The twelfth edition of World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) concluded on 30th May 2024, as the industry united at the Hamburg Messe for three days of collaboration, networking, and discussion.
Welcoming 3,000 attendees, a 15% increase on 2023, attendees enjoyed a diverse programme of features, conference sessions, and product launches, highlighting the latest innovations in inflight catering, onboard services, and passenger comfort, aligned with the show’s key themes of special diets, beverages, nutrition, and sustainability.
This year’s event included 870 VIP attendees, marking a 3% increase from 2023. This included buyers from 145 unique airlines, 50+ travel catering companies, and 12 rail operators, representing 72 different countries in total, underscoring WTCE’s status as the premier global event for the travel catering industry.
Further enhancing the networking and business opportunities that the event offers, a further 4,000 attendees (including 750 airline buyer VIPs), visited WTCE from the co-located Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), enabling passenger experience professionals from all of the world’s leading airlines to discover the most innovative products across all elements of the inflight experience.
The event organisers’ have confirmed that some of WTCE’s most popular products this year included beverages, healthy food, pre-prepared meals, savory snacks, amenity kits, tableware, trolleys, galley equipment, and food packaging solutions.
Learning from the experts
Launched this year, the WTCE 2024 Ambassador Programme added an invaluable dynamic to the show, made up of Melissa Adamski, a leading travel dietitian, nutritionist and Founder of Nutted Out Nutrition; Kelly Stevenson, former global wine and beverage manager at British Airways and current Director of JetVine; Matt Crane, Co-Founder of the Aviation Sustainability Forum (ASF); and Julianne Ponan MBE, CEO of Creative Nature, and passionate allergies campaigner.
From participating in Taste of Travel Theatre sessions, meeting with airlines and industry colleagues in the dedicated Ambassador Lounge and shaping product trends through a pre-show thought leadership campaign, the ambassadors enriched the attendee experience and drove impactful discussions on health and wellbeing, sustainability, food, and drink in the aviation industry.
Driving industry collaboration with WTCE Connect
Highlighting the event’s role in fostering business connections and collaborations within the industry, WTCE Connect—the platform facilitating pre-arranged meetings between exhibitors and attendees—saw over 1,400 confirmed meetings this year.
Speaking about the tool’s benefits for exhibitors, David Guarch, Business Director at Beanstalk Foods, said “WTCE has been incredibly helpful for us as we aim to convince airlines to add plant-based options for everyone, not just vegans. This is our first time at the show, and we have had productive meetings with key customers, thanks to the matchmaking opportunities WTCE Connect offers. It’s a rare chance to meet directly with purchasing managers, and the experience has exceeded our expectations.”
Enhanced learning at Taste of Travel
This year’s Taste of Travel theatre, sponsored by En Route, attracted significant attendance, with over 500 attendees engaging in 16 interactive sessions. The event featured more than 50 speakers discussing topics ranging from culinary trends, sustainability, and special meals to nutrition, wellness onboard, and passenger experience enhancement.
Matt Crane, Co-Founder of the Aviation Sustainability Forum (ASF) and WTCE 2024 Sustainability Ambassador, presented an eye-opening session on the current state of cabin waste in the aviation sector. Revealing the latest findings from ASF cabin waste audits, Crane shared a staggering statistic: 659,000 tons of cabin waste is equivalent to feeding every American four times a year.
Alongside a panel of experts, including: Daniela Stange, Corporate Sustainability Manager at IATA; Claire Luiten, Sustainability Engineer at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines; Celine Hourcade, Vice President, Group Sustainability & ESG at SATS Group; and Michael Bauer, Cabin & Cargo Architect – Airbassador at Airbus Commercial Aircraft, they urged the sector to unite and address the pressing issue of cabin waste by breaking down barriers and implementing sustainable solutions onboard.
Closing the Taste of Travel Theatre on day three, Steve Walpole, Chef Director at Steve Walpole Ltd, hosted an interactive live cooking demonstration with Kelly Stevenson of Jetvine and WTCE 2024 Beverages Ambassador, who tried and tested product pairings of low alcohol and wellness drinks, including Longbottom & Co’s Virgin Mary mocktail.
VIP treatment
At WTCE, onboard buyers and procurement teams from airlines, rail operators, and travel catering companies benefited from the exclusive VIP Buyer Programme. This included access to the VIP Lounge and well-received VIP Sample Bags, sponsored by Marfo, featuring over 15 must-see products from exhibitors such as Vithit Drinks, Bamboovement and Joe & Seph’s. Additionally, VIPs accessed Digital Gift Bags, showcasing premium selections available to collect from exhibitor booths such as Soothing Solutions and La Fabrique Cookies.
