The 19th MTM & LLTM event held at The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi, on November 29, 2019, provided a one-of-a-kind platform to India’s leading corporate buyers to interact and explore business opportunities with providers catering to MICE, Luxury and Travel industries
The 19th edition of the MICE Travel Mart (MTM) and Luxury & Leisure Travel Mart (LLTM), organised by OptiMICE Events Private Limited, on November 29, at The Ashok, New Delhi, was a great success. The event provided an excellent platform to India’s leading buyers to explore business opportunities with service providers catering to MICE, Luxury and Leisure travel industry. The country’s premier travel mart was attended by an invited delegation of decision makers from various Corporate Houses, Travel Agencies, Wedding Planners, Event Planners and PCOs, who were pre-identified for huge MICE movements, business travel, and luxury and leisure travel. The event provided a one-of-a-kind platform for Exhibitors to showcase their products and leverage prospects in a business-driven ambience.
TOWARDS A PLASTIC-FREE WORLD Small changes can go a long way. Joining hands with the global cause of going plastic-free, MTM & LLTM revamped the conventional exhibition space to a whole new level, by introducing live LED walls at all exhibitor stalls. This reduced the usage of plastic at the Exhibition by more than 90 percent. The new feature provided greater benefits to all Exhibitors, as it offered a more sophisticated look and also doubled up the space for their video presentations.
REVERSE MARKETPLACE MTM & LLTM showcased its unique Reverse Market Place Duo, which enabled Exhibitors to meet exclusive Corporate Purchasers and do business through one-on-one meetings. These Purchasers consisted of leading corporate buyers, wedding & event planners, travel agents and tour operators. MTM & LLTM brought into play two premium Reverse Market Place Sessions. The Morning Session had over 30 pre-qualified Corporate Buyers from all over India — from corporate hubs in cities, such as Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune — sitting in exclusive meetings with exhibitors. The Afternoon Session comprised a different set of 30 pre-qualified Corporate Buyers from the host city of Delhi. Both the buyers and the exhibitors got an opportunity to talk about potential business opportunities in a congenial environment and at a relaxed, unhurried pace. The exclusive Reverse Market Place sessions for Exhibitors were successful in establishing a meeting setup at designated tables with the invited Buyers. The fact that the Session was able to bring together 60 Corporate decision makers at a pan-India level for one-on-one meetings, that too in a single day, was highly appreciated by the attending delegates. There was a healthy mix of first-time and returning exhibitors, who took full advantage of this unique gathering. The Exhibitors included players from Hospitality Industry, Travel Agencies, Tour Operators, Cruise Lines, National and International Tourism Bodies, Wedding & Event Planners. The dignitaries who graced the occasion included, among others, Ms Urvashi Dogra, Committee Member, TAFI; Mr Chander Mansharamani, Past Vice Chairman, ICPB; Mr PP Khanna, President, ADTOI; Mr. Rakesh Arora, Founder Member & Coordinator, Membership, NIMA; Mr. Rajeev Duggal, Strategic Advisor, Jalesh Cruises; Mr. Devesh Khanna, Chief Commercial Officer, Jalesh Cruises; Mr. Mahesh NR, Owner, Ramada by Wyndham Yelahanka, Bengaluru and Mr. Aditya Loomba, Jt. Managing Director, ECO Rent a Car. Apart from the one-on-one business sessions between Buyers and Exhibitors, there was a range of networking events, a panel discussion on the importance of Wellness with celebrity speakers, followed by cocktails.
WELLNESS: A WAY OF LIVING PANEL DISCUSSION The highlight of the event was a panel discussion on the importance of Wellness in today’s world, powered by Tourism Corporation of Gujarat. The session, titled “Wellness — A Way of Living”, was moderated by Ms Kamal Gill, Director, OptiMICE Events Private Limited. The speakers included Ms Bhavna Vohra, Founder & Director, Heaven on Earth Private Limited; Mr Anurag Dua, Co-Founder and COO, Amatra Hotels & Resorts; Mr Colin Gary Hall, General Manager, Paro Himalayan Wellness Retreat, and Ms Mala Barua, Owner, Mystic-Asia. The session started with an instructive video, underlining the importance of wellness in rejuvenating the mind, body and soul. It highlighted the various wellness therapies and treatment available in state of Gujarat, including Shirodhara, Yoga, Aqua Yoga and many more. These therapies, combining the age-old Ayurvedic traditions with cutting-edge modern, scientific methods, are gaining increasing popularity among travellers and fitness enthusiasts. The session also shed light on how Gujarat is poised to grow as the country’s preferred wellness destination with a focus on Yoga, Ayurvedic therapies, alternative medicine and various other kinds of wellness products. The panel came to the conclusion that the idea of wellness today has moved beyond the narrow definition of absence of disease to a credible lifestyle choice that encompasses vitality, vigour and optimal health. The panellists also brainstormed on how to position Brand Gujarat as a premiere wellness destination in India and the strategies that might be adopted towards achieving that end. After a hectic day of intense business networking and panel discussions, the event ended with cocktails, which the guests loved. It provided yet another opportunity for exhibitors and buyers for informal networking and discussion. Overall, the event received an enthusiastic response from all the guests, who spoke highly of this innovative networking initiative and thanked the organisers for putting together this unique corporate event.
TESTIMONIALS
The MTM and LLTM event is great platform for networking with industry peers, including suppliers, who give you insights into the trends and the best practices of the fraternity. In particular, insights into companies, such as Jalesh Cruises and AUH tourism, during the Think Tank, were immensely helpful. The choice of suppliers was extremely relevant. It is difficult to pick one from the lot as a range of suppliers were brought under one roof, giving us, suppliers, plenty of opportunities to interact with one another.
— Tanvi Mazumdar, Head, Travel Services, Biocon Limited, Bengaluru
I would like to take the opportunity to thank the organisers of the 19th MTM and LLTM event. Very few travel marts have a Think Tank following the main event. The whole set-up was nice and extremely professional. I noticed that people were freely moving around. The back screen and the equal layouts gave a better look and feel to the event. We had a fruitful interaction with Jalesh Cruises.
— Rajan Verma, General Manager JK Lakshmi Cement Limited, New Delhi
This was a great platform to connect with corporates and service partners. The travel mart is a great initiative to engage in one-on-one interaction with service partners, thereby giving us an opportunity to learn and understand their business capabilities. The knowledge helps us to plan our corporate events based on the business demand, number of people attending, location etc. I had the opportunity to meet multiple people who are in the businesses of hotels and destinations. It was indeed a great learning experience.
— Harikrishna Taluka India Head, Administration & Facilities, Coromandel International Limited
I particularly enjoyed the Reverse Marketplace interaction with vendors and the Think Tank session. A particular memorable interaction was with the Abu Dhabi team. Meeting new vendors, hotels and resorts for possible future partnerships was another highlight of the event.
— Manoj Duggal, Head, Procurement & Taxation Bajaj Allianz
