World Travel Market has finally bowed to pressure from exhibitors to drop its fourth day, but says the price to exhibit will stay the same.
In 2016 the London event will take place from Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 November, but opening hours will be extended by one hour to 7pm.
A spokesman said there would, however, be no price decrease for WTM 2016 compared to WTM 2015 becasue ‘the event will continue to deliver the same high number of quality visitors and buyers over a three days as it has done as a four-day event’.
"The three-day event allows exhibitors to maximise their time and get all their meetings done in three days, while also reducing the ancillary costs of exhibiting," he said, adding that the cost of hiring the venue, London’s ExCeL, will increase in 2016.
Organisers said the decision to drop the fourth day was taken after a shift in opinion following the 2014 show.
It said research for the first time showed exhibitors and visitors would prefer a three-day event.
It claimed previous research has always shown exhibitors were split between a three and four day event.
However, tourism body ANTOR said in a survey carried out after the show in 2013, over half of its members had voted to put pressure on Reed Exhibitions to shorten the event.
Welcoming the announcement today, ANTOR chairman Tracey Poggio said members ‘wholeheartedly applaud’ WTM for listening to its customers and debating change.
"In an industry where time has become so valuable, this new format will allow both exhibitors and visitors to maximise their investment by condensing four days of opportunities into three," she said.
The Latin American Travel Association also welcomed the decision, saying a survey of its members earlier this year showed an overwhelming response to make WTM a three-day show.
A poll by TravelMole in April 2014 showed 70% of readers believed it would be better if the fourth day was ditched.
WTM London senior director Simon Press said: "Reed Travel Exhibitions has listened to its audience and responded with an event that is exactly what they have asked for, ensuring it remains relevant to the industry’s business needs."
Other changes will see more content moved on to the exhibition floor.
A new amphitheatre seating up to 300 delegates will join the Global Stage on the exhibition floor, while the Press Centre will move from the Platinum Suites on to the exhibition floor to increase networking opportunities with the media.
The UNWTO and WTM Ministers’ Summit will take place on Wednesday November 9, with the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day taking place on Tuesday 8 November.
WTM claims total participant numbers in 2014 hit a record 51,500, with the event generating £2.5 billion in industry business deals.
