed, from the analysis, it emerges that considering trade show performance from visitors’ perspectives entails evaluating the output of their actions, namely, post-exhibition purchases and next visit.

4.3 Emerging technological trends in the trade show domain

Fostered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the trade show sector has been increasingly exploring for new technological solutions to overcome physical distances that have been built up due to required sanitary norms aiming at containing the dissemination of the contagion. Hence, 2020 has proved for trade fairs all around the world as a year of unexpected challenges, urging actors involved in such business to look for answers. In such context, technological trends that, prior to the pandemic, were slowly appearing and been exploited mainly from industry pioneers, are now sought after by many exhibitions. Nevertheless, as determined by literature search by Lacka et al. (2020) , previous studies calling attention on the role of the internet have often highlighted its enormous value regarding interaction among parts: “the value of the Internet as a communication channel, which aids information dissemination and enables business partners to maintain information-rich relational exchanges despite physical distance” Lacka et al. (2020 , p. 6).

Analyzing the importance of digital technologies, Baldwin (2021) illustrated that, near the end of the 20th century, the economics of exchange platforms (among which, trade fairs) was much changed by new available digital technologies; indeed, the advancement was represented by a low-cost technology given by an instantaneous transmission of coded information that replaced manual and electromechanical technologies. The author continued specifying that, through the larger availability of the internet and with advancements according to Moore’s Law, five digital technologies may be identified as common to all digital exchange platforms; these are: crowdsourcing, peer production, search and ad placement, dynamic pricing, data analysis and prediction. The researcher clarified that crowdsourcing and peer production broadened on a large scale the ecosystems of such platforms; while the last three technologies, that represent a strategic source, are now seen as core processes performed by platform sponsors.

Specifically, in this section, we argue that the most relevant novelties affecting the current state of trade shows are constituted by the use of social media, the use of in-place profiling tools and, last but not least, the proliferation of virtual trade shows.

It is important to notice that, since such technological trends were slowly emerging in the industry, scientific literature on practical explorations concerning such topics is not abundant yet. Hence, we attempt at reviewing previous studies, focusing on the state of the art of such trends as applied in the trade show context according to the available literature.

4.3.1 Social media in the trade show domain

Social media is commonly defined as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that enables the creation and exchange of User Generated Content” ( Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010 , p. 61). Digital communication platforms and social media allowed a much cheaper and faster communication, besides broadening the range of potential recipients of messages transmitted; hence, social media may be seen as a “technology that helps individuals achieve their social goals and fulfill their social obligations” ( Baldwin, 2021 , p. 19).

In our analysis on visitors of trade shows, we noticed that, surprisingly, little scientific research had been dedicated so far to the issues of social media usage in such context. Social media platforms can help gaining direct information about trade show participants’ behavior during the pre-, at and post-trade show ( Tafesse and Skallerud, 2017 ). Tafesse and Skallerud (2017) argue that, although trade show organizers have been increasingly using such platforms for multiple reasons (e.g. grant information on their events and communicate with current and potential customers), these are still scarcely implemented in the trade show domain to gather information regarding visitors’ perceptions and future intentions. Kitchen (2017) conducted a research to explore how organizers project the networking at trade shows. Their work also focused on visitors’ possible gains from participating to such events. Findings revealed that objectives were different based on the type of attendee; furthermore, they found that attendees typically followed up with 20%–30% of contacts after the exhibition. Accordingly, the authors suggested that the adoption of networking technologies could eventually allow profitable connections.

4.3.1.1 Social listening.

As social media usage and popularity have risen, brands have increasingly adopted these tools for marketing purposes ( Diba et al. , 2019 ). Social listening emerges in such context as a trend that consists in monitoring a brand’s channels on different social media platforms, listening to the audience conversations as well as its reviews on certain topics or industries, and observing trends and trying to seek for opportunities. Diba et al. (2019) highlighted that brands may advantageously adopt social listening as an alert system and, consequently, rely on sentiment analysis to assess influence on the attitudes toward a brand. Indeed, social listening may be usefully adopted by organizations and brands participating to trade shows. For instance, exhibition organizers may actively investigate specific industry trends as well as needs and desires of the companies that work in it, and that may be targeted for a trade event as exhibitors. Moreover, both organizers and exhibitors may practice it with the aim of analyzing opinions on visitors’ experiences.

To the best of our knowledge, scientific research concerning social listening in the trade show domain is extremely limited, as we observed only one article explicitly exploring such topic. Gopalakrishna et al. (2019) developed a conceptual model outlining the process of managing customer engagement at trade shows. What makes this study particularly compelling is the adopted perspective on observing visitors’ behavior: the authors depict customer engagement as a “dynamic process that unfolds over time” ( Gopalakrishna et al. , 2019 , p. 100). In describing such process, the authors focused on “social media behaviors,” referring to the sharing of experiences lived by buyers on social platforms, as social media can indeed represent a tool for stimulating dialogue about a trade show. According to the authors, the dialogue that may be developed about an exhibition positively influences two behavioral outcomes: intention to purchase and intention to return to the event. The reasons behind it may be disclosed in the fact that by discussing the fair, visitors may further elaborate their experiences, increasing their awareness. Such a relationship is fully mediated by satisfaction with the trade show concerning purchasing, learning and social activities held in such context. Accordingly, to take advantage of the positive relationship between post-fair dialogue and future behavior, Gopalakrishna et al. (2019) suggested that managers may push for the increasing usage of social platforms in such context. Fraccastoro et al. (2021) studied social media and their integration with traditional sales communication methods. Findings revealed that social media can be very helpful in attracting international prospects. According to the authors, when searching for new business opportunities, “social media is generally preferred in the continuous search for prospects, while participation in fairs and traditional sales prospecting activities are limited to isolated events” ( Fraccastoro et al. , 2021 , p. 9). The authors illustrated that digital communication tools are more frequently adopted in the persuasion phase of the sale process (including, i.e. presentations, negotiations and closing the deal) if compared with the customer relationship management phase.

4.3.2 In-place visitors’ profiling

Especially in cases where trade show industry is more mature, the analysis and appraisal of visitors’ information become significant, and trade fair companies should take advantage by extracting valuable information for improving visitors’ relationship management and enhancing the overall quality of the exhibition ( Shen and Huang, 2011 ).

