The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) announced that the workshop element of its Global European Marketplace (GEM) event, at which tour operator buyers sit down at tables to meet their suppliers in a series of pre-scheduled appointments, has broken its bookings record, with over 500 delegates, 15% up on last year.

Tom Jenkins, Executive Director, ETOA said: “We will have over 190 buyer tables, with buyers present from 94 companies.  Collectively, these people represent virtually all the leading European inbound tour operators and the value of their combined business is in excess of €8 billion.”

The leading buyers include Albatross, British Airways Holidays, Contiki, Cosmos, Cox & Kings, Egencia, Expedia, Globus, GTA, Kuoni, Miki Travel, Orbitz, Roomgenie, Sandemans New Europe, Shearings, Tauck World Discovery and Tracoin Services.

Over 300 suppliers, ranging from large hotel chains and well-known visitor attractions to coach and riverboat operators will be present to meet them. Delegates typically each receive between 15 and 32 meetings in the space of a single day.

Phil Otterson, Vice President, Tauck, who is a regular tour operator participant, says: “This is one full day. But we are there with our contractors as there is no other workshop in Europe where we source so much new product.”

TristramYarde-Leavett, Managing Director, Tourwise of London, says: “The ETOA Workshop is the industry's number one contracting event.”  

The GEM comprises the Workshop, on Friday 6th November at the New Connaught Rooms, the Conference (attended by many top people in the European inbound industry) taking place on Thursday 5th November at the Copthorne Tara Hotel and a black tie dinner at the Sheraton Park Lane on Saturday 7th November.