Content is king, planning is everything

Change is constant – that’s probably the most apt way to describe my experience with Arabian Travel Market (ATM) over the last eight years. And this is what inspires me, and the team, as we work on each edition.

In order to manage and deliver change, planning is key to everything we do from the floor plan, set-up and tenancy to our strategy, budgeting, addition of new features and annual spotlight theme.

The show has evolved and developed over the years, and I believe that it just keeps getting bigger and better. We value exhibitor and visitor feedback and this has seen us remove the consumer day, for example, and focus purely on the B2B angle.

They say that content is king, and nowhere more so than the ATM calendar. Each year we aim to increase partner and participant engagement with targeted events and activities.

We have elements such as the round tables, which focus on current industry issues and bring together regional leaders in informative debate; and our annual Travel Tech Show has proven to be one of the most consistent and popular elements, and will continue to remain so as technology drives our industry forward.

This year, our ‘new content’ includes the ATM Wellness & Spa Lounge, a one-day Travel Agent Academy and the launch of the ATM Global Stage, each of which adds new interest and diversity to the line-up. This is in addition to speed networking opportunities as part of our buyers programme.

I’m always being asked how we are able to keep the show current and evolve it at the same time. We are very much on top of global trends, and their impact on the industry, as well as being up-to-speed on what is happening across the region with events such as Expo 2020 on the horizon.

The beauty of the travel and hospitality sector is that there is always something happening as destinations look to create new experiences and travellers seek out the unique, different and original.

In this sense, ATM functions as a solution provider, and connects people, products and places to catalyse opportunities and therefore drive leisure and business traveller interest in order to grow the regional tourism economy.

As I work on the wider travel portfolio, which includes WTM London, WTM Africa and WTM Latin America, as well as our newly launched shows – WTM Connect Asia and WTM China – I get to see just how the global industry works and how we can take elements from the different regional shows to add value elsewhere, and position the brand as the world leader.

Of course, running ATM isn’t without its own challenges. Working as part of a portfolio of global events, we are constantly interacting with clients and colleagues in different time zones who speak different languages and come from different cultural backgrounds; so managing all these elements and bringing everyone together under one roof is a very detailed process.

We also want to ensure that our partners and exhibitors get the most out of their ATM experience, and we have a fantastic tool kit for ROI maximisation. These are communicated at our annual GCC Exhibitor Workshops and also through webinars. If exhibitors utilise these tools and make sure that they are prepared well in advance of show week, then they are guaranteed to have a successful ATM experience.

This year, I am especially looking forward to welcoming back exhibitors, visitors and media partners, and seeing their reaction to our new additions for 2016. It’s always extremely rewarding to walk through the exhibition halls and see the week unfold from a business perspective. The buzz is incredible.

• Nadege Noblet-Segers is the Exhibition Manager of ATM

By Nadege Noblet-Segers