The third event of its kind will be the most vibrant must-attend business-to-business event on the continent presenting a diverse range of conferences, seminars and panel debates to over 8,000 delegates between the 22 – 24 April 2015.
WTM Latin America which will run in conjunction with the 43rd Braztoa Business Meeting is taking place at Expo Centre Norte, a more central location for 2015.
The event will open on Wednesday 22 April with an official welcome from Craig Moyes, WTM Portfolio Director and Lawrence Reinisch, Exhibition Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions and Henrique Alves, the new Minister of Tourism, Brazil along with representatives from Braztoa and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Other highlights for Wednesday include a session presented by Phocuswright, the global travel market research company, presenting Trends in the Latin America Travel Markes and the Impact of Digital Travel, focusing on sector trends within six Latin American markets: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.
This will be followed by a dedicated conference for media in the press centre which will reveal the WTM Latin America Trends Report in association with Euromonitor International. This report will predict the major trends for the future of travel within the Latin American market and follows in the footsteps of the popular WTM Global Trends Report which is presented annually at WTM in London.
The UNWTO Panel on Tourism Routes, also taking place on Wednesday, will touch upon a number of subjects including the economic situation of Latin America and travel facilitation featuring high profile ministers from Argentina, Guatemala, Paraguay and Peru. This session will be mediated by the Executive Director of Operational Programmes and Institutional Relations of the UNWTO, Márcio Favilla.
Responsible Tourism
Another highlight at WTM Latin America 2015 will be the Responsible Tourism programme taking place over the three days. Following on from the huge success of the WTM Responsible Tourism Programme which has been a prominent part of WTM in London for the last 9 years, delegates can expect to see a number of sessions with expert speakers that will discuss key issues that have arisen over recent years.
Chairing all of the above sessions will be expert Harold Goodwin, WTM Portfolio Responsible Tourism Advisor and Professor of Responsible Tourism Management at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK.
Networking Events
Last year WTM Latin America generated in excess of $341 million through business deals signed during the event or negotiations that followed. More business deals are expected to be generated in 2015 through the array of great networking opportunities that are available for delegates to take advantage of.
The very popular WTM Latin America Speed Networking session, which will be taking place on Thursday 23 April, where more than 100 buyers and 600 exhibitors will take part in the one and half hour long session to negotiate and agree a number of business deals.
ALAGEV (Latin American Association of Event Managers and Corporate Travel) will once again host a Business Travel Forum, around the MICE industry (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) on Friday 24 April. With a dedicated area on the exhibition floor for Business travel and 100 Brazilian business travel buyers hosted to network and conclude deals with the business travel exhibitors.
WTM Latin America Meet the Media on Wednesday 22 April will take place again, allowing exhibitors to have quick meetings with press and bloggers from around the world, allowing exhibitors to promote products and services and exchange business cards.
Informal networking opportunities taking place during the event and not to be missed arethe Braztoa Leisure cocktails on the Wednesday evening and MPI and ICCA MICE cocktails on Thursday evening.
Technology
Travel Technology content will be even stronger in 2015, after its huge popularity in 2014.
On Wednesday there will be a dedicated session for travel bloggers, with ABBV (Association on Brazilian Travel Bloggers) chairing a session on how destinations can be presented in the form of blog posts, PDF Guides, sponsored posts and videos.
On Thursday in the Conference Theatre Google will present a session around marketing, aimed at using data in the tourism industry.
This will then be followed by a session in the Tech Theatre from Trip Advisor. With ninety-three percent of travellers saying that online reviews impact their booking decisions, delegates will be eager to hear the latest free Trip Advisor tools that will help enhance their website.
Other highlights
The WTM Latin America event programme also includes lectures on adventure tourism growth, a new sector for 2015 and the Braztoa Leisure Forum.
WTM Latin America, Director, Lawrence Reinisch said: “WTM Latin America offers a comprehensive events programme that will give delegates the latest research and opinion on a range of key topics facing the sector.”
To register for free for WTM Latin America and for further details please visit www.wtmlatinamerica.com
