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Lata Expo 2020 goes virtual

The Latin American Travel Association (Lata) has announced that the 2020 relaunch of its flagship event, Lata Expo, will be held virtually

The event, previously known as Experience Latin America, will take place from October 12 to 16, 2020.

Lata also confirmed next year’s edition will take place from June 14-16, 2021, at London’s Battersea Evolution, followed by one-day events the following week in Paris and Amsterdam.

Lata Expo helps facilitate trade between European travel trade operators and Latin American suppliers, and is the largest event of its kind in Europe.

Lata says it is dedicated to growing sustainable travel to Latin America.

The 2020 event was postponed from its original dates, June 8-10, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The revised edition will now take place, in a virtual format, across five days rather than three, with a shorter daily timetable to accommodate the time difference between the UK and Latin America.

It will follow a similar programme to the previously planned event, focusing on pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings between exhibitors and suppliers and key note seminars and insight into travel and consumer trends impacting the region.

Each day of Lata Expo will feature a content session covering specific themes including ‘travel in the context of Covid-19 and predictions for the future’.

Chairman of Lata, Colin Stewart, said: “We understand how important Lata Expo is in connecting our members based in Europe with suppliers across Latin America to help grow the region’s tourism sector in a sustainable way.

“Given the current pandemic, it is essential to keep the dialogue open and support our members as best as possible. To be able to facilitate this in 2020, we have decided to host a virtual event that will still deliver a similar package of benefits to our exhibitors through the one to one meeting agenda, seminars and keynote speeches.

“In 2020, we invite all our exhibitors, suppliers and buyers to join us in embracing new technology before joining together once again for the 2021 edition at Battersea Evolution.”

Lata Expo will be managed by Travel Weekly’s parent company Jacobs Media Group, which has a multi-year agreement with Lata to run the event.

Duncan Horton, chief executive, said: “Jacobs Media Group is absolutely delighted to continue its close partnership with Lata, both in the virtual event later this autumn and in our 2021 events series that will cover London, Paris and Amsterdam.

“In spite of the challenges the industry faces this year, we believe that providing targeted face-to-face meetings which are perfectly matched between buyers and suppliers is the way forward.

“We see a lot of pent-up demand in the marketplace and consumers will be more keen than ever to fulfil their travel dreams. We are proud to be able to work with Lata to help Latin America recover its market share.”

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