Having a clear strategy is paramount if you want to get ahead of your competitors at ILTM. We realise it can be hard to meet all the people you want to see, make sure your brand is getting seen and achieve all your ROI objectives… all at the same time! That’s why we thought we’d share some of our top tips for a prosperous ILTM journey and some valuable insights from a few of our favourite industry thought leaders.

Step 1: Your exhibitor profile
From a retail perspective, this is your ‘shop window’. Found on the Exhibitor Directory of the website, this is your dedicated page to sell your brand. As soon as you sign up to exhibit, your profile will go live on the Exhibitor Directory. Key buyers will be looking at your profile from the moment it is live, so it’s important to log in to the Exhibitor Portal and fill out your profile as soon as possible to enhance your brand exposure.

Tip: “Do you have a newly launched product on the market – or something that makes you stand out? Make sure to mention this in your profile and you are sure to receive interest from buyers”

Step 2: Pre-Scheduled Appointments (PSAs)
It is important to fill out your exhibitor profile in as much detail as possible; for example, choosing the correct products that represent your company, specifying the location of your product(s) and indicating your target market. This helps the system preform its algorithms more precisely during the appointment matching process and will result in better matches with buyers for you.

Note: our team will need to approve your profile submission before entering it into our PSA system.

Tip: “Be sure to carefully read the questions so that you select responses that truly reflect your company activities – trying to be too broad will result in less targeted matches”

Step 3: The SSA process (Self Scheduled Appointments)
After the first set of appointments have been matched, you may have a few free spaces left in your diary. At this point, you may search for the clients that you wish to see using your own search criteria in the exhibitor portal and send the contact a request to meet.  Again, if you have filled out your preferences in detail, this will also help your profile become more visible in prospective clients’ searches, and mean you are more likely to meet the buyers who will help you deliver ROI for your business.

Tip: “Be proactive: not every request will result in a meeting but sending more targeted requests means more likelihood of setting appointments with future business partners”

Step 4: Networking, not ‘not-working’
We organise many social events at ILTM so that when you have finished your appointments for the day, you can enjoy some well-deserved ‘down-time’ and really get to know your new connections, in beautiful surroundings. Be sure to plan your week well so that you are able to attend these events, which will help develop those key relationships.

Tip: “First impressions really count in the luxury hospitality business. Carol Kinsey Goman, an international keynote speaker and author of the Silent Language of Leaders, gives advice on how, in your business meeting, you can Make Maximum Impact in the First 7 Seconds“

Step 5: Meeting the media
We have over 170 global luxury media publications attending each year, such as: Travel+Leisure, National Geographic, Forbes and The Wall Street Journal, to name but a few.

If you are looking to meet one of the top editors attending ILTM, to feature in one of the high profile travel publications that reaches out to thousands of luxury travellers – you are going to need a story that stands out.

Tip: “For advice on how to get ‘seen’ by the media attending ILTM, read Annie Fitzsimmon’s piece on 5 Tips For Working with Media at ILTM – and Getting Your Story Told“

Outmanoeuvre your competition this year by committing early to ILTM in Cannes, the meeting place for the global luxury travel community. For more information, visit www.iltm.com/cannes.