Developing knowledge on spatial processes during events is useful in gathering visitors’ behavior and in promoting companies’ marketing strategies ( Chongwatpol, 2015 ). Moreover, it allows to enhance visitors’ experience by helping exhibitors understanding visitors’ interests and purchasing conduct ( Chongwatpol, 2015 ). Besides that, such practices lay grounds to better manage the trade show itself through the monitoring of the areas and support logistic planning providing information for optimizing critical aspects such as overcrowding ( Blanke et al. , 2014 ) and pricing. In fact, literature has consistently studied crowd behavior at large events by means of dedicated mobile applications or sensor tags ( Mashhadi et al. , 2016 ). Methods to acquire visitors’ location mainly rely on mobile applications that exploit Global Positioning Systems (GPS) or Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Cellular signals or a mix of them; on the other hand, sensor tags have been recorded by researchers mainly through Bluetooth devices ( Mashhadi et al. , 2016 ). Through our review, we found evidence of explorations entailing observation of the spatiotemporal paths through the definition of heat-maps derived from trajectories in the context of the trade shows. For the sake of completeness, we consider to be important to extend our analysis to the entertainment industry, e.g. festivals ( Blanke et al. , 2014 ) or sport events ( Pettersson and Zillinger, 2011 ) where computer vision is extensively exploited to gain insights about the usefulness of such techniques and to gather knowledge on the way these could be exploited in the context of trade shows.

Evidence on the use of GPS technology for tracking visitors at large-scale events has been provided by Pettersson and Zillinger (2011) and Blanke et al. (2014) . To observe the time-space movements of visitors during a sport event, Pettersson and Zillinger (2011) used a combination of three methods: GPS devices, questionnaires and overview camera recordings. The researchers were able to synthesize differently colored trajectories depending on the satisfaction expressed by visitors’ by associating the GPS devices to a button through which visitors could express positive or negative feelings. Similarly, Blanke et al. (2014) associated GPS devices to a survey as they aimed at capturing crowd dynamics through the development of a mobile phone app for a Swiss festival. The authors captured the location of the user continuously so that they could share their position with friends on Facebook who had installed the app. Results highlighted crow density and produced flow display maps expressing such patterns.

enable advertisement for traders;

alert visitors in case of emergency; and

allow visitors to track each other during the event.

Further studies have been developed by Joppi et al. (2018) and Gentilin et al. (2019) . The former one laid out an original perspective for the investigation of exhibition visitors’ profiling. The innovative proposal by Joppi et al. (2018) relies in combining the geolocation data collected on visitors with the Web information obtained through a platform constituted by social applications. The authors argued that all three trade shows participating categories, namely, organizers, exhibitors and visitors, could benefit from such analysis by assessing rich multimedia profiles, as well as personalized recommendations, effective innovative behavioral predictions and optimal fair space planning could be implemented. Indeed, by improving visitors’ experience, exhibitors’ revenues could be increased. The adoption of Bluetooth technology as a valid technique to collect data about the movement of visitors has also been explored by literature ( Delafontaine et al. , 2012 ; Gentilin et al. , 2019 ). Gentilin et al. (2019) analyzed pilot trajectories collected during an exhibition via locators communicating via Low Energy Bluetooth to visitors’ smartphones. Through a transformation of the raw trajectories into undirected graphs and by applying the dominant set clustering technique, the authors were able to determine overlapping clusters of trajectories. These could be used for setting a visit recommendation system, examining booth assignment effectiveness and laying out a performance indicator, allowing exhibitors to evaluate the participation at the event. On the other hand, Chien et al. (2019) used a face recognition software combined with a server linked to the internet. People flow tally and data collection were carried out in six empirical cases of Asian trade shows. The authors coupled observations with video and scanning systems at exhibition exits and entrances. They disclosed that the face recognition system could provide a precise and timely distribution data on the number of people at an exhibition site, as well as their age, gender and time of stay. Through such information, exhibitors may be able to adjust their marketing activities according to data acquired on visitors’ movements.

4.3.3 Virtual trade shows

Digitalization has made its way into multiple fields ( Flavián et al. , 2019 ) and exhibition industry is just one of those involved in the challenges posed by such trend. In their pioneering work, Su et al. (1998) illustrated that virtual exhibitions have often been considered as an extension of physical trade fairs. Lee‐Kelley et al. (2004) portrayed virtual exhibitions as exhibitions held in cyberspace; later, Geigenmüller (2010) proposed a definition by stating that: “virtual trade fairs are Web-based platforms where customers, suppliers and distributors can get together virtually at any time and from any place” ( Geigenmüller, 2010 p. 286). Moreover, Foo (2008) argued that virtual exhibitions offer the opportunity to overcome restrictions of space, time and location. They suggest that virtual exhibitions can represent a valid alternative to the “real thing” and constitute improvements for visitors’ experiences encompassing learning, interacting with more contents beyond physical exhibits, active participation through forums and uploads, online shopping, etc. In fact, “users can be captivated, engaged and even contribute toward the continual update of the exhibition” ( Foo, 2008 , p. 33). Indeed, exhibitions may take place under physical or through computer-mediated platforms ( Sarmento and Simões, 2019 ). Besides, virtual trade fairs may be accounted by visitors as engagement platforms, useful for becoming part of bigger business networks ( Sarmento and Simões, 2019 ). The internet and the world wide web constitute the grounds for electronic trading in which exchanges takes place ( Lee‐Kelley et al. , 2004 ) and online trade fairs represent an innovative service that both exhibitors and visitors can exploit ( Geigenmüller, 2010 ) as it entails a good number of advantages, allowing to overcome the limitations of the physical exhibition ( Lee‐Kelley et al. , 2004 ).

Geigenmüller (2010) stressed the main elements of difference of physical versus virtual trade fairs. According to her view, virtual trade fairs offer IT-mediated interaction that “may expand visitors’ privacy and reduce the perceived pressure to communicate personally” ( Geigenmüller, 2010 , p. 286). In addition, virtual trade shows foster interaction through multiple channels (such as e-mail and chats) and avoid geographical or time limit to the fruition of the event. Thus, virtual events pose an interesting potential. In fact, among the key features that make virtual exhibition appealing venues for buyers and sellers, the possibility to relax spatiotemporal constraints by following the 24/7 principle and by displaying in multiple languages ( Su et al. , 1998 ; Lee‐Kelley et al. , 2004 ; Geigenmüller, 2010 ), can reduce expenses, especially for smaller firms that would otherwise struggle to participate due to cost barriers ( Lee‐Kelley et al. , 2004 ; Geigenmüller, 2010 ; Gabisch, 2015 ; Baldwin, 2021 ) and made available reliable tools (e.g. passwords and authentication codes) that would allow exhibitors to discriminate less qualified visitors from high-end ones ( Geigenmüller, 2010 ). According to Getz (2004) , what virtual trade shows miss “is the sense of place, the dynamics of crowds, and the emotions associated with being physically a part of something special” ( Getz, 2004 , p. 414). Researchers have rather underlined the complementary nature of the two types of trade shows ( Lee‐Kelley et al. , 2004 ; Sarmento and Simões, 2019 ). Exploratory research by Lee‐Kelley et al. (2004) , carried through a questionnaire to European and Middle Eastern senior managers participating to trade fairs as exhibitors, observed the potential of the virtual exhibitions and demonstrated that such events are likely to be a useful medium for the following items of the marketing mix: “product,” “promotion” and “price,” whereas it did not as strongly for “place.” They explained the weaker response to place may be due to preference in the use of virtual exhibitions to transfer information in place of distributing goods. Wolf et al. (2018) investigated pros and cons encountered by visitors win attending virtual museum exhibitions compared to their original. The authors studied ways to improve visitors’ attendance at virtual museum by conducting two experiments. To start with, they compared virtual reality (VR) versus real museum and, second, they realized interviews with museum professionals. According to their results, pure VR presents the following pros in comparison to real museums: space, time, location and possibility to save money. Differently, elements such authenticity and sensation of space are not favored by VR. The study revealed “content accessibility from everybody, everywhere, and at any time” as the major advantage of VR ( Wolf et al. , 2018 , p. 85). However, there are some contents that cannot fully be virtualized as original products. Sarmento and Simões (2019) stressed the dual nature of exhibitions as, in their view, trade fairs represent “engagement and learning platforms consisting of physical and virtual touch points between actors in a service ecosystem” ( Sarmento and Simões, 2019 , p. 1787). They defined virtual trade shows as a tool “to foster interactivity and connectivity before and after the physical trade fair” ( Sarmento and Simões, 2019 , p. 1782). The fundamentals of such debate seem to lie in solutions that may allow virtual trade fairs to overcome two critical aspects: first, alternatives to the sensory experience lived at the trade show should be provided, as physical exhibition is a “single, intense, and frequently memorable human experience absorbed by emotions and human senses” ( Sarmento and Simões, 2019 , p. 1795). The second key aspect under discussion is the way virtual trade fairs may be used in developing and maintaining valuable interpersonal relationships ( Geigenmüller, 2010 ; Gopalakrishna and Lilien, 2012 ).

