More than 1,500 confirmed meetings took place at this year’s World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo (WTCE), according to figures from the event’s dedicated meetings platform.
This represented a 20% rise in meetings arranged through the WTCE Connect platform compared to last year’s show.
“This tool proved invaluable for exhibitors seeking to forge new relationships and expand their reach,” said the organisers.
Max Van Coillie, Travel Retail Manager Asia/ME at Neuhaus highlighted the platform’s impact: “We came well prepared with 15 pre-scheduled meetings with high-end decision-makers from great airlines, which has led to great success.
“The guidance, particularly with the WTCE Connect platform, has been excellent, allowing us to secure meetings with key individuals we haven’t been able to reach before – truly valuable connections.”
Number crunching
The three-day event, held from 8–10 April at the Hamburg Messe, attracted over 4,500 professionals from airline, rail, cruise and the onboard supply chain.
The exhibition floor featured a dynamic mix of near 300 exhibitors, with over 90 new exhibitors joining established industry leaders.
A VIP Buyer Programme welcomed more than 165 individual airlines, including prominent international carriers such as Qantas, Etihad, Air France, British Airways, KLM, and American Airlines.
WTCE 2025 saw a 3.6% increase in VIP professional attendance to more than 1,600 senior decision-makers, including air, rail and catering buyers.
As part of the VIP programme, attendees were given exclusive access to the VIP Lounge, sponsored by CAE, and given a premium goody backpack with 15+ samples from the most innovative WTCE exhibitors.
A vision for the future
The Taste of Travel theatre programme, curated in collaboration with Onboard Hospitality and sponsored by En Route International, saw more than 55 industry-leading experts take to the stage to discuss the most pressing issues and emerging trends within onboard hospitality and services.
Topics included the latest culinary innovations and crucial sustainability initiatives to the evolving landscape of special meal provisions and the increasing importance of nutrition and wellness during travel.
Discussions also covered strategic approaches to elevate the holistic passenger experience, extending beyond the aircraft cabin to encompass airport lounges and the integration of connected technologies.
The five WTCE Ambassadors – Melissa Adamski, Travel Dietitian and Founder of Nutted Out Nutrition; Matt Crane (Founder of the Aviation Sustainability Forum (ASF); Kelly Stevenson, Director of JetVine; Julianne Ponan MBE, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Creative Nature Superfoods;, and the newest addition for 2025, Kai Kosicki, Independent Expert and Consultant at The Hayward Partnership – began the agenda by sharing their top picks for the event.
This was followed by a particularly engaging session – ‘The Human Touch’ – examining the balance between technological efficiency and the human element in customer experience, featuring panellists from Blue Skies, Retail inMotion, Data Clarity and easyJet, and moderated by Deli Lites.
A session called ‘Improving the customer experience and loyalty from an allergy and nutrition perspective’ focused on the crucial steps airlines, caterers, and airport lounges need to take to ensure the safety and satisfaction of passengers with food allergies.
For this part of the programme, WTCE ambassadors Melissa and Julianne were joined by Simone Walli, Culinary Art and F&B Onboard Concept Manager at Austrian Airlines, Sharon Huetson, Head of Business Performance, Inflight Retail, easyJet, and moderator Marc Warde, Global Special Meals Programme Director at Foodcase International.
Another session focussed on Latin America, including the region’s rapidly expanding aviation industry, the phenomenal surge of low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers, coupled with an accelerated international expansion.
Lance Hayward, Founder and Managing Director of Hayward Partnership, moderated the insightful session with insights from Dario Barrera Medina, the Inflight Experience Director at Avianca Airlines; Paula Lafora Ornosa, Director of Customer Experience at Iberia; and Dominic Alexander Purvis, Senior Vice President, Product and Customer Experience, LATAM Airlines offering valuable perspective from within the Latin American market.
Shona Thomson, Event Manager of WTCE, said: “WTCE 2025 brilliantly demonstrated the dynamic ecosystem that shapes the passenger journey, emphasising the critical need for a collaborative and future-oriented supply chain.
“We appreciate all the experienced catering companies, exciting food and beverage brands, passenger-enhancing amenity suppliers, transformative technology providers, and the visionary airlines who attended this year. We hope to see you again in 2026!”
WTCE 2026 will take place on April 14-16 2026 at Hamburg’s Messe.
