by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 3:05 PM ET, Mon February 17, 2025
Every two years Icelandair plays host to the Mid-Atlantic Tradeshow, a chance for industry partners to meet and share what’s new in their worlds. The event was held Jan. 30 - Feb. 2, 2025 in Reykjavik. There was plenty of opportunity for networking at various events, plus the trade show itself, where destinations and tour operators hosted appointments with advisors and agency representatives from both sides of the Atlantic.
The opening reception was the first big event held in the sophisticated new headquarters of Icelandair, located in Hafnarfjörður, which is in between the capital city of Reykjavik and the airport which serves it, at Keflavik. The airy office building features a Nordic style with pale wood and clean lines, with a dining area (it is too nice to call it the cafeteria) serviced by a well known local chef, plus an espresso bar. In addition to offices, the building houses the training facilities for Icelandair pilots and crew (and several third party airlines that train there as well.)
(Photo Credit: Jen Mallia)
The second day things got down to business, with the tradeshow. More than 700 participants met and collaborated, taking advantage of the chance to encourage and grow each other’s business. More than 200 booths were hosted by many kinds of tourist offerings. There were plenty of local Icelandic attractions including the Lava Show, FlyOver Iceland, Aurora Basecamp Northern Lights viewing and Viking historical exhibitions, as well as spas and restaurant groups. Several adventure and expedition tours that take visitors out into the wilds of Iceland, Norway, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and polar regions were also in attendance. There were also representatives from larger Icelandair gateway destinations, including Ireland, Belgium, and several American cities.
The exhibitors from Greenland were the focus of lots of attention, somewhat due to U.S. President Trump’s musings about the country. There is a new runway at the Nuuk, Greenland airport meaning larger aircraft will be able to land there now, a first step in building a more robust tourist infrastructure.
(Photo Credit: Jen Mallia)
The busy day finished off with a gala dinner complete with musical performances. The menu was inspired by Icelandair’s new destination, Nashville. Chicken and waffles served while stunning blondes sang Europop music was not a thing I knew was missing from my life!
Unfortunately, some of the FAM tours that were scheduled had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. For this Edmonton-based writer, the temperatures, which hovered around freezing, were very mild, but it did make for very slippery roads. The less pleasant bits were the pelting rain (which rarely lasted longer than an hour or so) and the wind, which was gusting at up to 80 km/hr. The Icelanders were pragmatic. “This way you can go home and tell them what winter is really like here!”
The next Mid-Atlantic Tradeshow will be held early 2027. Watch the Icelandair website for registration information.
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