perceived threat severity (COVID-19’s perceived seriousness);

response efficacy (beliefs related to the effectiveness of the coping response); and

self-efficacy (beliefs about whether individuals can perform recommended coping response) raise social distancing behavior.

Besides, social distancing has been found to increase visitors’ intentions to participate in virtual reality tours during pandemics. In the case of the postpandemics, results by the research illustrated that social distancing has no consequent impact on potential visitors’ intent to use virtual reality vs in-person tours.

Finally, Gani et al. (2021) conducted a literature review on the topic of virtual exhibitions. By arguing that conceptual studies on virtual trade shows are lacking, the researchers focused on those aspects of virtual trade shows presenting open questions and potential fields where theoretical development is needed. According to their findings, several areas have remained under-explored by literature; hence, they claim that the trade show domain presents a relevant potential for theoretical improvements. The study suggested managers of virtual trade shows to pay attention to the role of IT and new technologies in their field of business; especially by analyzing and defining specific paths to reach a sustainable relationship with clients. Relevant technologies should be considered by trade fair organizers and exhibitors, as these could greatly impact virtual exhibitions at each stage.

4.4 Conceptual framework of the research

As a premise for our conceptual frameworks, we argue that, since trade show visitors are diverse, for instance, in terms of inclinations, needs, perceptions and evaluations ( Godar and O’connor, 2001 ; Gopalakrishna et al. , 2010 ; Gopalakrishna et al. , 2019 ), it is paramount for exhibitors and organizers to closely observe such variability to be able to carefully plan strategies for improving performance indices such as audience numbers and loyalty.

From visitors’ perspective, defining unanimously the concept of trade show performance is not an easy task. For the present analysis, we rely on the definition of performance through its effectiveness following Gottlieb et al. (2011) , who referred to “consumer’s belief about the degree to which he/she is able to achieve his/her attendance objectives” ( Gottlieb et al. , 2011 , p. 91) by applying it to the industrial context.

On the basis of the existing literature ( Rosson and Seringhaus, 1995 ; Herbig et al. , 1997 ; Chu and Chiu, 2013 ; Çobanoğlu and Turaeva, 2014 ; Tafesse and Skallerud, 2017 ; Sarmento and Simões, 2018 ; Gopalakrishna et al. , 2019 ), we believe that a three-step scheme allows the most suitable representation framework of how trade shows evolve over time; hence, in the following analysis, we apply it to the study of visitors’ role and behavior.

In such scheme illustrated in Figure 2 , the pre-show phase consists in the analysis of the criteria adopted by visitors to select an exhibition event, such as visitors’ motivations and elements evaluated when picking an exhibition. As a second item, for describing the at-show phase, we focus on the variables that influence the enjoyment and involvement of visitors’ experience at exhibitions. Third, we stress visitors’ post-trade show involvement, followed by their perception of performance and post-trade show behavior, namely, post-show purchases and participation to future events. We posit that these two latter elements are the last sequential components of visitors’ trade show journey, constituting visitors’ behavioral facets as shaped by their participation to an exhibition that, as such, may reflect the outputs of trade show performance. At the same time, the variables pertaining to each of the three steps contribute to the creation of different degrees of visitors’ satisfaction. Consequently, when elaborating satisfaction as a result of trade show participation, visitors make a judgment on trade fair performance.

In further detail, we argue that pre-, at- and post- are three sequential steps of visitors’ path in a trade show experience. Specifically, we assume a cycle-form path: pre-, at- and post-show stages may take place regularly, event after event, as due to loyalty or tradition visitors are often carried to the same event regularly. The cycle is represented in Figure 2 through arrows that go in opposite directions: we posit that each stage is influenced by components of the stage before, besides, it is also affected by the stages occurring afterward, in an interconnected dimension.

To explain how variables act in this model, an example is provided. For instance, seeing new products and comparing suppliers’ solutions may be a major variable for visitors to choose a trade show (pre-stage). At the exhibition, they will search for such type of product/service (at-stage) among different exhibitors. Then, they may receive information about the solutions compared through follow-up activities (post-stage). At the same time, past experiences (post-stage) may influence visitors’ expectations (pre-stage) and, therefore, their behavior during the expositions (at-stage). Then, the exhibition performance may be evaluated by visitors taking into consideration the degree to which they were able to pursue their attendance objectives. Successful attendance will include having met participation objectives, such as seeking new products, comparing alternative solutions, collecting information, meeting regular or new suppliers, updating professional skills and taking part in an important event in the industry. Variables pertaining to a specific exhibition visit will make the difference in the experience accomplished by visitors, as, e.g. prepared personnel, quality of services or products offered, aspects related to the organization and layout of the trade show itself and of the booths are all aspects that influence the perceived quality of a trade show. Consequently, a successful participation to a trade show edition will leave a positive influence on visitors’ consideration of the next editions; hence, when deciding whether to participate, the previous participation will be taken into account, in a cyclic way.

This paper brings to light every step mentioned in the research framework by critically considering the role that variables pertaining to each of the three considered phases entail on the formulation of visitors’ satisfaction and perception of exhibition performance. The above-illustrated framework constitutes the grounds to propose the foremost role played by emerging technological trends, as their importance is surging. Hence, the framework in Figure 2 constitutes the basis for developing further examinations and evaluations on what the most modern technological trends can be in trade fair sector. Accordingly, we expand the framework represented by Figure 2 in Figure 3 .

