ATM to Launch Inaugural M.E. Edition of Travel Forward in 2020

• Event to showcase next-gen industry innovations as part of Middle East’s largest gathering of hospitality professionals
• Conference will connect buyers and suppliers from around the world, enabling delegates to take advantage of latest industry tools
• Building on success of London edition, the Middle East’s first Travel Forward event forms part of Arabian Travel Week 2020

Travel, tourism and hospitality professionals from around the world will have an opportunity to explore the next generation of industry innovations at the Middle East’s first ever edition of Travel Forward, which will take place alongside Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2020.

The travel and hospitality innovation event will connect buyers and suppliers from across the Middle East and beyond, enabling delegates to try out the latest industry tools and take advantage of technologies that could boost efficiency and improve the customer experience.

The event will cover the full spectrum of industry tools, from emerging innovations such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and machine learning, to existing systems such as booking engines, business management software and end-user technology.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “In today’s ultra-competitive travel, tourism and hospitality markets, the effective implementation of innovative technologies is essential to the long-term success of any business. By identifying the right tools to meet their needs, industry professionals can give themselves a competitive edge.

“That is why events such as Travel Forward are so important to our sector’s future. By bringing together buyers and suppliers, and facilitating face-to-face interactions, the show will make it easier for participants to identify and test innovative technologies and applications that could help to achieve their long-term goals.”

Travel Forward will form part of next year’s Arabian Travel Week, an umbrella brand comprising several co-located shows including Arabian Travel Market 2020; ATM Holiday Shopper; CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa; and ILTM Arabia.

The original edition of Travel Forward was launched during World Travel Market 2018 in London. Based on the success of the event to date, organiser Reed Travel Exhibitions rolled out a Latin America edition earlier this year, and plans to introduce both Middle East and South Africa editions in 2020.

Richard Gayle, Event Manager, Travel Forward at WTM London, said: “The London edition of Travel Forward has attracted widespread industry interest since its launch in 2018. The event not only allows technology suppliers to showcase their products and services to buyers on a one-to-one basis, but also enables travel, tourism and hospitality professionals to get hands-on experience with technologies that could transform their operations.

“The Middle East edition of the show will enable industry players from across the Gulf to engage with the latest innovations by bringing these technologies to their doorstep.”

Delegates at the Middle East event will have access to high-profile keynote speakers and a world-class line-up of technology experts, and the event’s organiser plans to limit the number of exhibitors so that suppliers and buyers can be more effectively aligned.

Travel Forward will include a dedicated product theatre, enabling exhibitors to conduct live demonstrations for attendees. The event will also feature ‘Pitch It – Prove It’ start-up challenge, in which suppliers will not only explain the theory behind their innovations but also demonstrate their advantages in real time.

The standalone event will build on the success of ATM 2019’s theme, cutting-edge technology and innovation, which has been integrated across all show verticals and activities, including its focused seminar sessions.

For more information about ATM 2019, visit: https://arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com.

To find out more about Travel Forward, visit: https://travelforward.wtm.com.

About Arabian Travel Market (ATM)

Arabian Travel Market is the leading international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2018 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, with representation from 141 countries over the four days. The 25^th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre.  Arabian Travel Market 2019 will take place in Dubai from Sunday, 28 April to Wednesday, 1 May 2019. To find out more, please visit: www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com.

About Arabian Travel Week

Arabian Travel Week is an umbrella brand comprising four co-located shows including Arabian Travel Market and ILTM Arabia, as well as CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa – a new route development forum launching this year and ATM’s first ever consumer event ATM Holiday Shopper. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector – under one roof over the course of one week – the inaugural Arabian Travel Week will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre from Saturday 27 April to Wednesday 1 May 2019. For more information visit: arabiantravelweek.com.

About CONNECT

CONNECT Route Development Forum delivers a total networking experience, bringing together airports, airlines and aviation suppliers in a format that offers formal one-to-one pre-arranged meetings, engaging industry seminars together with social opportunities to cement relationships with existing clients and engage with new ones. Created and organised by The Airport Agency-France, CONNECT is now in its 16^th year and set to attract more 650 participants in June 2019 at its flagship event taking place in Cagliari, Sardinia. For more information, visit: www.connect-aviation.com.

The inaugural CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa event will be the brand’s first and only networking forum in the Middle East. Ideally located in Dubai to address the booming aviation market of the Middle East, it will bring together the aviation and the tourism industries, which are the backbone and catalyst of economic development. For more information, visit: www.connect-aviation.com/2019-meia/.

About ATM Holiday Shopper

ATM Holiday Shopper is the brand-new travel event for consumers offering the very best travel and tourism discounts and deals, plus the chance to learn about a range of emerging and unexplored destinations and activities from destinations around the world.  The inaugural event will take place in Hall 1 of the Dubai World Trade Centre on Saturday, 27 April 2019 from 12:00 – 20:00. For more information, visit: www.atmholidayshopper.com.

About ILTM Arabia

International Luxury Travel Market Arabia is an exclusive event for those looking to attract HNW travellers from the Middle East to their destination. Returning for its third year, ILTM will allow international luxury suppliers and key luxury buyers to connect via one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments and networking opportunities. ILTM will take place on Sunday 28^th April and Monday 29^th April 2019. For more information, visit: www.iltm.com/arabia/.

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than seven million participants.

About Reed Travel Exhibitions

Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism events organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.

About World Travel Market

World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises six leading B2B events across four continents, generating more than USD 7 billion of industry deals. These events include:

WTM London, a must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. About 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating about GBP 3.4 billion of travel industry contracts. The next edition will take place from 4-6 November, 2019. For more information, visit: http://london.wtm.com/.

Travel Forward, a new travel technology event co-located with WTM London and part of the WTM portfolio of events. The inaugural Travel Forward conference, exhibition and buyer programme will take place from 4-6 November, 2019 at ExCeL London, showcasing next-generation technology for travel and hospitality. For more information, visit: http://travelforward.wtm.com/.

WTM Latin America, an exhibition that attracts about 9,000 senior executives and generates about USD 374 million of new business. Taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, this show attracts a global audience to meet and shape the direction of the travel industry. More than 8,000 unique visitors attend the event to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry news. The next edition will take place in 2020. For more information, visit: http://latinamerica.wtm.com/.

WTM Africa, which was launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Nearly 5,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors. The next event will take place in 2020. For more information, visit: http://africa.wtm.com/.