· Popular ‘Best Stand Awards’
recognises North African tourism board’s representation of a traditional
townhouse
· Other stands awarded for their
creativity include Marriott International, Sharjah Tourism, Babylon Booking and
The Garden Hotel Company
It’s
hard to stand out from the crowd when you’re one of 2,800 exhibitors – but the
Moroccan National Provincial Tourist Office has been adjudged the Best Stand
Design for its authentic representation of a typical Moroccan house at Arabian
Travel Market 2019.
Reproducing
elements of both a ‘riad’ and a ‘dar’, the Moroccan stand featured a traditional
townhouse with pink walls, a courtyard and a fountain, while EXPO 2020 was
highly commended for its colourful and engaging stand.
The
awards also covered Best Stand for Doing Business; Best Stand within the Travel
Tech Show at ATM; Best Stand Feature; Best Stand Personnel; and People’s Choice
Award. (see full winners list below).
Danielle Curtis,
Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “Arabian Travel Market
would not be the huge success it is, without the incredible amount of effort
and investment that exhibitors put into creating and manning these exceptional
stands at the show. Since its inception, the annual award programme has not
only recognised exhibitor’s efforts but has also encouraged exciting, fresh and
creative designs.”
Competition
in the Doing Business category was tougher than ever but the judges – Faye
Bartle, Managing Editor, Hot Media Publishing; Leo Fewtrell, Managing Partner,
Gulf Reps; Nicholas Hall, CEO and Founder of Digital Tourism Think Tank; and
Matt Gibson, CEO, UpThink – were impressed by the Marriott International stand
for its scale and impact.
“The
layout of the stand was very inviting and efficient, encouraging both social
networking as well as private business meetings. It was exceptionally busy
throughout and there was a real buzz and sense of anticipation – it was a stimulating
environment,” said Faye Bartle, Managing Editor, Hot Media Publishing.
Babylon
Booking’s sleek all-black design and creative use of space meant the Iraqi
company won Best Stand within the Travel Tech Show at ATM while Sharjah
Tourism’s diverse use of attractions – from a powerboat and photo booths to LED
floors and tunnels – meant it was the clear winner in the Best Feature
category.
Judges
selected The Garden Hotel Company’s stand for Best Stand Personnel and picked
out the Guangzhou property for its friendliness and staff knowledge.
The
Best Stand Feature was awarded to Sharjah Tourism, which managed to blend
multiple contemporary features such as a photo booth and LED floor tiles with
cultural landmarks and a traditional coffee shop.
Fewtrell,
who has never missed an ATM over the past 25 years, said: “It never ceases to
amaze me how exhibitors continually manage to raise the bar, improving the
appearance and practicality of their stands, in both subtle and significant ways.”
The winners of this
year’s awards were announced at a photo-call on the exhibition show floor on
Tuesday 30th 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.