The grounds for such expansion lie in the fact that each of the three technological trends can be examined by bearing in mind the three-step process of exhibitions. In fact, we claim that social media is pertinent to all of the three phases as a communication and promotion tool but also as a data source concerning visitors. On the other hand, visitors’ profiling, such as through video tracking and machine learning technologies, and virtual trade shows are consistent in the time span that involves the phase at the trade show as well as in the virtual exhibition context.

Furthermore, it can be noticed that many of these aspects are interconnected, i.e. through social media, one can receive information in the pre-exhibition phase regarding many aspects of the event, during the show itself, social media represent a real-time source of information/communication between participants. During the post phase, social media can convey word-of-mouth opinions on the event, the experience lived, the products encountered, etc. We want to highlight the interconnection that occurs between these aspects and the three phases as a cycle: after a span of time post-show stage, visitors will be considered again if participating to next edition; hence, opinions expressed and encountered on these media has a role in the next decision phase.

5. Discussion

The main goal of the present research is to illustrate visitors’ behavior and satisfaction in relation to trade fair participation and how the emerging technological trends can impact on visitor behavior and, therefore, on trade show performance. In doing so, we did not limit ourselves in providing literature-based illustrations; instead, we also presented our conceptual model integrating visitor behavior and new technologies. This topic is nowadays of crucial importance given the outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemics. This study is particularly useful for trade show exhibitors and organizers in reaching a solid basis on the multitude of variables that influence visitors’ participation to B2B trade shows, namely, pre-, at and post-event itself. Organizing and exhibitor managers carefully plan their participation well ahead of the exhibition, and they make investments to reach profit. Deepening their knowledge on visitors’ behavior and on the variables impacting their behavior will benefit the phase of strategy planning to achieve a successful and profiting participation to trade shows, year after year.

We specifically focus, throughout the literature review and in representing it through our research framework, on the participating mode of visitors. The originality of our contribution is given by the development of a theoretical model including the emerging technological. Top notch and innovative technologies, which represent a foremost topic of current interest for the events’ sector.

For visitors, trade shows represent opportunities to meet suppliers, to acquire information, to receive technical advice and to interact as a part of a community. Prior to the show (pre-show phase), visitors decide in advance whether to participate or not in trade shows, considering their motivations and finding a possible match between their needs and the offer given by a specific event. At the trade show, there are multiple factors affecting the visitors’ experience, i.e. booth-related, services-related and personnel’s competencies-related elements. After the exhibition, visitors may be engaged by exhibitors or organizers in follow-up activities. Trade show performance has mainly been considered by exhibition literature from the exhibitors’ side (i.e. distinguishing outcome-based dimension and behavior-based dimensions). Indeed, visitors’ behavior has been recognized as a signal of how a trade show is perceived. Post-exhibition purchases and next visit emerge as signals of an exhibition performance in relation to visitors’ perception. Besides, especially when visitors’ long-term motives meet their participation goals, they will tend to confirm participation at the next edition of the event.

Social networks represent a functional tool for trade shows organizers and exhibitors as they can be used to accomplish many tasks, for instance, communicating with target audience and facilitating interaction by creating social communities where individuals can find information on products and/or services. Still, in the exhibition industry, social media as a source of data does not seem to be exploited enough.

Multiple methods to examine visitors’ movements have been explored by the literature ( Pettersson and Zillinger, 2011 ; Delafontaine et al. , 2012 ; Blanke et al. , 2014 ; Gentilin et al. , 2019 ). For instance, data on visitors’ paths at the exhibitions and/or overcrowded areas can be acquired. Furthermore, researchers have developed ways of addressing visitors’ multimedia profiles ( Bartoli et al. , 2016 ; Guo et al. , 2016 ; Joppi et al. , 2018 ) and behavioral predictions. Such information may be extremely relevant in developing improved marketing strategies targeting visitors and in managing optimal fair space planning.

Exhibitions may take place under physical or through Web-based platforms. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual trade shows, which have been exploited by industry pioneers, in 2020 and the first half of 2021 have been strongly intensified. The debate whether virtual trade shows can be an effective substitute to physical events is still under discussion; however, the pandemics has given a great boost to such modality of events. It is important to point out that most of the accessed literature refers to the time prior to the 2020 pandemics, as we did not find significant contributions on the theme yet and authors are hesitant in claiming that virtual exhibitions might replace physical ones ( Sarmento and Simões, 2019 ). In light of recent happenings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a wide number of trade shows, globally, has indeed postponed or cancelled events that were programed in 2020 and 2021. Consequently, the sector is facing a troublesome time, pressing for solutions that are being explored by trade show organizers, whose business is staggering due to force majeure ( Exhibitoronline, 2020 )

6. Managerial implications

In their literature review, Tafesse and Skallerud (2017 , p. 18) point out that “trade show research is heavily dependent on a combination of cross-sectional designs and surveys, with limited application of other designs and data collection approaches.” They stated that depth and rigor of the trade show marketing literature could be improved by applying different methods. Our analysis confirms the authors’ conclusions, and accordingly, we call trade shows’ organizers and exhibitions’ managers to explore and, consequently, try to adopt alternative sources to investigate visitors’ profiling, such as social media or geolocation, which have been identified as efficient management and marketing strategies in the entertainment fields such as festivals, amusement parks and museums. Gopalakrishna et al. (2019 , p. 110) also suggested that future research will likely comprise recording behavioral activities using these types of technologies tracing visitors, as “knowing a customer’s entire behavior during the show could enable real-time interventions involving contact and promotional strategies to enhance engagement, and thereby increase loyalty and future purchase behaviors.”

Moreover, in the framework of digital transformation, a new hybrid form of fruition combining in-person and online participation is emerging. This is currently exacerbated by COVID-19 sanitary emergency that has triggered a transition from real to virtual that will shape a new era of communication and interaction affecting all kinds of human activities. Trade shows are not an exception, determining an essential rethinking of the business model ( Exhibitoronline, 2020 ). In this transition from real to digital and back, enabling technologies like AI, big-data management and distributed smart systems become essential for the effective exploitation of the huge amount of information that is made available by the internet and related information technologies. Geolocalization, virtual reality and social listening, are only few of the many keywords that are shaping the reality of trade shows allowing to face the challenges risen by the happening of the COVID-19 pandemics. Hence, confirming Itani and Hollebeek (2021) , we suggest trade shows’ organizers and exhibitors to expanding their service portfolio to include virtual reality-based offerings, as these are predicted to acquire greater importance in many experience-related sectors.

