WTM Latin America further establishes itself as the event to do business. The second day (Wednesday 30 March) of the 2016 event was marked by two highly respected speed networking sessions taking place between exhibitors and buyers.
Hosted buyers had the chance to meet with the main tourism destinations and companies that were present at the event. According to Roberto Garcia, buyer from the North American travel club, Rovia, which has around 600,000 members offering products, services and exclusive tours, took part in a total of 32 business meetings on Tuesday 24 March, the opening day. According to Garcia, this year’s meetings were even better than last year’s. “There are many quality options for my company,” he said.
Exhibitors also appreciated the speed networking sessions, Don Williams, owner of Capemoor Apartments UK, commented: “I very much enjoyed the speed networking sessions. I made many contacts in a short period of time and that was very useful, with many receptive and diverse buyers”.
According to Vilma Ipanaqué, general manager of PTS Peru tourism operator, the Speed Networking format is excellent and highly efficient for that initial contact. “Here you will find operators from all over the world. A show like WTM Latin America is really worth visiting, as we can do business not only with Brazil, but with many countries from around the world,” Ipanaqué says.
In the afternoon, the WTM Buyers’ Club, which is an exclusive business club comprised of senior decision-makers from the travel industry responsible for direct purchases, met with exhibitors. Lucy Hillyard, Sales Manager of Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity that unites five historical monuments in the UK held meetings with 15 professionals in approximately 25 minutes. “It was very productive, I met with many new and current contacts and operators,” Hillyard said.
Kátia Silva, a travel buyer from MMT Gapnet explained: “The session is world class, everything is very organized. I’ve found all the new things I expected, not to mention many business opportunities.”
Lawrence Reinisch, Exhibition Director, WTM Latin America commented: “We continue to prove that WTM Latin America is the event to do business at, by holding these dedicated speed networking sessions which are completely focused on generating news business deals and opportunities for our exhibitors and visitors, we continue to go that extra mile every single year”.
