World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE), a leading event for the travel catering, onboard retail and passenger comfort industries is back. Returning to Hamburg Messe from 31 March – 2 April 2020, as part of Passenger Experience Week, WTCE will be a hotbed of innovation, with the world’s top airlines and rail companies looking for on-trend food and drink products, novel packaging ideas, onboard retail solutions and much more.
Driven by innovation
The global travel market continues to thrive. However, as passenger numbers increase – air passenger demand set to double by 2034 – the need to deliver something memorable and bring the home destination on board has never been more important.
Today, passengers expect the services available to them in the air or on the railway to mirror the standards of any out-of-home outlet. Therefore, it is no surprise that key trends, such as sustainability, onboard technology, passenger comfort and catering continues to be a major focus for the thousands of professionals that visit WTCE.
Discover more
Co-located with Aircraft Interiors Expo, WTCE will be found in Halls A1, A3 and A4 of the Hamburg Messe. Together, the events will provide passenger experience professionals with a unique opportunity to identify new products and solutions throughout the cabin, all under one roof.
At WTCE, 350 plus exhibitors will come together to highlight innovative ways that airlines and rail operators can enhance their onboard experience. Suppliers will present new food and drink products, packaging solutions, toys, games, food service equipment and much more.
Among those confirmed to exhibit are AK Services and Skysupply, which create amenity and children’s kits, as well as comfort items for customers. They will be joined by Euro-GOODNIGHT, a company that develops blankets and comforters.
When it comes to travel catering, all the major groups will be present, including LSG Sky Chefs, Do & Co. and Dnata. Showcasing their newest solutions, buyers from airlines and rail businesses will be able to find ways of creating a home away from home and supply unforgettable onboard food and service experience for their passengers.
WTCE will feature more food and drink brands in 2020 than ever before. Among these will be first-time exhibitor Bord Bia – Ireland’s dedicated food board – and leading Italian cuisine producer, Barilla. With consumer snacking on the rise, the event will also welcome The Gourmet Center, which aims to bring some of the most recognised names in the world of snacks to the skies.
In recognition of the growing number of consumers looking for something different when travelling, visitors will be able to try a variety of innovations first-hand. With a shift towards more experimental and exotic tastes, Cocktail House Swiss – which claims to offer the world’s first ready-to-drink cocktail – will showcase its newest products at the exhibition, helping passenger experience professionals tap into the popular cocktail trend. Not for grown-ups, For Aisha, a halal-certified baby food brand, will also be exhibiting.
With passengers demanding more sustainable solutions, exhibitors such as The Humble Co will be popular in 2020. The company will showcase its eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush as a socially responsible alternative. Visitors can also expect to find onboard technologies and packaging solutions from Global C, which will present its compostable cutlery sets and full recyclable meal kits.
Insights and beyond
Located at the heart of WTCE, Hall A3 is set to be a hot spot for visitors in 2020. In addition to housing many first-time exhibitors, visitors will find the popular networking drinks and VIP Buyers Lounge, as well as the Taste of Travel Theatre.
WTCE provides the latest industry insights and a sneak peak into what is next for the world of onboard hospitality. The 2020 show will be no different, with the return of the Taste of Travel programme.
The 2020 programme will tap into the hot topic of sustainability, addressing current and future issues on packaging, transparency and generational trends. These specially curated sessions will feature live demonstrations from leading chefs and exclusive presentations from top passenger experience professionals and experts in sustainability. More details will be released in the coming months.
Following their success last year, both WTCE’s ‘What’s New Onboard’ and ‘Spotlight on Travel Apparel’ areas will also return to the exhibition, housing on-trend products that will enhance passenger experience. The free-to-attend Drinks Reception will again present an opportunity for individuals to network. Sponsored by Heineken, the event will take place on 31 March, providing another chance for attendees to meet new contacts and discuss opportunities to generate revenue onboard.
Additionally, the popular Business Meeting Hub – a dedicated space for attendees to schedule on-site meetings with potential new partners – will return to the event, with VIPs able to book tables in advance.
WTCE 2020 is going to be even bigger and better. Housed with the well-known Aircraft Interiors Expo and Passenger Experience Conference, it provides a vitally important platform to source new products and identify new trends affecting the future onboard experience. We look forward to helping professionals from across the aviation, rail and cruise industries meet with the industry’s creative, trend setting innovators, and highlighting the opportunities they have to transform their businesses overnight.
For more information on the opportunities to exhibit at WTCE or to register your interest, visit www.worldtravelcateringexpo.com or join the conversation online:
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Join WTCE on LinkedIn: www.worldtravelcateringexpo.com/linkedin