We believe that trade show organizers should boost the interplay between exhibitors and visitors relying on an interplay of social media and social communities, in a way that buyer-supplier interaction can be consolidated and so that visitors are eased in accessing information on future purchases. Moreover, if properly managed, they may help in enhancing brand engagement. In fact, social media trigger the word-of-mouth mechanism, benefiting links among individuals and companies through the expression of reviews and conversations. Also, we encourage exhibition managers to further stimulate social media dialogue and follow-up activities to reach higher audience evaluating the experience online so that behavioral outcomes will result as a consequence of such elaboration ( Gopalakrishna et al. , 2019 ). Furthermore, social media constitute a powerful tool to observe and acquire intelligence on visitors, though still under-used in such context. Hence, in our opinion, trade show organizers and exhibitors should gain awareness of the potential of these platforms, as data on target audience as well as on new potential visitors can be extrapolated, advantaging exhibition marketing strategies.

Finally, in our opinion, it would be paramount for trade shows organizers to acquire deeper visitors’ profile information by creditably using tracking technologies; in such a way, the intelligence on crowds’ movements should be gathered so that trade show areas logistics could be optimized, and ad hoc tools can be developed guiding visitors in the flow to strategical nodes. Trade show organizers should take advantage from such technologies as they may exploit crucial exhibition areas, for instance, adapting the prices to the potential profitability of exhibition booths.

7. Conclusions

Examining visitors’ behavior and preferences is fundamental for trade show organizers and exhibitions managers to acquire an exhaustive perspective on their participation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, technological trends are acquiring a broader role in the exhibition industry. Further research is expected to understand the evolvement of the trade show business due to the changes imposed by the pandemics.

Specifically, we agree with Haon et al. (2020) , who call for exhibitors to consider trade shows strategically, rather than merely as venues for soliciting short-term sales orders. Hence, we suggest further research focusing on the distinct motives that diversify trade show visitors as well as on the differences between exhibitors’ and visitors’ needs and motivations. In fact, we believe such a deepening would benefit both organizers and exhibitors in devising increasingly customized marketing and business strategies.

As we aimed at providing a picture on the current technological trends that shape visitors’ participation at exhibitions, we have noticed that literature on such progression is still quite scant. Hence, we would encourage some elements to develop by future research. While some of these factors would subserve the end-to-end pipeline from pre- to post-show, others would be peculiar to specific phase.

Precisely, in our opinion, social media have a great potential for acquiring data concerning visitors; hence, such information should be explored by further research more in depth, in relation to all the three stages of trade shows. Prior to the show, social media could help gain knowledge on visitors’ profiles, considering their motivations and criteria to select an exhibition. At the event itself, social media could reveal in real-time feedback of the experience lived. Finally, after the show, social media could reveal interesting information on visitors’ evaluation of the overall experience or of the single exchange held at booths. We then agree with Lacka et al. (2020) , who suggest further research on social media and, in general, on the Web 2.0 as tools allowing to achieve an active two-way communication. Specifically, we call for research on these themes inherently the exhibitions industry as an important component of trading between business-related firms.

As we pointed out above, the application of visitors’ tracking techniques in the industrial trade show context is very limited; thus, as argued by Joppi et al. (2018) , we suggest future research to conduct exploratory investigations to further exploit this possibility since these techniques also reveal data on exhibition visitors’ profiling.

Virtual trade shows have emerged as a technological trend in the industry and have encountered a fast rise in 2020, especially due to the social distancing constraints. Digital exhibitions, for companies that cannot physically participate in trade shows or for the trade shows organizers itself in cases of government bans, offer a solution to keep the business lucrative and to keep developing valuable connections. In fact, virtual trade shows may be exploited due to the potential fosterage of interactivity and connectivity of the actors involved before and after the physical trade fair. So, we consider the analysis of the experience of all the actors involved (beyond visitors) in virtual or dual (in-person and virtual) events to be among the hottest topics of future investigation.

In conclusion, we believe that the pandemic has triggered a breakout toward the shift to digital events that will substantially reshape the trade-show scenario. Hence, we strongly recommend imminent future research to investigate the impact of such outbreak on the trade show industry. Such evolution that has digital and digitalization as protagonists is occurring in all types of events peculiarized by social exchange, from work to conferences and education. It seems, in fact, that prior to the time of COVID-19, digitalization was being slowly introduced in this context. Disposing of digital tools to interact and acquire information in times of lockdown has become essential; as Coeckelbergh claimed “our lives literally depend on them” ( Coeckelbergh, 2020 , p. 1). This is of extreme relevance in sectors as the trade show industry, pronouncedly characterized by large crowds and interpersonal interaction that, in our opinion, will boost a transition toward a hybrid nature of the events.

PRISMA 2020 flow diagram for the systematic review implemented in this study

Research framework

Research framework enriched by trade show technological trends

List of reviewed articles

The complete research strings are available as Supplementary Material.

CVPA is described as “the level of significance that visual aesthetics hold for a particular consumer in his/her relationship with products” ( Bloch et al. , 2017 , p. 242).

Research conducted on 20-04-2022

1,196 results from Scopus for:

(TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade show*” AND visitor* ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade fair*” AND visitor* ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade show*” AND effectiveness ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade fair*” AND effectiveness ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade fair*” AND performance ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( "trade show*" AND performance ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade show*” AND “social media” ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade fair*” AND “social media” ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade show*” AND “covid-19” ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade fair*” AND “covid-19” ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade fair”" AND “digital” ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “trade show*” AND “digital” ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( events AND “gps-localization” ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( visitors* AND profiling ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “virtual trade show*” ) OR TITLE-ABS-KEY ( “virtual trade fair*” ))

Research conducted on 02-05-22

2,910 results from Web of Science Core Collection for:

((((((((((((((((ALL=(“trade show*” AND visitor*)) AND ALL=(“trade show*” AND visitor*)) OR ALL=(“trade fair*” AND visitor*)) OR ALL=(“trade show*” AND effectiveness)) OR ALL=(“trade fair*” AND effectiveness)) OR ALL=(“trade fair*” AND performance)) OR ALL=(“trade show*” AND performance)) OR ALL=(“trade show*” AND “social media”)) OR ALL=(“trade fair*” AND “social media”)) OR ALL=(“trade show*” AND “covid-19”)) OR ALL=(“trade fair*” AND “covid-19”)) OR ALL=(“trade fair*” AND “digital”)) OR ALL=(“trade show*” AND “digital”)) OR ALL=(events AND “gps-localization”)) OR ALL=(visitors* AND profiling)) OR ALL=(“virtual trade show*”)) OR ALL=(“virtual trade fair*”)

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Sun , J. , Choi , C. and Bai , B. ( 2018 ), “ Dress for success: the effect of exhibitors’ dress conformity and self-construal on attendees’ approach behavior ”, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing , Vol. 35 No. 6 , pp. 706 - 714 .

Tafesse , W. and Skallerud , K. ( 2015 ), “ Towards an exchange view of trade fairs ”, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing , Vol. 30 No. 7 , pp. 795 - 804 .

