Global Travel Marketplace has been hailed a success as travel communities “built emotional connections” over the three-day event.
David Benitez, head of events development for Jacobs Media Group’s Connections brand, praised the relationships built during the meetings and workshops, and highlighted the value in people meeting in person instead of over a Zoom call.
The event, organised by JMG and held at the Leonardo Hotel in London from September 27 to 29, saw delegates including travel agents, tour operators, tourist boards and partners connect with one-to-one meetings, networking sessions and entertainment.
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Benitez said: “In the travel trade, we talk about all these amazing experiences and look at beautiful pictures of far away destinations, but we don’t actually experience anything ourselves.
“That’s why we wanted this event to be different to other trade shows where people just listen to a panel and look at their phones – we wanted people to share experiences together.
“It’s so important for people to connect in person so they can share knowledge and build an emotional connection, which means they are more likely to remember what they talked about and follow up on it.
“GTM is about bringing different travel communities together and allowing them to learn from each other and find synergies.”
He added: “We are B2B but we are also human to human, and we mustn’t forget that.”
Daniela Wagner, group business development director at JMG, said: “The foundation of this event is bringing people together to meet each other in person and form meaningful connections, which is the ultimate unique selling point of the show.”