PREVIEW / EIBTM
Evolving with the times Celebrating its 25th year, EIBTM continues to offer both quality and relevance
Since its inception in the late 1980s, EIBTM has been considered as ‘the’ place to be for meeting and incentive profession- als to network with peers from all over the world and discuss ways to help move the industry forward. More than a couple of decades later,
EIBTM has not only survived the ups and downs of the world economy, it has flour- ished and continued to attract a significant number of attendees each year. In 2011, the global event for the meetings, events and business travel industry, saw high satisfac- tion level among exhibitors and a 10.3 per cent increase in overall attendance com- pared with 2010. Graeme Barnett, Exhibition Director
EIBTM, Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), was quick to point out that while the show has undoubtedly grown in size over the recent years, its core values remain the same. These include focusing on the quality of buyers that they host and the return on investment they offer to all the attendees. “Every year, the team at EIBTM strives
to make the show even more valuable than ever for our exhibitors and buyers. This year, we have high hopes for EIBTM’s 25th birthday, which will also see a range of new initiatives introduced,” he said. The show witnessed a record year in
2011 with over 9,300 meetings industry trade visitors and Hosted Buyers attending three days of dedicated business meetings.
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Pre-scheduled appointments were also recorded at 64,950, confirming the event’s success in facilitating valuable leads for both buyers and suppliers. More importantly, EIBTM’s annual suc-
cess also highlights its economic impor- tance for the global meetings industry, added Barnett. “First and foremost, the show brings
together over 15,200 industry profession- als from across the globe. The 3,100 exhibi- tors represent over 170 countries and the Hosted Buyer programme plays a pivotal role in the level of business generated at EIBTM. All qualified Hosted Buyers have proven buying responsibility and have specified a direct interest in placing inter- national business,” he explained. A further proof of the show’s indus-
try impact is the fact that in 2011, 66 per- cent of the Hosted Buyers who attended had an annual meetings budget of over US$500,000. More than 70 percent of these buyers are decision-makers who are responsible for organising around six inter- national events each year. Marriott International, for example,
generated almost US$8.2 million-worth of business leads for the 158 properties it rep- resented during EIBTM 2011, according to Trudi Wagner, Senior Event Manager of the hotel chain’s International Global Meeting Planning Services. Outlook for EIBTM’s 2012 installment, set from
November 27 to 29 at Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via, appears promising as 99 percent of last year’s Hosted Buyers expressed sat- isfaction and 95 percent identified the show as a ‘must-attend’ event. RTE has also received an unprecedented level of re- bookings and requests for increased space as early as April this year, a clear indication of the show’s positive business impact on the meetings industry.
FOCUS ON BUSINESS TRAVEL One of the new initiatives at EIBTM 2012 will be a heightened focus on the expand- ing business travel market. A dedicated Business Travel Pavilion will be featured during the show and provide a meeting area for exhibitors to showcase their prod- ucts and services to visitors and Hosted Buyers with proven budgets for corporate and business travel. The move to highlight this growing sec-
tor was a direct result of last year’s post- show research, which noted that 57 percent of international Hosted Buyers indicated that they organise business travel. EIBTM has also formed a strategic part-
nership with ACTE, the leading non-profit organisation which serves over 60,000 travel executives across the globe. ACTE will deliver educational sessions focused on professional corporate travel manage- ment for all those involved in the business travel industry.
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