Tafesse , W. and Skallerud , K. ( 2017 ), “ A systematic review of the trade show marketing literature: 1980–2014 ”, Industrial Marketing Management , Vol. 63 , pp. 18 - 30 .

UFI (2019), “ The global association of the exhibition industry, oxford economics, supported by SISO, society of independent show organizers ”, Global Economic Impact of Exhibitions , available at: www.ufi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Global-Economic-Impact-of-Exhibitions_b.pdf ( accessed 26 May 2020 ).

Wolf , K. , Reinhardt , J. and Funk , M. ( 2018 ), “ Virtual exhibitions: what do we win and what do we lose? ”, Electronic Visualisation and the Arts , pp. 79 - 86 .

Zakia , U. , Nahar , M. , Ruku , R.A. , Nawrin , N. and Esha , I.J.K. ( 2016 ), “ Analysis of wireless information transmission in a trade fair through device to device communication under LTE network ”, 2016 IEEE 7th Annual Information Technology, Electronics and Mobile Communication Conference (IEMCON) , IEEE , pp. 1 - 6 .

Zhou , Y. , Liu , J. , Zhang , W. and Ju , P. ( 2020 ), “ Understanding the learning and innovation model of exhibition visitors ”, American Journal of Industrial and Business Management , Vol. 10 No. 4 , p. 824 .

Further reading

UFI The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry , Beier , J. ( 2022 ), The Role of Exhibitions in the Marketing Mix , University of Cooperative Education , Ravensburg .

Acknowledgements

This work was partly supported by University of Verona and Veronafiere S.p.A. (Bando di Ateneo per la realizzazione di progetti congiunti con Imprese ed Enti, Joint Projects 2018, FAIR-PLAY project). Prof. Marco Cristani has been partially supported by the projects of the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) “Dipartimenti di Eccellenza 2018-2022” and PRIN 2017 “I-MALL – improving the customer experience in stores by intelligent computer vision (prot. 20172BH297).”

Corresponding author

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The Ultimate Trade Show Marketing Checklist

Attending trade shows gives you the chance to connect with new clients, reconnect with past clients and learn about what’s new in your industry. If you’re going to exhibit at a trade show, there is a fair amount of work involved in getting ready for the event and making your booth stand out in a sea of other exhibitors and vendors.

Prepping  trade show  displays isn’t something to leave to the last minute. If possible, start planning for your next in-person event at least one year in advance. We’ve put together a checklist to help you get started with the planning process and to help you make sure you’ve dotted every “i” and crossed every “t” before the show begins, during the event and afterward.

What to Do Before the Trade Show

As you prep for a trade show, it’s a good idea to set deadlines for yourself and your team. Many shows will give you a calendar of due dates when you register so that you know when you need to provide certain information to the event’s organizers. Beyond that, it can be helpful to make up your own deadlines for tasks, such as defining your goals and putting together a budget. That way, you can feel confident that you’re ready to go and that everything is in order as the date of the trade show approaches.

1. Set Your Goals

The first thing to do when prepping for trade shows is to set goals and objectives. What do you hope to get out of going to these shows and how will you know if you’ve reached your goals? Ideally, the goals you set will be ones you can trace and measure, such as:

• Generate X  number of new leads.
• Gain X number of new followers on social media.
• Make X number of sales within X amount of time after the show.
• Connect with X number of potential investors.
• Collect resumes from X number of qualified candidates.
• Increase email or newsletter subscription rate by X%.

It’s possible to have multiple goals for the same trade show or to set different goals for different events. For example, you might participate in a show that’s designed for industry insiders. In that case, it would make more sense for your goals to focus on finding new employees or new investors rather than on increasing sales. For events that are open to the public or to clients in your industry, focusing on sales-related goals will make more sense.

2. Create a Budget

After your goals, your budget is the most important thing to consider when preparing trade show graphics. Your overall budget determines how many trade shows you can attend, how far away those shows are and how elaborate your custom trade show exhibits can be. Creating a budget can help you make important decisions, such as whether it’s better to scale back your trade show display stands and attend more events or go to fewer shows with a flashier display.

Some of the costs to consider when putting together your trade show budget include:

• Cost to purchase or rent trade show booth materials.
• Cost to purchase custom marketing materials.
• Cost of travel to and from the trade show venue.
• Cost of food and hotels during each trade show.
• Vendor or exhibitor fees charged by the trade show.
• Cost of employee wages or overtime, if necessary.
• Cost of booth set-up, breakdown, transportation and storage.

3.  Reserve Your Spot

The sooner you can book your spot at a trade show, the better. If possible, it’s a good idea to try to have your goals set and your budget outlined about 12 months before trade show season gets underway. That way, you can start booking the shows you want to participate in as soon as registration opens.

Why reserve your spots early? The sooner you book, the more say you’ll have when it comes to the location of your booth at an event. Ask the event organizers for a map of the exhibit area, so that you can clearly see the routes and entrances in the exhibition hall.

Even if you don’t get to choose the exact location of your booth, having the event’s layout in hand will help you as you work on designing your display. You might place certain signs or displays in areas that will have more traffic than others, such as the side of your booth that faces an entrance to the exhibition hall or the side that’s opposite the restrooms or lounge area.

4. Design Your Booth

Once you know where you’ll be situated during a trade show, it’s time to get to work designing your booth. If you have materials left over from previous trade shows, you can reuse them during the upcoming trade show season. If you rented materials in the past, you can rent again and can change things up as you see fit. Some things to consider as you design your booth include:

• The size of your booth:  How much space do you have to work with? Will you be able to set up different areas for attendees to check out, such as a seating area with reading material or wall display with digital graphics? Can you hang things from the ceiling or other vertical spaces?
• Lighting options:  The more well-lit your booth, the more visible it will be to passersby. Think about the areas that you want to highlight, then add lights to them if possible. For example, you might add a row of LED lighting under a banner or use color-changing lights to draw attention to a poster or video display.
• Interactive materials:  If possible, include interactive materials in your booth design. Interactive materials, such as video programs, tablets with touchscreens or demos of your newest products, give people something to do while they are waiting to speak with someone from your team. Interactive materials can also make your booth more attractive to people who might otherwise stroll by.

5. Prep Your Marketing Materials

If you’re going to use custom-printed marketing materials as part of your trade show display, you’ll want to make sure that you have the designs finalized several months before the first event. It’s also a good idea to decide what type of materials you’re going to need. For example, if you’re going to exhibit at trade shows that take place outside, it’s a good idea to bring along an  event tent . An event tent provides coverage from the sun and protection from the rain. It also helps to get your message and brand logo out there.

Although event tents are most commonly used during outdoor shows and programs, you might use one at an indoor event, too. Setting up a tent inside can make your booth seem more novel. The logos printed on the top of the tent can also make your booth more visible and help people find your brand across a crowded exhibition floor.

