WTM London 2026: tickets, printed badges and travel

World Travel Market London takes place at ExCeL on November 3-5, 2026. Book online and print your badge before arriving: the organizer says there is no onsite badge-printing provision. Check the entrance in your joining instructions too, because WTM's travel page and ExCeL's event listing currently point visitors to different ends of the venue.

This is a travel-industry business event, not a consumer holiday fair. A useful visit might involve meeting a prospective distribution partner, comparing a supplier or learning about a specific market. You do not need to fill every hour with appointments to make progress, and attendance does not guarantee new business.

The photograph shows the venue in June 2021, not the 2026 event or its current entrance signage.

WTM London dates and opening hours

The official visitor page lists these local London times:

These are exhibition hours, not a guarantee that every session, reception or exhibitor appointment runs throughout the same window. Check the programme and your meeting confirmation separately. A late event finish is not a confirmed train departure back to your accommodation.

Visitor ticket rates change on November 3

The organizer's ticket FAQ lists GBP79 through November 2, followed by a GBP99 show-day rate for November 3-5. Confirm the selected product and final checkout total before paying. The page does not establish a precise hour for the price change.

The label "onsite rate" does not mean there is a walk-up ticket desk. The same FAQ requires advance online booking. Do not travel to the venue expecting to sort out admission at the door.

Print the badge, then check the name and category

WTM says attendees must print their emailed badge before arrival. Find the actual badge, not just a payment receipt. If it is missing, check junk mail and contact customer services through the official site before leaving your accommodation.

The admissions policy makes badges personal and non-transferable and requires photo identification when requested. Match the badge to the person attending. Do not plan to share one pass across colleagues on different days.

Media applicants should follow the current evidence requirements for their role. Advice from an older edition that a business card alone is enough does not establish approval for 2026.

Families should arrange companions' plans separately: ordinary admission is for relevant professional and business visitors, and the organizer restricts under-16 entry. Ask about any exception before bringing a child. For days outside the exhibition, the United Kingdom with kids guide covers a separate family trip.

Which ExCeL entrance should you use for WTM?

There is an important difference between the two current official listings:

• WTM's travel instructions direct visitors to Prince Regent for the east entrance. They describe taking an Abbey Wood-bound Elizabeth line train to Custom House, then changing to a Beckton-bound DLR for one stop to Prince Regent.
• ExCeL's WTM event listing names Custom House and the west entrance.

Use the entrance specified in your badge or joining instructions. If those do not settle it, confirm with WTM before traveling, particularly if an access need or a tightly timed first meeting makes an extra walk difficult. Do not assume every event at ExCeL uses the same entrance.

ExCeL's general public-transport guide confirms the station distinction: Custom House serves the west side, while Prince Regent serves the east side and ICC. It does not resolve which door your particular registration should use.

Plan the complete journey with the TfL Journey Planner, using your actual date and arrival point. Recheck service status on the morning of travel. A normal route description is not a claim that there will be no disruption.

Arriving by air or car

Choose the airport transfer from your real arrival terminal and time. Allow for border formalities, baggage and the last leg to the entrance before committing to a meeting. If a flight and onward journey are separate bookings, do not assume one provider will protect the other connection.

For drivers, ExCeL's event listing says Sandstone Lane and Seagull Lane are closed across the campus, with access to the under-venue car park via Royal Victoria Dock Road or the A112. WTM says event parking requires pre-booking. Follow the current parking confirmation rather than using the main postal address as the vehicle entrance.

The WTM app and Connect Me do different jobs

Use the organizer's official app download page. The app provides the exhibitor directory, floorplan, session information and event updates. Open it before your visit, find the stands you need and save your first few destinations separately.

That does not mean every app user can book meetings through WTM Connect Me. The visitor preparation page distinguishes the Trade Plus upgrade, while the ticket guidance identifies eligible exhibitors, vetted buyers, media and Trade Plus attendees for the meeting service.

