Category Archives: Exhibitions

Jay Bhatia, Vice President, TAAI recently visited the mega fam held by the Expo 2020. TAAI and Expo 2020 have tied-up to promote the Expo across its member travel and tourism companies through presentations, roadshows and Webinars for the next 6months. Talking about the fam, Bhatia said, “Wonderful experience of over 180 cultures from around the world with all countries participating at the Expo, which will be on from October, 2021 to 31st March 2021. This is a fantastic location for families and tourist who are desirous to see the future of various economies.”

Welcoming visitors from around the globe, His Excellency Sultan bin Rashid Al Khater, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, inaugurated the Qatar Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on October 1st. The opening was attended by General Commissioners from GCC participating countries as well as a number of dignitaries, officials and partners. Following the inauguration, His Excellency toured the Qatar Pavilion which highlights the country’s achievements across various fields, showcases the most pioneering projects that are being developed in accordance with the National Vision 2030, and spotlights Qatar as the upcoming host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He also visited the pavilions of participating GCC countries, where each country’s most prominent achievements were showcased. The Qatar Pavilion was designed by internationally-renowned architect, Santiago Calatrava, who represented a modern interpretation of the four elements presented in the Coat of Arms of Qatar. Its architectural composition draws inspiration from the two crossed and curved swords, encompassing a Dhow and island with two palm trees, that are at the core of the national emblem of the state of Qatar. Santiago Calatrava said, “We are honoured to have been chosen for the design of the Qatar Pavilion at Expo 2020. Our relationship with the State of Qatar and its people lies very close to our heart. The Qatar Pavilion’s design draws inspiration from the four elements represented on the Coat of Arms of Qatar and pays tribute to the nation’s cultural heritage.” The coinciding pair of buildings of the Qatar Pavilion consist of two main galleries of exhibition spaces. Gallery 1 serves as an introductory space and invites visitors to explore the past, present, and future of Qatar through visual arts, sound …

According to the results of the SAP Concur study, Indian business travellers (99%) want to resume work travel within the next 12 months. Nearly 78% of business professionals surveyed in India were eager to start a journey, and according to the study, the percentage was much higher than the global average. About 84% of Indian business professionals felt that their inability to extend travel would hurt them both professionally and personally. Respondents from India said that most business activities such as new deal sign ups, (47%), customer additions (41%) and contract renewals (43%) would be adversely affected if their organizations did not increase business travel.

To say that virtual events will take over is a myth, feels Sandeep Nagpal, VP & Head of Marketing, Cvent India. He says, “Virtual will go hybrid. While physical events will happen, the same events will be viewed by thousands virtually. That is an opportunity both for planners as well as hotels. There are a lot of venues in the world that are transforming themselves into hybrid venues.”

M!CEtalk Digital Conclave, powered by Cvent India, on rebooting Indian MICE landscape will be held on 25th August, 2021 at 11am IST. The panelists include Nikhil Desai, MD, Goa Tourism Development Corporation; Sabbas Joseph, Founder-Director at Wizcraft International Entertainment; Rajdev Bhattacharya, Global Head (Travel and Hospitality ) & Business Head, WAY2GO and GM, Global Travel Services- WIPRO Limited; Arif Patel, Regional VP, Sales & Marketing, Hyatt India; and Sandeep Nagpal, VP & Head of Marketing, Cvent India. To register write to jaspreet, kaur@ddppl.com or call +91 96501 96532.

Rakesh Verma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, has revealed that in order to strengthen the MICE sector, they are looking at state level and city level MICE bureaus. “We are planning to offer MICE advantage programmes, because most of the cities internationally provide various incentives for international events. Thus, we have also advocated a similar programme to the states, and we are hopeful that it will have a positive impact,” he suggested.  

In building back better of our industry, SITE India invites the global incentive industry to collaborate to SITE India Incentive Summit 2021- (Virtual) on 29th -30th July 2021. The incentive travel industry is now more attuned to new realities through its relentless efforts in adapting to change. SITE India leans itself into this shift in mindset and behaviour to embark on this Incentive Summit. SITE India Incentive Summit – Virtual is the flagship event for us which showcases the pivotal elements of Incentive Travel through Education and the most essential element to do business – Networking. The objective of the event is to kickstart preparation for the upcoming reopening in India and overseas along with meeting with leading brands to rekindle relationships. This 1st edition of the Incentive summit will have the following: Education: Power-packed educational session with the leading speakers from the Incentive Travel Industry. Meet with Leading Brands: You can also meet with the leading industry brands consisting of Hotels, Venues, DMC’s and other industry stakeholders from India and Overseas. Speed Networking: Enjoy speed networking at the lounge and meet with new connections. “The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) is the only Business Events association dedicated exclusively to the global incentive travel industry. This summit will help the Indian Incentive Travel industry professional with global speaker line up, networking with peers from across India and an opportunity to meet with exhibitors who will present their offerings”, said Nitin Sachdeva, President, SITE India. Register for SITE India Incentive Summit 2021 – Virtual at https://bit.ly/AttendIncentiveSummit

Singapore Tourism Board, Professional Convention Management Association and UFI have launched a White Paper on reimagining the future of business events. It reveals that there is a stronger appetite for digital or hybrid events from respondents in Asia, and that the number of events they are planning to exhibit at has recovered to its pre-pandemic levels.

Aviareps India successfully concluded its first 3D digital roadshow in India with 12 partners on board representing destinations namely Brussels, Miami, Moscow and St. Petersburg, hotel brands namely Radisson Hotels and Rocco Forte Hotels, tourism products offering in Brussels namely Choco Story and the biggest tourism attractions – Atomium and Mini Europe, car rentals services of Budget Rent a Car and finally important suppliers namely MP Benelux and Get to Belgium. Held from 23-24 June 2021, the virtual roadshow saw presence of industry visitors from all corners of India. Over the two days of the virtual fair, a total of 250+ attendees from the vibrant Indian outbound travel fraternity ensured 350+ pre-scheduled meetings and 1,710 contacts exchanged via booth visitations as well as allowing agents to interact amongst themselves thus making this a highly interactive platform. “The maiden virtual edition of Aviareps India Travel Connect is a clear indication that it is time for us to shift gears and focus on development and continuity of business. And, while it is the first of its kind in India, I hope all the attendees benefit from the interesting discussions and virtual connections during these two days which we will soon transform into face-to-face encounters in the near immediate future”, stated Ellona Pereira, Head, Aviareps India.

ITB Asia 2021 will be an all-virtual event, and the physical show has been postponed to 2022. Messe Berlin (Singapore) has announced the complete digitalisation of ITB Asia, which will be held from 25 – 29 October 2021. The virtual event includes five full days of business appointments and three exclusive days of conference programme. All conference sessions are available on-demand for a month. Exhibitors will get many virtual benefits and some new perks. The event is being held in conjunction with MICE Show Asia as well as Travel Tech Asia. “Our team is committed in bringing a hybrid concept of ITB Asia, MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia for the travel trade industry coming October. However, global health and travel uncertainties accompanied by the rapid emergence of new COVID-19 variants had halted our efforts. The hybrid concept garnered an excellent response with over 600 confirmed exhibitors, but it has become apparent that international delegates are unable to reasonably plan their participation and travel arrangements. Therefore, with a good lead time this year we will conduct the show virtually, offering international delegates a stronger digital platform for B2B networking, learning and knowledge sharing,” said Katrina Leung, Managing Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia.