World Travel Market Highlights

I attended World Travel Market in London this week. It's the biggest travel trade fair in Britain, not open to the general public but a must-attend for many of those in the business.

Well Designed Greece

Every year I marvel at the ingenuity and attractiveness of some of the stands. I particularly liked the Greek stand for its clever simplicity. The large central section was had an illuminated floor, echoing both the blue and white Greek flag, and also the feeling of being by a gorgeous blue pool. High above, was a ring of extremely bright lights of the type you get at a football stadium. Although the exhibition hall is well lit, this extra illumination made the Greek stand even brighter. It reminded you of what it's like walking into the Greek sunshine. So simple, so ungimmicky. Not very eco-friendly perhaps, but guess you can't have everything.

Brasilia - an Architectural Inspiration

Brazil was celebrating the anniversary of Brasilia, its modernistic capital. Their stand accordingly consisted of a plain white modernist arc, Brasilia style, with white floor and white comfortable chairs, with a gorgeous wooden bar down one side, adorned with carvings. Soooo cool! And a real oasis amidst the noise and bustle.

Multi Media Switzerland

Most eyecatching was a construction on the Swiss stand. This art installation is complicated and very large. It consists of three dimensional and multi media
representations of every distinctively Swiss thing you can think of - a cog railway, a castle, mountains, a ship on a metal lake where the waves move, cowbells, a herd of cows, mobile phone, a fondue set, clocks of various types, an apple with an arrow through it and several screens showing film of Swiss life, plus sound effects ranging from yodelling to bird twittering to a carillion of little bells that plays a tune.

It operates on a sort of pinball construction. Every time a large steel ball sets out of its trap, it seems to spiral and race into a different bit of the structure and trigger off a different mechanism so that you are never quite sure what will be happening next.

Charles Morgan, Swiss? Artist

There was always a large fascinated crowd around this installation, which was constructed by a Swiss artist called Charles Morgan - his name sounds very English but his site is in French so I suppose he IS Swiss? This website which is full of wonderful stuff but I suspect the photos don't in any way do his work justice. He does have this installation out there in his picture gallery, but you would never guess how marvellous it is.

Should I go to Switzerland, I shall make a point of seeking Charles Morgan out.