Registration opens for virtual Africa Travel Week
The travel trade can now register for the virtual Africa Travel Week (ATW), which will take place April 7-9, and set up appointments with exhibitors across Africa. ATW comprises World Travel Market Africa (WTMA) and International Luxury Travel Market Africa (ILTMA).
The virtual event platform offers ConnectMe, a powerful portal with robust search capabilities so that buyers, exhibitors, trade partners and media can find and connect with peers to schedule one-on-one meetings across the three days to accommodate different time zones. You can even search for contacts by time zone, among other criteria.
Delegates will benefit from value-adds such as a product showcase, speed networking sessions with short five-minute meeting bursts, roundtable discussions and forums from industry experts on a range of topics from the Gen Z traveler and the changing landscape of the outbound market to rethinking tourism planning to deal with uncertainty and leveraging domestic tourism, among many other topics.
In addition to the virtual show in April, ATW has lined up a collection of events throughout the year, which include:
• Educational content webinars from May to August. • Africa Travel Week: Connect in the City Live from Sept. 1-3, including a series of intimate experiences in the official Host City of Cape Town. • A series of virtual masterclasses from September to November.
"We have taken a blended approach where travel trade professionals benefit from connecting with their industry peers at face-to-face meetings later on in the year," said Megan Oberholzer, portfolio director at Reed Exhibitions Africa. "Safety and well-being remain our No. 1 priority, and we will adjust this element of our offering accordingly."
The three-day event Connect in the City Live is exclusive to ATW virtual exhibitors and a selection of hosted buyers and will comprise:
• Familiarization tours. ATW Virtual exhibitors will benefit from the opportunity to invite international buyers to experience their products firsthand. • During this time, exhibitors will be given an opportunity to educate buyers about their products and destination during a dedicated 15-minute time slot. • A dedicated travel and tourism conference with a top-notch speaker program of industry thought leaders and experts. • Speed networking sessions where buyers are split according to region and product interests. • The African Travel & Tourism Awards, with a special category recognizing Covid-19 campaigns that focus on reigniting travel.
The blended format of the WTMA throughout 2021 will also apply to its suite of sister shows including the ILTMA, International Business Tourism Market Africa, the Sports & Tourism Exchange, the Africa Tourism Investment Summit, Travel Forward and EQUAL Africa.
Attendees and industry professionals may remain connected and informed throughout 2021 via atwconnect.com, ATW's dedicated resource hub jam-packed with free digital tools, industry news and updates.
"Registered delegates will have plenty of opportunities to generate leads, draw up new contracts and keep the conversation going around bringing travel to Africa, and Africa to the world," Oberholzer said.
To register, visit: https://register.atwconnect.com/register. For trade visitors: https://register.atwconnect.com/delegate/register.
