This year, for the first time, I attended WTM London (World Travel Market), a huge travel and tourism industry event, for professionals and media. It was a first – and hopefully not a last – given my propensity to blog somewhat from the shadows, so I thought I’d describe how I approached the event, what worked, and what didn’t, for other bloggers or creators going next year. Or, even just as a reminder to myself for next year.

Before The Event

The one thing I did do beforehand that was one of my brightest ideas of the year, obvious as it sounds, was creating and printing stacks of business cards. I ended up being amazed at just how many folks by day 2 seemed to have run out, or just didn’t have cards to begin with (‘send me a DM and let’s connect’ – username totally forgotten by 3pm).

I created cards with one of five different ‘window seat’ views on the back, of a particular place – for example, Dublin Airport, London, etc. – and not only were the cards in general a good idea, but you’d be surprised by how much of a conversation starter the card imagery was; “would you like one of London, or maybe Singapore?”. Definitely to be repeated.

In terms of actual packing for the day, the exhibition halls were pretty toasty and it’s very, very busy – if I was to go again, I’d probably leave the laptop behind, and just take cards, a bottle of water, and a light jacket for getting to and from the centre. I had these very grand notions of writing up blog posts on the plane to and from London each day, but ultimately the laptop was used only once to check if my Google Photos account was syncing properly.

Getting To The Event

I knew from the outset that this wouldn’t be one of my brightest ideas, but I really wanted to attend the event only using revenue from the ads on this site – and not have to dip into my own cash, after all, those business class flights don’t pay for themselves. And so I flew to and from London each day from our home, about 15 minutes away from Shannon Airport in Ireland’s Midwest.

Shannon Airport is a terrifically efficient airport and despite waking up later the following morning, I still had time for a coffee and a snack in the lounge before boarding commenced. But the haul from Heathrow to and from the Excel is something I’d not be keen to repeat, even with the Elizabeth Line. So if you’re serious about attending, it’s probably best to just stay nearby.

How Many Days?

I went for the first two (of three) days. To be honest, it’s such a hectic, large-scale event that you could easily spend the full three days – but if you’re efficient and structured with your time and what you want to get out of it, two seemed plenty.

Arriving To The Event

Different bloggers seemed to have different takes – I know one who planned a wild schedule of meetings, while another seemed to just go stand to stand, taking time to chat and explore opportunities.

When I arrived at first, I came armed with just under a handful of meetings spread over the two days, a ‘day plan’ of who I wanted to see and what I wanted to achieve (which I worked on each morning on the plane, ahead of arriving), and a loose idea of where I wanted to spend time first.

At The Event

But probably the best thing I did once I arrived was actually spend the first two hours just wandering around the entire complex – it’s a huge event, that will take at least twice your daily walking target everyday, and the better an understanding you can quickly gain on where everything is in practice and how far apart things are in reality (beyond the maps), the better. This didn’t help me much for Day 1, but by Day 2 I covered different areas only once, knowing well what and who was there that I may want to see or speak to.

There’s also a ‘Media Centre’ – mostly geared towards international media who need space to work away from the bustle of the actual event, but in truth I passed it through it only twice en-route to press conferences and didn’t avail of either the workspaces or the apparent benefits (complimentary barista coffee – some people have all the luck…). Also worth noting that there’s a fast track entrance for media, but again, I (accidentally) never made use of this and didn’t feel particularly put out by not doing so.

For bloggers, particularly anti-social ones like myself, you could definitely get the nerves or have a sense of imposter syndrome from the sheer scale and professionalism of the event and its industry and trade attendees – but let me tell you, there’s absolutely no need. Everyone I spoke to, at stands, trade, at the meetings, and fellow bloggers and content creators, were extremely friendly, interested and helpful.

The best advice I can probably give though at the event though is – have a plan and know what you want (generally) to get out of the event. Maybe that’s just making connections for the future, maybe that’s possible collaborations (I also prepared a media one-pager, which has come in use, to link to quickly in conversations), or even just learning more about places you want to go; but just make sure you use every moment productively.

So, Now?

Overall, I loved the few days at WTM London – I spoke with so many interesting characters, made new contacts, explored a bunch of possible partnerships for the blog, and even used the time to hang out with the Window Seat Preferred travel expert, Steve Michailidis, to swap stories, have a laugh, and figure out how to help more people plan great trips.

So hopefully, it’ll be the first of many – and for any other bloggers or creators out there wondering about it, do it!

(And of course, if you’re unsure or have any questions, drop me a note or leave a comment)