In 2024, the global travel and tourism sector is experiencing a robust boom reflecting the same energy, MTM and LLTM (MICE Travel Mart and Luxury & Leisure Travel Mart) is celebrating its most successful year ever.
The highly anticipated 26th edition of the MTM and LLTM Travel Exhibition took place on May 30, 2024, at the prestigious JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar. This premier event attracted the most affluent travel purchasers, including corporate buyers, wedding planners, and event planners, for a day of networking and business opportunities.
A unique platform
This collaborative event brought together esteemed Corporate MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) travel buyers and trusted sellers, offering a series of engaging activities designed to foster invaluable relationships and facilitate lucrative collaborations.
MTM and LLTM provide a unique platform for travel decision-makers from corporate houses, wedding planners, and event planners who are key players in MICE movements, business travel, and luxury and leisure travel. By bringing these industry professionals together under one roof, the exhibition creates an ideal setting to showcase products and seize business opportunities within a dynamic and results-oriented environment.
A warm welcome
The event commenced with a warm welcome from Kamal Gill, Executive Editor and Managing Director of Gill India Group and Director of OptiMICE Events. Kamal Gill expressed great pleasure in hosting the 26th edition of MTM & LLTM, emphasizing the significance of the gathering and acknowledging the esteemed Guests of Honour and dignitaries in attendance.
Among the distinguished guests were: Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – MEISEA, South African Tourism Mumbai; Gagan Sharma, Country Manager, Air Mauritius; Markus Tan, Regional Director IMESA, Singapore Tourism Board; Kean Bon LIM, Area Director – India, South Asia, Africa, Singapore Tourism Board; Abhinash Manghani, Chief Executive Officer, WelcomHeritage Hotels; Nupur Chandra, Head Mice-Travelplus; Kunal Chauhan, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, Kewal Gill, Chairman, Gill India Group and Kamal Gill, Executive Editor and Managing Director, Gill India Group.
The inaugural morning session featured prominent leaders from the hospitality, aviation, government, and international tourism sectors. They shared valuable insights on leadership, excellence in a post-Covid world, and the latest trends in corporate travel, MICE, aviation, and tourism.
In her opening address, Kamal Gill lauded the significant strides made in the travel and tourism industry, underscoring a global revival in travel enthusiasm. She stated, “This impressive rise has brought record tourist numbers globally and resulted in a flourishing tourism industry demonstrating the ongoing human desire for global exploration. By participating in MTM and LLTM, exhibitors are maximizing this industry upswing, forging durable partnerships, and securing a leading position in the dynamic corporate MICE travel environment.”
Kamal Gill warmly welcomed all the corporate buyers from across India, expressing deep appreciation for their longstanding association and support. She also expressed her gratitude to the exhibitors for their trust, investment, and confidence in the MTM and LLTM’s vision and efforts.
She said, “Your commitment has been essential to the exhibition’s success and we as a team promise to continue striving for excellence while providing unparalleled opportunities to connect with the target audience and achieve business goals.”
Opening Session gets off to a flying start
The landmark event saw an impressive session of leadership insights shared with the audience.
Neliswa Nkani, HubHead – MEISEA, South African Tourism Mumbai, took the stage and the audience by storm. She said, “The goal is to explore South Africa’s lesser-known regions and create enriching experiences for Indian Corporate MICE partners to promote. With this focused approach, she anticipates even greater growth in the coming years. This game-changer simplifies travel and strengthens our global connections.”
Gagan Sharma, Country Manager of Air Mauritius delivered an inspiring address, emphasizing Air Mauritius’s commitment to growth in the Indian market and expressing excitement for future progress. It was a truly memorable moment for all attendees, filled with optimism and forward-thinking ideas!
Markus Tan, Regional Director IMESA, Singapore Tourism Board engaged with Corporate travel buyers from across India. He inspired attendees to explore new possibilities in Singapore as he highlighted Singapore’s vibrant, boundary-breaking spirit, and for visitors to experience for themselves the unique offerings that are made possible only in Singapore.
Nupur Chandra, Head Mice-Travelplus, delivered a compelling presentation. She offered valuable insights into the rapidly growing business marketplace, leaving attendees with much to ponder and actionable takeaways for the future of travel. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with industry leaders and explore new avenues for growth and collaboration.
