ISTM Kicks off for 2015 and Reveals Ötztal, Austria as 2016 venue: Aqua Dome to host hottest date in industry calendar
It’s official! Organisers of the International Ski Travel Market (ISTM) have announced that Ötztal’s luxury Aqua Dome complex has been chosen to be the host of their prestigious event in 2016.
The second International Ski Travel Market (ISTM) opened this morning in Davos in Switzerland, with industry representatives from all over the world attending an exciting forum. The two keynote speakers, Urs Eberhard, Vice Director and Head of Markets, of Switzerland Tourism, and Mathew Prior, Managing Director of Specialist Holidays Group, TUI Travel PLC covered the key challenges the industry is facing and looked at how to attract and develop new business in the short and long term.
Welcoming delegates, ISTM Exhibition Manager Peter Grimster said: “With key representatives from across the ski industry attending, the focus of ISTM is to provide a forum within which businesses can successfully develop and grow and essentially to facilitate business and networking opportunities and through this event”
The 2015 event in Davos has attracted more than 70 exhibiting companies and buyers from across 20 countries. There are 68 specialist exhibitor tables at the event and 68 buyers looking to invest.
Pre-scheduled appointments before the 2015 event even got under way reached 1620 – that’s a phenomenal 10.6% increase from last year. Exhibitors averaged 24 appointments each, and buyers 25.
Media are in attendance from across the globe, including representatives from the UK, Russia and Switzerland. This highlights the dedication that ISTM has to bringing all aspects of international ski travel together, and offering them the chance to share expertise and innovation.
ISTM Exhibition Manager Peter Grimster announced that Ötztal’s luxury Aqua Dome complex will host the third edition of ISTM in Austria next year, along with the ski resorts of Sölden, Obergurgl and Hochgurgl. He added, “It is the perfect location to host the conference and ISTM believe it offers exhibitors an incredibly creative, 21st-Century platform to deliver innovative, industry-shaping ideas”.
The complex is a thoroughly modern resort that offers truly inspiring examples of contemporary design, which symbolise forward-thinking attitudes towards attaining the full potential of international ski tourism in 2016 and beyond – all the while enjoying the backdrop of breath-taking Austrian beauty.
The announcement comes as preparations get under way for the event, which continues to grow, attracting and bringing together delegates from across the worldwide ski tourism market.
As part of its renowned dedication to the ski travel and tourism, ISTM are introducing a special offer for exhibitors who book online for the 2016 event at the Aqua Dome. Those who choose to take advantage of this offer will have access to the 2014 rate of €2,800.
The venue announcement is also perfectly timed with the news of ISTM’s new partnership with Ski 2 Freedom. The English charity is involved in life-altering work with organisations and people to bring them closer to the beauty of winter travel and sport, an opportunity that perhaps would not have been available otherwise.
It is ISTM’s honour to be working closely with an organisation that strives to enhance lives through winter sports and they will be working closely with Ski 2 Freedom into 2016 and beyond.
To discover more about ISTM and how they present the perfect platform for engaging with peers and generating new business, please visit www.istm.co.uk
