VNU Expositions Plans New Travel and Adventure Show
By Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 2/16/2004
VNU Expositions is launching a new show this year to cater to the $50-billion adventure travel market. The inaugural Travel and Adventure Business, to be held Oct. 1-3 at the Miami Convention Center, is expected to draw 2,000 attendees.
An Le, marketing manager with VNU's sports group, said the Belize Tourism Board is a confirmed exhibitor. Other likely exhibitors include hotels, airlines, resorts, convention and visitors bureaus, tourism boards, cruise lines, resorts, equipment manufacturers and outfitters. Travel agents and wholesalers are among potential attendees.
The fledgling industry is currently fragmented. "The goal of our show is to bring everyone together. Right now, there's not a straight line between exhibitors and attendees. We want to provide a focused forum," Le said.
VNU isn't the first company to make a foray into adventure tourism. MSE Management's IATOS Expo & World Congress on Adventure & Eco-tourism, scheduled Feb. 18-22 at Chicago's Navy Pier, is forecast to lure 20,000 attendees and 400 exhibitors. The trade-only show will be Feb. 18-20, and the show open to both trade and the public will be Feb. 20-22. Outside magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ford Motor and Motorola are co-sponsors.
Le said the VNU show will be different from MSE's event in being strictly trade-only. Both companies' shows will include conferences.
In addition, Unicomm just wrapped up its inaugural, Adventures in Travel Expo at New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Jan. 9-11, drawing 22,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors.
Unicomm plans to repeat the event Nov. 12–14 at the San Mateo Convention Center in San Francisco and Jan. 7-9 at The Washington Armory in Washington, D.C.