Building Connections: Fostering Business Alliances at MTM and LLTM
Over the years, MTM and LLTM has played a key role in facilitating meaningful business interactions between corporate purchasers and travel service providers, leading to significant transactions and valuable leads. The strong support for MTM and LLTM highlighted, as always, the importance and untapped potential of the Corporate MICE, luxury, and leisure segments both domestically and internationally.
MTM and LLTM’s introduction of their unique Reverse Marketplace Duo, allowing exhibitors to meet exclusive corporate purchasers through one-on-one meetings has been an outstanding success with several new associations and business deals closed.
Reverse Marketplace: A Standout Feature of MTM and LLTM
This standout feature of MTM and LLTM involved over 100 esteemed corporate VIP buyers who engage in exclusive sessions, allowing sellers to establish face-to-face connections with these VIP buyers. This setup fostered mutually beneficial relationships and created opportunities for future collaborations.
The premium Morning Reverse Marketplace Sessions featured over 50+ pre-qualified corporate buyers from across India. These included major cities like Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune, as well as other cities.
After a satisfying lunch, the momentum continued with a second Reverse Marketplace session, introducing new VIP corporate buyers to sellers. Many of the pre-qualified corporate buyers were from the host city, Mumbai who met with exhibitors. This session provided sellers with additional opportunities to engage and discuss potential business transactions, maximizing their chances of forging successful deals.
The fact that these sessions were able to bring together so many corporate decision-makers for one-on-one meetings in a single day was highly appreciated by the attending delegates.
A dynamic Business Day
The event continued with a dynamic Business Day, where participants experienced a productive Business environment with the Reverse Marketplace session being followed by interactions and discussions. VIP corporate buyers from across the country gathered, providing sellers with unique opportunities to engage in direct interactions, discuss business prospects, and establish valuable connections. This interaction paved the way for fruitful partnerships and opened new avenues for collaboration.
The event saw a surge of top corporates in attendance, including Hindware, Reliance Industries, HDFC Life Insurance, Godrej Industries, CRISIL Limited, Accenture, Adobe, Maruti Suzuki India, Titan Company, Mahindra & Mahindra, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, GM Modular, Alkem Laboratories, Raymond, Ashok Leyl and many more.
Throughout the day, exhibitors were busy introducing themselves, meeting, and discussing future business and event proposals with corporate purchasers from across India and the host city. There was a healthy mix of first-time and returning exhibitors, all of whom took full advantage of this unique gathering.
The exhibitors included players from the hospitality industry, travel agencies, DMCs, sports and events companies, cruise lines, and national and international tourism bodies.
A variety of networking events
A key highlight of the event was the prestigious MTM Star Awards, where leading wedding planners and top corporate companies were recognized and celebrated in front of an engaged audience. This esteemed ceremony showcased their remarkable contributions and achievements within the industry.
The constellation of proud awardees in the MTM Star Award category included:
Corporate Awardees
HDFC Sales for Best Incentive Programme For Employees/Associates; AGS Transact Technologies for Most Well-Planned Business Travel; Motilal Oswal Financial Services for Best Incentive Programme For Distributors/Dealers; Alkem Laboratories for Best Incentive Programme For Employees/Associates; CRISIL Limited for Most Well-Planned Business Travel; Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance for Best Meeting/Exhibition Programme; Aditya Birla Capital for Best Incentive Programme For Employees/Associates.
Also Future Generali India Insurance Company for Best Training Programme For Employees/Associates; GM Modular for Best Incentive Programme For Distributors/Dealers; Godrej Industries for Most Well-Planned Business Travel; Raymond Ltd for Most Well-Planned Business Travel; Kotak Mahindra Bank for Best Meeting/Exhibition Programme; HDFC Life Insurance Company for Best Incentive Programme For Employees/Associates; Mahyco Private Ltd for Best Incentive Programme For Distributors/Dealers; LTIMindtree Limited for Most Well-Planned Business Travel.
Furhter Mahindra Finance for Best Training Programme For Employees/Associates; Meril Life Sciences for Best Incentive Programme For Distributors/Dealers; Aadhar Housing Finance for Best Meeting/Exhibition Programme; MEGAS Architectural Services for Best Training Programme For Employees/Associates; Nuvama Wealth Management for Best Meeting/Exhibition Programme; QualityKiosk Technologies for Most Well-Planned Business Travel; Reliance Capital for Best Incentive Programme For Distributors/Dealers; Reliance Industries for Most Well-Planned Business Travel; UltraTech Cement for Best Incentive Programme For Distributors/Dealers; Viacom18 Media for Most Well-Planned Business Travel; Vodafone Idea for Best Training Programme For Employees/Associates.
