Dubai: Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), organiser of Arabian Travel Market, the Middle East’s premier travel and tourism event, has introduced key changes to the 2008 show format in response to exhibitor feedback.
The four-day event, which celebrates its 15th showing - Crystal Anniversary - next year, will now be trade-only on the first three days when it runs at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) from May 6 – 9.
Arabian Travel Market 2008 will be open to general public on the last day and will feature many exciting competitions and promotions making it more even more attractive.
Show timings have been altered, with the event scheduled to open at 11.00 am and close at 7.00 pm on 6, 7 and 8 May 2008 in order to avoid peak Dubai traffic hours, as well as make it convenient for travel trade professionals to attend. On 9 May, the show will open at 4.00pm and close at 9.00pm.
“Working to ensure exhibitor and visitor satisfaction is of the utmost importance for us,” said Simon Press, Exhibition Director, Arabian Travel Market. “At the end of each event, we conduct extensive contact programmes to gauge feedback from industry players.
“Post-show research has revealed that Arabian Travel Market has received very high satisfaction levels from both exhibitors and visitors. Revised timings will allow trade professionals more time to conduct business and network with exhibitors as well as buyers.”
The event’s 2008 showing will see an improved floorplan with hotel, travel and technology companies being flanked by Europe on one side and the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East, on the other side followed by North Africa, Africa, the Americas and Asia.
“Following Arabian Travel Market 2007, we wanted to improve the visitor footprint throughout the show. For the 2008 event, we have decided to give Europe a main entrance and sandwich the hotels, car rental and technology area between the Middle East and Europe halls. By taking this action, the flow from Middle East through to Europe will be time effective for both visitors and exhibitors alike,” added Press.
“We have also grouped the United Arab Emirates with the rest of the Middle East and North Africa so all the tourism products from the region are in one area, which will help visitors locate them easily.”
The Hosted Buyer ® session will take place on the first day of the event prior to the official opening. This gives exhibitors the opportunity to book key meetings with VIP buyers at the beginning of the Arabian Travel Market week and these key buyers more time to conduct business at the event.
During Arabian Travel Market 2008, visitors will be able to benefit from the increased travel and leisure products and enhanced content – including a seminar programme that will be delivered by top industry leaders and global tourism experts.
“We anticipate major growth from the hospitality sector, from Africa as well as from the travel technology products and services section we introduced at last year’s event. We will also be adding more exciting features and look forward to announcing them soon,” concluded Press.
Arabian Travel Market is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, and under the auspices of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.
Arabian Travel Market was launched in 1994, and the 2007 event welcomed over 23,000 travel industry professionals from 108 countries to its 14th event. Arabian Travel Market 2008 will be held from 6-9 May at the DICEC.
Arabian Travel Market is part of the Reed Travel Exhibitions portfolio, which includes 15 of the world’s leading travel industry events. For more information visit www.reedtravelexhibitions.com
Reed Exhibitions, the world’s largest organiser of exhibitions and conferences, brings together over 90,000 suppliers and more than 5.5 million buyers from around the world every year generating billions of dollars in business. Reed events are held in 38 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific and are organised by 33 fully staffed offices.
Reed’s portfolio of over 460 events serves 52 industry sectors, working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field.
Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier, a FTSE 100 company, world-leading publisher and information provider, with revenues in excess of £4.8 billion (US$ 8.4 billion) (2004).
For further press information, please visit the Reed Exhibitions’ website on www.reedexhibitions.com
