Travel Forward (T>F), the new technology focused event co-located with WTM London and which builds on the success of the Travel Tech Show at WTM, has signed up 41 exhibitors so far.

The inaugural T>F will take place at ExCeL London from November 5-7. The 41 confirmed exhibitors represent not only the reach of technology into all aspect of the travel industry through their areas of expertise but also the global appeal of T>F, based on the locations of headquarters and offices.

Hotel technology, one of the focus areas for T>F, is well represented, with Pegasus Solutions confirming the largest space so far. Pegasus works across all hotel types, offering third party and direct distribution solutions as well as digital marketing and business intelligence.

Guestline is another leading hotel technology provider confirming its presence at T>F. The UK-based firm's portfolio includes property management and operational systems, with interests in the wider hospitality technology space extending to food and beverage, pub management and serviced apartments.

Derbysoft meanwhile describes itself as a global distribution network. It has domain expertise in developing services which help hotels optimise their presence across metasearch, an increasingly important channel for hotels' distribution mix and customer acquisition strategy. The business started in China in 2002 and now has a truly international presence, with offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Dallas, New York, London and Tokyo.

The global appeal of T>F has reached San Francisco and the headquarters of Paymentwall, a payments specialist making its first appearance at any WTM Portfolio event. It enables merchants in more than 200 countries to manage their customer payments by accepting more than 150 different payment methods, and offers support to its clients in more than 30 languages.
Paymentwall launched its dedicated travel business line in April 2017. Its interest in entering the segment reinforces that the travel industry is attracting many e-commerce innovators looking to bring expertise from other verticals into the travel sector.

The sharing of ideas and insights from outside of the core travel ecosystem is another focus for T>F. The buzz around the inaugural T>F is helping persuade many former exhibitors to return. TrustYou is showcasing its expertise in collecting guest reviews and making the data and insights available to hoteliers to improve their operations and on-property experience.

Richard Gayle, event manager, Travel Forward said: "The market has responded positively to our initial outreach, and we are delighted with the variety of businesses signed up so far. Hotel tech, distribution, metasearch and payments are a great way to start and there will be other big names from important segments announced soon." - TradeArabia News Service