Around the world, Travel Expo has become a cornerstone event for networking, product displays and destination marketing. From famous global showcases such as ITB Berlin, the World Travel Market (WTM) London and the Arabian Travel Market to African Travel Indaba in Africa, Sanganai/Franganani in Zimbabwe, and the Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE), these platforms attract industry stakeholders under one roof. In Kenya, such expos continue to have an impact, providing a vibrant space for local and international brands to be as meaningful as their trading partners and consumers.
The idea of placing an exhibition booth in an open space or hall where each promotes its business seems like a different market day. Over the years, travel expositions have transformed into an intimate space that allows conversation, stronger connections with brands and ultimately loyal customers. They are thematic to provide a certain need, and all exhibitors coordinate their products to meet their needs. It has become almost impossible to attend an expo with specific needs and leave without a solution.
The main purpose of the exhibition in all industries is to increase brand positioning and sales. This is a marketing strategy that seeks to directly engage with potential clients and potential clients in order to curate personalized products and solutions or better serve existing products.
The Kenya Travel Agency Association (KATA) is one of the organizations that has embraced the idea of an impactful exhibition in the field of travel and tourism. In addition to partnering with like-minded organizations such as Houston Marketing, which recently hosted the Nairobi Spotlight Expo, with Salit Expo Centre, a key player who hosts sector-focused events, the association has found a way to blend its signature events with the touch of the exhibition. The 2025 AGM & Convention held at Pridain Paradise Beach Resort in Mombasa brought this to perfection.
Having a stand or an exhibition booth is one thing, but attracting visitors is another. At travel exhibitions, the motivation to visit the stands is to get information about the products you are purchasing, fish for special deals or discount deals, be attracted to the aesthetic design of the booth, become familiar with the brand, and simply want to connect with exhibitors.
As a promotional opportunity to showcase partners, Kata worked hard to ensure that at least 75% of representatives from the 2025 Kata AGM & Convention visited the booth. The association has designed special cards that will be signed by exhibitors after their visit. The delegate then dropped the completed card into a raffle bowl and won a special prize. There is a clear gap in this strategy, but it was guaranteed that the booth would not remain empty.
Exhibitors include Sarova, Delta Air Lines, Swift Response, TBO.com, triply.co, Mira Heights, Sapphire Hotel, Terboipu, Vipingo Development, Modification, Kenya Airlines, TAAG Angola Airlines, Visa, Jambojet, Skyward Airlines, Amades, Flight Link, Flight Link, Flight Link, Flight Stop, Treys, Collection, NBCAIG Insurance, Mira Heights. They appreciated the forum as a well-curated space for direct engagement, lead generation and brand exposure. With improved specialization and targeting experiences, Travel Expo is rapidly emerging as the next big thing in tourism marketing.
By Felix Wakiuru
