International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) 2018 will take place for the first time at the GR Exhibition and Convention Centre, located in the heart of Ljubljana, from October 15 – 18, 2018. Having previously been hosted in established golf markets such as Spain and Portugal, this year’s edition will showcase Slovenia, which received more than 4.3 million tourists in 2016 and has 13 golf courses, as a rapidly emerging golf destination.

Attracting over 500 golf suppliers and 400 golf tour operators from 60+ countries, IGTM has firmly cemented itself as the premier meeting place for the global golf travel industry. However, now in its 21st year, a key focus for the IGTM team is how to ensure the event continues to deliver value to its customers.

Over the past few months, extensive research has been conducted with both exhibitors and buyers to understand what their key challenges/concerns are, what they are looking to achieve at IGTM each year and how the event can continue to be an important partner. Some of the key feedback looked at the timing of the event in relation to the business cycle of the industry, the changing markets attendees are looking to work with and the logistics of the 1-2-1 meetings, which are the heart of IGTM.

As a result of the customer research, this year’s IGTM will:

• Take place in mid-October, due to overwhelming feedback that this is a prime time for the industry to conduct business for the following year
• Bring together new buyers, with a key focus on the luxury, meetings & incentive sectors who have an interest in sourcing golf travel products
• Feature an improved appointment system for exhibitors to manage meetings, including the option to highlight which buyers they do not wish to meet, thus maximising the opportunity to have more productive meetings
• See the return of the IAGTO Awards & Host Destination Gala Dinner
• See the IGTM golf tournament take place across 3 countries for the first time ever (Slovenia, Austria and Italy)

Peter Grimster, Exhibition Manager, Reed Exhibitions, said “We are constantly looking at ways we can innovate and improve the event experience for our customers. We are confident the event taking place in October, combined with the quality of the golf courses and the excellent conference facilities provided by Slovenia, mean the 2018 edition will be a must-attend event for the industry.”

More new initiatives for 2018 will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more information regarding IGTM, please visit igtm.wtm.com or contact Matthew.Davis@reedexpo.co.uk.

ENDS