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Popular
‘Best Stand Awards’ recognises Dubai Tourism as best stand for doing business
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Other
stands awarded for their creativity include Lebanon, SAUDIA, Turkey and
Travelport
Dubai Tourism claimed the Best Stand for
Doing Business at this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Best Stand Awards.
Recognised
for creating a busy B2B atmosphere, Dubai Tourism boasted a well-planned and
easily navigable layout with a good presentation of their stand and its
services.
The hotly anticipated winners of this year’s
awards were announced at a photo-call on the show floor on Tuesday 24th
April.
Launched
in 2015, the Best Stand Awards were created to recognise the design creativity
and business-friendly appeal of exhibiting companies’ physical presence at ATM.
The
judging panel comprised a line-up of top industry and design professionals: Leo
Fewtrell, Managing Partner, Gulf Reps; Nicholas Hall, CEO & Founder, SE1
Media; Pippa Jacks, Group Editor, TTG Media Ltd and Matt Gibson, Travel
Blogger, Writer and Photographer.
Commenting
on Dubai Tourism’s winning stand, Matt Gibson, said: “It was an exceptionally
good business stand with an effective and efficient set-up. One of the few stands to boast a triple-decker layout,
Dubai Tourism attracted huge numbers of visitors throughout the event. Everyone
working on the stand was incredibly welcoming and hospitable and the whole
approach and attitude really captured the ideas of Dubai and what it has to
offer as an emirate.”
The judging criteria for the Best Stand Design award
focused on identifying an eye-catching stand with a
creative design that made the best use of available space and attracted a high
level of visitor traffic.
And
Lebanon’s stand ticked all the boxes. Pippa Jacks, said: “I was very impressed,
the stand really stood out and presented a welcoming and homely feature. The
stand featured a huge front door, with staircase which led to a well-laid out
meeting space. It was a subtle, yet intelligent, way to showcase the country.”
The
Czech Republic was recognised as Highly Commended in the Best Stand Design
category.
Jacks,
said: The stand boasted a large triangle in the middle of the stand with an
interactive LED screen on one corner and creative posters of the country on the
others. Both the stand and staff created a very welcoming experience, with lots
of open meeting space.”
The
award for Best Stand Personnel is an especially important accolade considering
hospitality is a people business.
“The
staff for SAUDIA were excellent,” said Leo Fewtrell. “From the executive team
and welcome hosts to pilots and airline staff, they were all a great
representation of the brand and although the stand was very busy, they were
welcoming, highly professional and very keen to demonstrate all amenities from
first class through to economy.”
The
Best Stand Feature accolade was awarded to the stand that created the biggest
impact and most creative ways of drawing in visitors, and they didn’t come more
eye-catching than Turkey.
Jacks
said: “Not only did the Turkey stand have a great atmosphere surrounding it but
it also featured lots of little interesting elements from urban marbling and a
huge trojan statue to an ice cream stall and to round it off a group of
traditional musicians, singers and dancers.”
The
Best Stand within the Travel Tech Show at ATM specifically highlights the
importance of technology to the industry.
Nicholas
Hall said: “Travelport have done a great job with their stand and what I really
liked was the creative way they used their space. The best feature for me was
the five different coloured printers on the wall which automatically printed
out photos tweeted by visitors to the stand. As well as meeting and workshop
space, the stand also featured various charging stations.”
Babylon
was recognised as Best Tech Highly Commended. Commenting on the stand, Hall
said: “Judging on all factors, you see many types of stands at ATM, but to
create something so minimal yet engaging and thought-provoking, while perfectly
capturing what they do, is a huge achievement.”
The
winners will be put to the public vote on the ATM Facebook account, for the
chance of walking away with the People’s Choice Award.
Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, Arabian
Travel Market, said: “The fresh, innovative stand designs and concepts never
cease to amaze and this year was no exception.
These awards recognise the huge effort, investment and thought that go into
creating and manning quality exhibitor space.”
The winners of the Best Stand Awards are as
follows:
- Best Stand
Design: Lebanon
- Best Stand for
Doing Business: Dubai Tourism
- Best Stand
Personnel: SAUDIA
- Best Stand
Feature: Turkey
- Best Stand
within the Travel Tech Show at ATM: Travelport
For more information on Arabian Travel Market
2018, please visit the website at www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com
Tags: Dubai Tourism Arabian Travel Market