Speaking about his experience, Cameron Woodward, Senior Manager Customer Experience at Qatar Airlines, said: “The show is indispensable for discovering new products and understanding market trends. It’s a highlight of my calendar, providing unparalleled networking opportunities and insights into the western markets, crucial for our global offerings.”
Revealing innovation at show
This year, WTCE provided exhibitors with a platform for groundbreaking innovations and product reveals, leaving visitors impressed and influenced by the latest industry advancements that the inflight catering, onboard services, and passenger comfort industries offers. Amongst the standout announcements was first time exhibitor Catrion, sponsor of the VIP Lounge, who turned heads with its exquisite menus, expertly crafted by its talented chefs live on the stand.
4700BC introduced its latest product, Gourmet Mix-Up, which promises to elevate the standards of in-flight snacks, delighting passengers with a premium selection, whilst The LSG Group and The Vegetarian Butcher announced a partnership to offer plant-based and vegan meals in airline catering. The collaboration will enable airlines to cater to vegetarians, flexitarians, and meat lovers alike, allowing passengers to enjoy their favorite dishes with plant-based alternatives without compromising on taste or texture.
Sustainability was a significant talking point at this year’s event, with SKYPRO presenting its revolutionary eco-fabrics for uniforms. Addressing industry concerns about the cost and performance of eco-friendly materials, SKYPRO’s new fabrics set a new standard for sustainable airline apparel, combining environmental responsibility with high performance.
In the realm of passenger comfort, Buzz Products revealed a new sleep collection created in collaboration with Nest Bedding for American Airlines. The luxurious collection will enhance the in-flight sleep experience with premium bedding.
Technology and innovation were also at the forefront, with dnata unveiling its cooking robot, developed by BOTINKIT. Visitors to dnata’s stand experienced live cooking demonstrations, displaying the robot’s ability to replicate a chef’s stir-frying technique with precision and consistency.
In the New Exhibitor Village, up to 20 pioneering companies highlighted new products set to enter the airline industry. Exhibitors in this area included Swypes, Kate’s Real Food, Lockdown Liquor & Co, POSHI and The Drinks Bakery.
Sustainability takes the lead
With many airline and catering buyers seeking sustainable onboard products to adhere to passenger requirements, the new Steps to Sustainability feature was a hit amongst both attendees and exhibitors. Eight companies showcased their products in a dedicated area, whilst 19 exhibitors starred on the trail, including Procurall Solutions, Deli Lites, deSter, Royal Smilde, Cocohagen, Reedbut Group, Linstol, FORMIA and more, showcasing an extensive range of eco-friendly options for onboard catering and services.
Commenting on the trail, Jeremy Hassett, Business Development Manager from new exhibitor Ecoffee Cup, said: “We’ve engaged with most of our targeted airlines, offering an easy, cost-effective way to achieve onboard sustainability with our new launch, Ecoffee Cup Aero. Being part of the Steps to Sustainability trail at WTCE has been a fantastic opportunity to connect with the right buyers and promote our product, something we couldn’t have accomplished without this platform.”
Improving the passenger experience
During the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC), which took place at the Hamburg Messe on Monday 27 May, experts and visionaries from airlines, airframers, OEMs, suppliers and design organisations collaborated on improving passenger experiences, covering topics from customer feedback, healthy onboard food demand and circularity strategies, to legislative support, sustainable design, data-driven decisions, and AI (Artificial Intelligence) integration for enhanced inflight services.
Speakers included Anne de Hauw, Founder of IN Air Travel Experience; Matt Crane, Co-Founder of the Aviation Sustainability Forum (ASF); Melanie Berry, Director of Customer Experience at Iberia, plus many more. The conference concluded with the official Welcome Party, sponsored by Eutelsat OneWeb, providing invaluable networking opportunities for industry stakeholders before both WTCE and AIX commenced.
Concluding the 2024 show, Polly Magraw, Event Director of WTCE, said:
“WTCE 2024 has once again proven to be an unmissable event for the inflight catering, onboard services, and passenger comfort industries. With groundbreaking product launches and numerous networking opportunities, the show continues to set the benchmark for innovation and collaboration in the sector.
“The Ambassador Programme, the Wellbeing Walk-through and the new Steps to Sustainability feature were particularly successful. These initiatives provided attendees with in-depth looks at the latest advancements in passenger wellness and sustainable practices in line with WTCE’s core themes of travel nutrition, special diets, beverages, and sustainability, all of which were projected in the Taste of Travel Theatre. Anticipation for next year’s event is already building as WTCE continues to solidify its reputation as the leading global platform for airline and catering industry professionals, and we are already excited to return to Hamburg next April.”