Fairtual was founded in June and The New Normal Travel Fair will be the team's maiden voyage in the virtual events space.
Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry will hold the virtual New Normal Travel Fair from 7 to 15 November, in collaboration with virtual exhibition platform Fairtual.
Founded in June and run by a team of 12, the Indonesian platform plans, promotes, and delivers virtual events with a “3D virtual arts concept”, which promises exhibitors and visitors “a more realistic experience.”
Participants can interact with vendors, socialise with other participants, and make purchases through the integrated ecommerce system. The New Normal Travel Fair is Fairtual’s maiden voyage in the virtual events space.
The platform’s founder, Dimi Octora, said in a media statement that the New Normal Travel Fair is the first in Indonesia’s tourism industry to help promote and organise virtual events.
“Participants and vendors can experience a new virtual event that is more realistic and highly relevant during the pandemic. The event will be a forum for communication, interaction, and various innovations, which is safe, easy, and efficient for all users."
More than 100 exhibitors are expected to register for The New Normal Travel Fair.
A central focus of the New Normal Travel Fair and the platform itself is the MICE sector in Indonesia, which Octora said has so far relied more on offline promotion than online. “Covid-19 has affected many areas of Indonesia’s tourism industry, especially MICE because events could not be held conventionally.”
More than 100 exhibitors are expected to register, comprising conference and event planners, travel agents, hotels, and small and medium-sized enterprises. “We’re not charging a fee for tickets as we’re targeting as many visitors as possible,” Fairtual’s chief marketing officer Christian Emerson said.
Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Wishnutama Kusubandio, has been invited to speak at the nine-day event, which will also feature presentations from tourism industry leaders and music performances.
The Fairtual platform also hosts conferences, business development and training events, career and property fairs, masterclasses and workshops, and town hall meetings. Its next scheduled event after the Travel Fair is a virtual job fair. Depending on the success of these first two ventures, Indonesia's MICE sector could see future events on the platform.
Emerson added that Fairtual enables “everything to be done via a smartphone anywhere and anytime without having to waste money, time and energy. This is our innovation in virtual MICE."
More virtual meets
In the lead-up to New Normal Travel Fair, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will also participate in this year's virtual edition of ITB Asia, set to take place on 21-23 October 2020.
In a strong showing of Indonesia's commitment to the safe resumption of MICE and tourism, the ministry will host a virtual booth that will include:
- The Main Room, where visitors can engage with content about travel in the new norm, such as the latest travel policies and the country's Cleanliness, Health, Safety and Environmental sustainability (CHSE) protocols;
- The Product Showcase (Business Room), where visitors can access inform about popular MICE and tourism destinations including Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Batam-Bintan, Bali, Nusa Tenggara;
- The Experiential Zone, where visitors can have fun playing games.
In a statement, the Ministry said it is actively encouraging Indonesian sellers participating in ITB Asia to consistently implement CHSE protocols in order to restore traveller confidence.