Wedding/Event Planner Awardees
Among the winners were: Dreamzkrraft; 7Vachan; Dome Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. & Cineyug Entertainment; Momentum Experiences & Events LLP Mumbai; Iskra Events & Celebrations; Mercury Integrated; Rising Events; Milestones To Memories Pvt. Ltd.; Copper Events. This distinguished ceremony served as a testament to the excellence and dedication of these industry leaders.
To wrap up the day, participants were invited to the Networking Cocktails and Dinner, providing an ideal opportunity for exhibitors to build relationships and engage in friendly conversations. Evening group discussions took business networking to the next level, forming valuable partnerships with industry partners from across the country and overseas.
The relaxed atmosphere encouraged a sense of camaraderie as over 100 corporate representatives and wedding planners enjoyed the chance to unwind and strengthen partnerships, ending a day filled with productive business meetings.
The MICE Market’s Future: Set for Exceptional Growth
Amidst a renewed global passion for travel, the industry has seen an unprecedented surge, with record-breaking tourist arrivals and flourishing hospitality businesses. In this vibrant climate, the sold-out event underscored the significant impact of the Meetings and Incentive, Luxury, and Leisure industries on the economy.
Delegates gave overwhelmingly positive feedback, praising this innovative corporate business and networking event. They also expressed their gratitude to the organizers, OptiMICE Events, and the exclusive media partner, Today’s Traveller, for creating this unique corporate platform.
Towards a Sustainable Travel Future
Small changes can make a big difference. In support of the global movement to go plastic-free, MTM and LLTM transformed the traditional exhibition space by introducing a tabletop format and live LED walls at sponsor exhibitor stalls.
This change reduced the use of flex and plastic at the exhibition by more than 90 per cent. The new setup not only provided a more sophisticated look but also doubled the space available for exhibitors, offering greater benefits for everyone involved.
About MTM and LLTM Travel Exhibition – The Leading Platform for Showcasing MICE, Luxury, and Leisure Travel
The MTM and LLTM Travel Exhibition (MICE Travel Mart and Luxury & Leisure Travel Mart) is a highly anticipated bi-annual event that unites the most influential Corporate MICE travel purchasers in India. As a premier platform for showcasing products and connecting with key decision-makers, the exhibition has successfully facilitated numerous business transactions and significantly contributed to the growth of the MICE, luxury, and leisure segments.
The MTM & LLTM exhibition explores new options, enriches all MICE, luxury, and leisure players with fresh ideas, and fosters strong relationships between travel service providers and corporate buyers.
About OptiMICE Events Pvt Ltd – Expert Meeting & Event Planning
OptiMICE Events Pvt Ltd specializes in crafting custom events and meeting experiences that deliver tangible value to corporate buyers. With a team of dedicated professionals, the company creates a platform for forging alliances and planning successful MICE activities year-round.
Founded in 2010, OptiMICE Events Pvt Ltd aims to bridge the gap between corporate buyers, tourism destinations, and travel service providers. Their goal is to facilitate high-quality meetings and foster business networking that yields a strong return on investment (ROI).
As pioneers in the Indian market, OptiMICE Events Pvt Ltd has made significant strides in the corporate MICE and Business Travel segments. Their extensive reach and stellar reputation with corporate entities throughout India have solidified their position as industry leaders.
Through their media arm, Today’s Traveller, one of India’s oldest travel magazines, OptiMICE Events has built strong relationships with end consumers and major travel trade associations such as TAAI, TAFI, OTOAI, NIMA, EETA, IATO, and EEMA. This network enhances their ability to connect with key players in the travel industry.
Under the guidance of Kamal Gill, an industry veteran with over three decades of expertise and understanding of the travel market, the company has achieved remarkable success. Kamal is the Founder and Executive Editor of Today’s Traveller and the Director of OptiMICE Events Pvt Ltd.
With more than 14 years of experience in organizing trade shows and niche events, OptiMICE has successfully executed various exhibitions for the Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality industries. The company prides itself on being at the forefront of promoting MICE destinations and products to the corporate world, the film fraternity, and FIT & leisure buyers.
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