Cape Town wins ‘Best New Stand Award’ at WTM London

Cape Town, host city of World Travel Market (WTM) Africa, has made its debut at WTM London.

Though being more than 6 000 miles away, delegates attending the world’s biggest travel show could for a moment escape to Cape Town and enjoy one of the city’s most exhilarating adventure experiences.

Explains Lance Greyling, the City’s Enterprise & Investment Director: “This is our first time exhibiting at WTM London and we wanted to offer delegates an unforgettable, immersive experience. There’s no better way to feel true escapism in Cape Town than paragliding off Lions Head or Signal Hill. Not only does it show off Cape Town’s beauty, our many tourist sites and the unique perspective of the landscape below, it is also a true adventure.”

By using 360 point-of-view footage, the Place Marketing team created a VR experience that enabled the audience truly enjoy a once in a lifetime, uniquely Cape Town experience.

Visitors to the Cape Town stand, designed by Booth Exhibits, were able to sit in a paragliding seat in a metal collapsible construction (much like a swing). Using the VR headset and a pair of earphones, they were able to experience Cape Town from this aerial point of view.

Cape Town was also announced the winner of the ‘Best New Stand Award’ at the show. Wendy Van der Byl, Head of Destination Marketing, accepted the award on behalf of the City.

“Winning the ‘Best New Stand Award’ at WTM London is a great honour,” said Greyling. “What makes the accolade even more meaningful is that it is the first time that our Place Marketing team activates at an international show. The team put in a lot of effort and hard work. We are extremely proud.”

Shortly after the announcement, Reed Exhibitions, organisers of WTM Africa, hosted a networking event on the Cape Town stand.

WTM Africa takes place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 6 – 8 April 2020.

One of six shows in the WTM portfolio, WTM Africa was launched in 2014 to bring the benefits and opportunities of our global industry expertise to travel professionals in this region.

Africa’s leading and only business to business (B2B) exhibition for both the inbound and outbound African travel and tourism markets attracts nearly 6 500 travel industry professionals.

Mirrored on WTM flagship events WTM London and Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, Buyers’ club, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors.

“Through our industry networks, global reach and regional focus, WTM Africa creates personal and business opportunities providing our customers with quality contacts, content and communities,” said Carol Weaving, managing director of Reed Exhibitions.

About Place Marketing

The City’s Place Marketing team manages Cape Town’s international reputation and shines the international spotlight on the city’s successes, its people, places and the region’s limitless opportunities to help stimulate long-term economic growth for residents.

The team promotes the city through strategic events and targeted communication that enhance Cape Town’s reputation as a leading destination to Visit, Live, Work, Study, Play and Invest.

Place Marketing has developed a suite of promotional material, including videos, which position Cape Town as a preferred destination for travel, events and investment, print and digital adverts. It has also created a destination media toolkit on a USB stick, containing everything a visitor or investor might need to know about the city – from key facts and figures to information about top attractions, a downloadable visitor’s guide and proposed story angles for journalists.

The team also launched the City’s first digital film and image library on the Barberstock platform. The online vault contains over 1 000 images and videos available for download at no cost to anyone promoting Cape Town as the premier city to Visit, Live, Work, Study, Play and Invest. Users have to register for free access at www.barberstock.com/capetown.

For more information about the city, visit www.thisis.capetown.

Also read: Cape Town hosts Africa’s biggest travel show