In addition to event tents, trade show booth signage other marketing materials to design and order as you put together your exhibit include:

• Tabletoppers
• Digital signage
• Floor decals
• Corporate marketing signage
• Brochures and other print materials

6. Decide Who Will Staff Your Booth

In the months before a trade show, you want to decide who from your team will be going to the event and what each person’s role will be during the trade show. Deciding who’s going and who will stay behind far in advance will ensure that your company has the coverage it needs back at headquarters.

Another reason to pick your trade show team well in advance is that doing so gives you time to order uniforms or matching T-shirts as well as time to put together a plan. A trade show is an opportunity for you to take advantage of the particular strengths of your employees. If you know that one team member is great at bringing people in and making them feel welcome, that employee will definitely be someone you want to have greeting attendees at the event. If you know that another member of your team does an excellent job when it comes to closing the sale and getting people to purchase or hand over their contact information, then that’s another person you want working with you.

When you’re picking who will go and who will stay, it’s a good idea to look back at your budget. Depending on where the trade show is located, how you’ll get there and how many nights you need to stay in a hotel, you might only be able to bring a limited number of employees. For local events, you can bring more members of your team. In fact, you could even ask employees to attend the trade show as participants, then report back any interesting findings to you.

7. Confirm Travel and Other Last-Minute Details

As the day of the trade show gets closer and closer, it’s time to focus on last-minute details. If you need to fly to get to the trade show, it’s a good idea to book your tickets  at least three weeks in advance , if not earlier. In some cases, you can get a better deal if you book your hotel and flights at the same time.

Once you’ve figured out how your team will get to the event and where they will stay while there, it’s time to think about how your graphics and booth will get to the trade show. Depending on the size of the booth, you might be able to bring it with you on the flight as checked luggage. If that’s not feasible, you may have to pay to ship the materials to the trade show or hire a truck or van and drive the display there yourself.

It’s also a good idea to put together a plan for the trade show and to review what everyone will say or do while at the booth. You might want to make rules for your team, such as no sitting while in the booth, to keep the energy up. It’s also important to make sure everyone has a clear idea of their roles and responsibilities.

Also, review how your team will handle expenses while at the trade show. Should employees save their receipts from meals for reimbursement later on or will you give them company credit cards to use? Another thing to think about is whether or not you’ll have petty cash on hand to cover incidentals.

8. Scope out the Competition

About a week or so before the show, take a look at who else will be exhibiting. While you probably won’t get a preview of your competitor’s booths, it can be helpful to know who is going to be at the event.

What to Do During the Trade Show

Finally, the day of the trade show has arrived and you and your team are getting ready to meet and greet attendees. Here’s what you can do throughout the show to run smoothly and make sure you reach your goals.

1. Get Everyone on the Same Page

Although you probably reviewed roles and responsibilities with your team in advance of the trade show, now that the time of the event has arrived, it can be worthwhile to sit down with everyone and make sure you all understand your company’s goals and what each person will be doing.

Depending on how things go at the trade show itself, you might need to make adjustments on the fly. If it’s a multi-day event, it can be a good idea to schedule daily check-ins to see how people are doing and to get a sense of if things are working.

2. Use Social Media or the Event App to Your Advantage

Don’t shy away from technology during a trade show. Use it to get the word out about your booth and to connect with people at the event. If the trade show has an app, have each member of your team download it and use it. The app can help you see who’s who at the trade show and can keep you up to date on any changes that might come up at the last minute.

There are lots of ways you can use social media during a trade show. You can follow people you meet at your booth right away, you can post details about any giveaways or contests you’re running, and you can share videos and photos of your booth.

3. Hold Giveaways

Make your trade show exhibit the place people want to be by holding giveaways or contests throughout the event. While plenty of people are going to get excited about the chance to win, it’s also important that you make your giveaways worthwhile for your company. For example, instead of holding a random raffle, where you draw an anonymous, numbered ticket, hold a business card drawing. That way, you get to collect contact information from future customers.

4. Hand out Swag

Some people go to trade shows just for the free stuff they can collect from vendors and exhibitors. Giving out freebies can be a two-way street. A trade show attendee gets to walk away from a free T-shirt or stress ball, and your company gets another chance to get its logo out into the world.

It can be helpful to choose your freebies wisely. While some are inexpensive, such as pencils or pens, they are also aren’t particularly visible. If you want your message and branding to be visible and seen throughout an event, give out swag that’s a little more “in your face.” Tote bags are great since people can use them to carry their belongings and other freebies throughout the show. If you give out totes, your logo will be hanging in full view from the shoulders of hundreds of attendees.

5. Give People Something to Do

Depending on how popular your booth is, there might be times during the event when there are more visitors to it then staff members to talk to them. To keep people hanging around your booth as long as possible, it’s important to give them something to occupy their time. Some booth activities that can be worthwhile include:

• Games, such as slot-machine style games or other games of chance.
• Interactive surveys on a tablet.
• Videos describing your product or company’s history.
• Demos of your product for people to play with or sample.
• Reading material such as brochures or glossy magazines about your brand.

What to Do After the Trade Show

The end of a trade show is a time to reflect on what happened and to make a plan for future events. It’s also a good time to follow up on any leads and to evaluate your results, to see if you reached your goals.

1. Follow up With Leads

The sooner you follow up with leads after a trade show, the better. You want your brand to be fresh in people’s minds, and you want people to still be excited about the chance to work with you. If possible, follow up within a week of the event.

Try to follow up with leads with a personal message. A phone call can be ideal, as it gives you a chance to speak to the person directly. Sending a personalized email is another option, but keep in mind that many people feel overwhelmed by their inbox and might not respond. Some people also have filters in place that sift anything that seems promotional into a separate folder, where they might not see it at all.

When you follow up with people, have a plan. Give them options and the chance to move forward with your company. For example, you can suggest that they schedule an in-person meeting or sales call. In some cases, you might convince them to make a purchase during the follow-up call.

2. Review Your Budget

It’s also a good idea to take another look at your budget at the end of a trade show. You want to see if your total expenses were in line with what you were expecting or if you ended up going over budget. If the latter,  you might find that you need to adjust for future shows. For example, if travel and hotels ended up costing more than planned, you might take one or two fewer employees next time.

It might also be that you came in under budget and have money left over to use for a future trade show. Decide what you’ll do with any “extra” funds, such as investing that money in more bells and whistles for your booth or enhancing the giveaways you offer at your next event.

3. Track Your Progress

Keep focused on your goals in the weeks and months after the trade show. You want to keep tracking your leads, conversions and other metrics. If your goal was to find more investors, pay attention to how much money you raised in the first couple of quarters after the show. If you hoped to find new, qualified team members during the event, keep track of which candidates apply for a position with your company as a result of attending the trade show.

