Are you missing World Travel Market being live this year? Us too! Join us as we recap on our work at WTM in 2019 and look out for a summary of our busy virtual WTM 2020 now extended by another day!.
Egypt
In 2019, Representation Plus was appointed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism to aid them in public relations and event management. 2019's WTM came a week after the four-year FCO travel ban was finally lifted, sparking many questions for the Egyptian Tourism Minister, Rania Al-Mashat.
One of the many interviews we set up for Al-Mashat was with the BBC’s Aaron Heslehurst. The Minister was grilled about the country’s security, but she remained strong, mentioning imperatives to keep the country and its visitors safe, as well as its industry’s rapid growth, returning to pre-ban levels before travel restrictions were even lifted. We also helped Al-Mashat to set-up interviews with leading international broadcasters, including CNN and CNBC. Such coverage, alongside our press releases, sparked reportage on specialist travel news media platforms, such as Travel Weekly.
A WTM reception that we orchestrated at the Egyptian Ambassador’s residence
boasted a guest list which included industry leaders from UNWTO, Easyjet and TUI amongst others, helping to secure further interviews from TTG Media. Our involvement with Egypt’s project at WTM alone secured a total reach of over 200 million, invaluably helping promote the safety of Egypt as a holiday destination and refreshing the country in consumers’ minds. With the ban finally lifted on Sharm el-Sheik, we became instrumental in getting the ball rolling for the growth of British tourism in Egypt.
Miami
The event saw Representation Plus shifting tourism for tomorrow’s adventures through events management and trade marketing, arranging appointments for tour operators with Greater Miami hoteliers. With around 30 meetings organised with the product managers from internationally renowned suppliers, Nobu Hotel Miami Beach, EB Hotel, The South Beach Group, Hilton Miami Downtown and the Trump National Doral had a busy three days at the WTM.
On the final day of the WTM, Representation Plus organised a VIP evening at the US Embassy which saw product managers, media members and MICE buyers invited for drinks, canapes and networking. There was even a photo wall with a professional photographer for guests to remember the event by. The evening was commenced with a welcome speech from US Ambassador Robert Wood Johnson, followed by addresses from an American Airlines executive and Greater Miami CVB's Director of Travel Industry Sales, Judith Patron Fernandez.
Sherbet Ride
With the help of Representation Plus Sherbet secured a high profile partnership with WTM, which included the display of an electric cab in the main boulevard of the Excel venue and 40 WTM 40 year anniversary branded electric taxis which were endorsed as the official mode of transport for the event. Interviews were also secured on WTM channels, including the official livestream and YouTube channel, with CEO Asher Moses. The TTG WTM Daily Paper featured Sherbet in multiple columns in the publication, giving them publicity amongst the travel trade.
A press release was written prior to the event discussing the company’s mission to reduce 18 tonnes of CO2 emissions during the WTM, as well as announcing a £25,000 prize card draw to be held on the stand. From this release alone, various articles were written by TTG, eTurbo News, Taxi Point, ITTN and Afritraveller, garnering an impressive reach of over 460,000.
The busy WTM event was kicked off by an evening at the prestigious BGTW Awards reception at the Savoy Hotel where Representation Plus coordinated a partnership that included a charity raffle prize, branding, and a video clip. Following this, CEO Asher Moses also presented the coveted award for Best UK & Ireland Travel Feature to James Stewart from The Sunday Times.
What do you miss most about the live WTM? How are you finding the virtual WTM? Let us know in the comments. We would love to hear all about your experiences!