Aspire parent launches Global Travel Week trade event

Aspire’s parent company Jacobs Media Group is to host an annual international travel trade hybrid event to connect suppliers from a range of destinations with leading decision-makers.

The first Global Travel Week powered by Connections will take place at London’s Kia Oval from September 27-30 and will utilise the Connections format of developing business relationships through shared experiences.

The event will feature targeted one-to-one meetings and a range of experiences held in ‘destination zones’ in addition to content sessions led by other brands within the Jacobs Media Group portfolio including Travel Weekly, Aspire, Unity Through Tourism, the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council and the Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers (Atas).

Participating tourist boards already confirmed include the Italian National Tourist Board, Visit Portugal, Malta Tourism Authority, Slovenia Tourist Board, Tourism Council of Bhutan and Turks & Caicos Tourism Board.

Global Travel Week has been created to support the recovery and resurgence of the travel industry and will cover a range of travel segments including luxury, meetings & incentives, wellbeing, adventure, weddings, mainstream travel and travel technology.

In addition to the meetings and content sessions, Connections Luxury will host a dedicated programme for its global luxury travel membership, while Jacobs Media Group’s travel technology brand Travolution will also host its one-day Travolution European Summit at the event.

Duncan Horton, chief executive of Jacobs Media Group, said: “As the global voice for the travel and hospitality industries and the recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, Jacobs Media Group offers an unrivalled multimedia portfolio which connects, informs and inspires these dynamic and evolving sectors.

“We look forward to using the market-leading power of our brands to bring the travel industry together and help drive the recovery process for travel buyers and suppliers alike.”

Micaela Giacobbe, managing director of Connections, said: “The last year has been an incredibly challenging one for our industry. In response, we shifted the Connections Way of doing business online and successfully held six events for Connections Luxury members and tourist boards. More than 1,600 suppliers and buyers met through almost 14,000 one-to-one virtual meetings, with 75 experiences delivered live from around the world; each event achieved a 98-100% satisfaction rate.

“The Connections Luxury private community also welcomed 188 new members from over 42 different countries, proving that there continues to be a positive appetite for doing business. We look forward to our international network coming together at the inaugural Global Travel Week later this year.”

Organisers said the event would offer full flexibility for delegates who are unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances, and a separate virtual programme will also run on October 4-5 for those who cannot attend the in-person event.

Global Travel Week is supported by partners including McKenzie Gayle Limited, New Deal Europe and Nordic Tourism Collective.

To see the full programme of events and to register interest, visit globaltravelweek.com.

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