4. Check-in With Your Team

It’s also a good idea to touch base with the team members who attended the show with you, to get an idea of what they thought about it. Hold a debriefing meeting once you’re all back in the office. Topics to discuss at the meeting include:

• Their favorite part of the trade show.
• What they thought worked.
• What they thought didn’t work.
• What they might do differently next time.

5. Start Planning Your Next Trade Show

Knowing what you now know, it’s time to start thinking about your next event or trade show. Most likely, you’ll keep what worked during the last program and make adjustments to things that were challenging or that didn’t turn out as planned. Once your first show of the trade show season is over, it’s never too early to get started planning the second, third and subsequent shows.

Work With SpeedPro for All Your Trade Show Needs

Whether you’re in the process of designing a trade show exhibit booth from scratch or are looking for guidance when it comes to tabletop marketing materials and digital displays, SpeedPro has you covered. We’ll work with you to help you create the materials you need to stand out at a trade show and to achieve your goals. To get started,  find the SpeedPro studio  nearest you today.

Marketing South Africa as a Tourism Destination Grade 12 - Tourism Grade 12 Study Guide

Topic: marketing, content: marketing south africa as a tourism destination.

• Successful marketing will lead to an increase in tourist arrivals – or the volume of tourists visiting the country
• Successful marketing can encourage repeat visits - inform previous visitors of new developments, activities and attractions
• Successful marketing sets the multiplier effect into motion
• Increasing tourist numbers (volume) is essential for the tourism industry to continue to create jobs and contribute to GDP growth
• Marketing showcases the attractiveness of South Africa
• Marketing creates awareness of a destination with respect to the type of destination it is (destination characteristics) and what it offers
• Marketing campaigns can address the lack of information and target key tourist segments with specific information
• Marketing creates a positive image of South Africa
• Marketing increases the possibility of inbound tourists considering South Africa as an attractive destination of choice

The core business of SATourism

• SATourism is the national tourism agency responsible for marketing South Africa as a destination internationally and domestically
• The core business of SATourism is:
• SATourism travels to different countries (Road Shows) to promote and market SA internationally
• SATourism also undertakes a number of marketing activities by advertising on: buses and taxis in major cities around the world; huge billboards; printed media; on-line; social media; popular global TV stations such as BBC, Aljazeera or CNN and participates in major travel shows both locally and internationally
• SATourism opens publicity offices abroad
• SATourism markets the South African tourism product as a value-for-money destination
• Showcases the various tourism products and services available in South Africa
• Creates opportunities for role players in South Africa to network with international role players
• Creates investment opportunities for tourism professionals on an international platform
• In order to ensure that the marketing budget is used effectively, SA Tourism divides the international market into segments to identify the most important markets on which to focus. SATourism categorises market segments as core markets (South Africa’s main tourist markets and where South African Tourism spends considerable resources), investment markets, tactical markets, watch-list markets, strategic importance and strategic air links/hubs (Definitions of each of these markets are given in your Tourism textbook)
• In order for SATourism to market SA, tourism businesses must be able to deliver on the marketing promise e.g. the quality of the offering and the standards of facilities and service
• The Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA), which operates as a business unit of SATourism grades tourism businesses e.g. guest houses, according to the experience they offer with a star grading that ranges from one to five stars. This is an indication to tourists of the type of facilities and services they can expect to receive from the graded establishment
• SATourism together with the TGCSA, launched the Lilizela Tourism Awards in 2013 to recognise and reward excellence in tourism. The Service Excellence focus area has three categories, namely Accommodation Awards, Tourist Guides Awards and Visitor Experience Awards. In the Entrepreneurship category, the Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award (ETEYA) is given to black entrepreneurs, who operate small, micro and medium tourism or hospitality-related businesses. The Universal Accessibility Awards and the B-BBEE Awards recognise businesses that have proven to incorporate sustainable development into their businesses
• All role players (e.g. independent businesses, local and provincial tourism agencies, private sector tourism associations) in the tourism industry must align their marketing activities and messages in the international tourism market to the marketing strategy of SATourism. This will ensure that potential tourists get a clear message about South Africa as a destination
• SATourism also helps to package special offers by working with the trade (tour operators and travel agents) that caters for the identified target markets and segments
• Held in March each year, in Berlin, Germany
• 10 000 exhibitors from 180 countries
• The ITB Convention, a major travel conference, is held at the same time as the expo. This is where people in the tourism industry meet to discuss new trends and developments in the industry
• This major global travel show is one of the main travel shows that SATourism attends each year. South African tourism businesses and organisations also attend it in their individual capacity
• Like ITB, it is predominantly a B2B (business to-business) show. World Travel Market has a strict admission policy and is open to travel industry professionals only and not the general public
• WTM is held over four days in London in November each year
• It attracts senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press
• The travel show aims to create opportunities for a wide variety of people from the global travel trade to meet, negotiate and conduct business under one roof
• A conference is held at the same time as the show South Africa has a number of exhibitors at WTM each year. This includes SATourism, which uses the platform to market to the UK and other outbound tour operators
• Attractive and eye-catching displays of all 9 provinces at the South African Tourism stands
• Brochures, DVDs and proudly South African branded hand outs
• Personnel manning the stand answer questions about South Africa
• Networking with other international role players and promoting the South African brand image to these role players
• Presentations on South African products and services
• TOMSA is a private sector initiative created to raise additional funds for marketing South Africa
• TOMSA collects a 1% Tourism Levy, voluntarily paid by customers, from participating tourism businesses e.g. tour operators, car rental companies and accommodation establishments
• To promote uniformity, the International Marketing Council (IMC) of South Africa also known as Brand South Africa, developed a logo that appears on all marketing undertaken by South African Tourism. The private sector may also use the logo
• The South African flag is an internationally recognised representation associated with SA
• It is part of the marketing strategy of SATourism to create awareness of the brand
• SATourism uses the brand logo to make South Africa more visible as an attractive tourist destination
• A recognisable global brand inspires positive thoughts and feelings about the country which will convince people to travel to South Africa
• A strong brand positions our country as an attractive destination partner for trade and investment
• This brand helps create a positive, unified image of South Africa
• Indaba is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African continent
• It is owned and organised by SATourism
• The show is held in May each year at the International Convention Centre in Durban
• The show attracts more than 13 000 delegates and attracts exhibitors from the private sector (large companies), tourism associations, government departments, provincial, municipal tourism organisations and tourism marketing authorities from the SADC countries
• An important part of the show is that SATourism creates networking and trade opportunities by bringing tour operators from the main international markets to the show to view products and conclude deals
• The Getaway Show is a consumer show and therefore open to the public
• Its focus is on domestic and regional travel and the main segments it targets are nature, outdoor and adventure travel
• The show has over 400 exhibitors including destinations, accommodation, outdoor gear, 4x4 products, caravans, camping equipment and adventure operators
• It takes place in the Cape (in March) and Gauteng (in August/September) and each show runs for three days
• The two shows together attract about 38 000 visitors and around 700 exhibitors

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