If your plans depend on that platform, establish access before scheduling your day around it. Downloading the free app is not proof that the upgrade or buyer approval has been granted. The app also does not replace the requirement to bring a printed badge.

When sending an invitation, include the purpose, a specific place and a time, then wait for confirmation. A message sent to a promising company is not an agreed appointment.

A manageable first visit for a small business or creator

Start with a problem you want the trip to help solve. A small hotel might want to compare distribution partners; a creator might want to meet destinations that fit their audience. That is more useful than trying to collect as many contacts as possible.

Before leaving, identify a short list of relevant exhibitors and write down what you need to learn from each. Ask whether the person you want will be at the stand on your chosen day. Group confirmed appointments geographically, with time between them to walk, eat and take notes.

Leave some time unbooked. An exhibition conversation can run longer than expected, and a session on the opposite side of the venue may not fit between two meetings. Skipping a weakly relevant talk can be more useful than rushing away from a relevant conversation.

After each meeting, record the next action while you still remember it. Distinguish a general introduction from a concrete follow-up, such as a proposal, demonstration or agreed call. Review the trip against those outcomes and its total cost, rather than the number of badge scans alone.

Bags, access needs and recording permissions

Carry what you can manage for a day of walking and meetings. Arrange luggage storage with your accommodation or confirm the venue's current facilities before bringing a suitcase; this guide does not promise cloakroom space or a particular fee.

The accessibility guide lists quiet Reset Rooms at S3 and N7 and directs specific access questions to [email protected]. Confirm the route and assistance you need, rather than assuming every entrance or session has identical arrangements.

WTM's admission rules also require prior permission for recording. Do not assume that filming a stand, a session or the public boulevard has the same approval process. Ask the organizer before treating a creator or media badge as permission to record anywhere.

Be deliberate about badge scanning: the admissions policy says scans can result in contact details being shared with the exhibitor, sponsor or session host. Ask what follow-up you are agreeing to if that matters to you.

Evening events need their own confirmation

An industry gathering outside the exhibition can be useful, but a WTM badge does not confirm a place at an independent host's event. Check the date, venue, invitation or waitlist status, and whether there is a separate charge before traveling across London.

Keep the return journey in the plan. Check the route from the evening venue to your accommodation, not just the route back to ExCeL. If you leave meetings and dinner at different times, agree on a contact method and meeting point before the group separates.

International arrival and mobile data

Your event badge is separate from UK entry permission. Use the GOV.UK visa checker for your nationality and purpose of visit; some travelers need a visa or an electronic travel authorisation. Do not assume that conference registration settles border requirements.

For mobile data, check your home roaming allowance first. If it already suits the trip, you may not need another plan. For an international attendee who needs a separate allowance, OpenSim United Kingdom plans include 1GB for seven days at USD1.14 and 3GB for 15 days at USD3.00 on November 2. Both listed options support top-up; confirm the selected plan and checkout total, including any fees or currency conversion.

A small country allowance can be useful for the airport journey, TfL checks and changed meeting locations outside the venue, without relying solely on a hotel's or exhibition's Wi-Fi. It does not guarantee indoor reception, provide an appointment or replace the printed badge.

Use the travel data calculator, confirm phone compatibility, and read the installation timing guide before departure. Keep your hotel address, ticket email and first meeting details available offline too.

Sources and updates

WTM's visitor, help, admissions and app pages provide the show hours, booking rules, badge requirement and platform distinctions. Its travel guide and ExCeL's event listing currently differ on the preferred entrance, so your joining instructions remain important. TfL supplies journey planning, and GOV.UK provides the nationality-specific entry checker.

This guide will be updated for material changes to admission, badge printing, entrances, meeting access or transport, and reviewed after the event ends on November 5. Recheck your joining instructions before leaving for the venue.

Photo: delegateconnectimages, Excel London Venue Exterior - Main Entrance, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Cropped. It shows the venue in June 2021, not WTM 2026 or its current entrance arrangements.