World Travel Market 2013 experienced a 5% increase in participants with the event opening its doors to more than 50,000 delegates over the four days (Monday 4th – Thursday 7th November). 
All visitor groups experienced growth, according to unaudited figures, with the WTM Buyers’ Club seeing an 8% increase. This increase in senior buyers at WTM 2013 will see the event facilitate more than £2 billion in industry deals.
Other visitor group increases include trade visitors (5%), international media (4%), and exhibitor personnel (2%) compared to WTM 2012.
The Monday of WTM is an exhibitor invite-only day with the aim of allowing exhibitors to hold discussions and negotiations with those buyers with whom they want to conduct business. The first day (Monday 4th November) of WTM 2013 was a success with invite-only visitor attendance up 12% on last year’s event to 8,916.
The Monday morning Speed Networking session was well attended with a record number of exhibitors (760) and WTM Buyers’ Club members (211) discussing business deals before the exhibition floor opened.
Tuesday 5th November saw 18,292 visitors come to WTM, a 7% increase on the second day of last year’s event. Tuesday is the busiest day of WTM as it is the first day the event is open to the whole industry, following on from the exhibitor-invite only policy on the Monday.
Wednesday 6th November experienced a 5% increase in visitors to 14,324, compared to the same day at WTM 2012.
The final day of WTM was on par with 2012, which saw a 1% increase compared to the same day at WTM 2011. Thursday Speed Networking took place for the second year running to facilitate post-WTM business deals – attracting 370 exhibitors and almost 90 members from the WTM Buyers’ Club.
Simon Press, Reed Travel Exhibitions’ Senior Director, World Travel Market, said: “I am absolutely delighted with the delegate attendance of WTM 2013. These figures demonstrate the power and importance of WTM to the industry and the role it plays in facilitating business for the sector.
“The resounding success can also be accredited to the increased focus WTM put on travel technology and luxury, with the Travel Tech Show at WTM and A taste of ILTM at WTM debuting this year.
“World Travel Market 2012 generated £1.8 billion in travel industry contracts between exhibitors and senior buyers from the WTM Buyers’ Club, with WTM 2013 looking set to top £2 billion, making this year’s event the most successful of the 34 WTMs.”
World Travel Market’s attendance figures will be audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) in the New Year.
