Hopes high for IBTM portfolio

It’s been a tale of two fortunes for Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) so far this year. The inaugural reformatted IBTM Arabia, formerly GIBTM, took place in February and appears to have done well, according to the organiser. It calls the new event ‘the first all-inclusive five-star MICE event in the Middle East’ for international and regional suppliers and buyers, building on nine years of experience in Abu Dhabi with its exclusive focus on business meetings and networking. More than 3,000 mutually matched and pre-selected appointments took place at the event, held on the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort over three days IBTM Arabia exhibition manager Lois Wilcox said the show’s importance to the region has been “fundamental” to the emergence of the MICE sector. “When the event was launched there was very little infrastructure that supported meetings, conventions, incentives and events, but that has all changed,” she commented. “The number of meetings in the Middle East has grown even more quickly than in other regions – in fact, they have more than tripled over the last decade.” Less auspicious is Reed’s performance in India. Reed Travel Exhibitions confirmed in March that it was calling off the 2015 edition of IBTM India, its tabletop meetings show for the Indian market. The third edition of the show had been scheduled for Jaipur in September, following outings in Mumbai (2013) and Chennai (2014). “After two successful editions of IBTM India, we have decided to take time out in 2015 to undertake further research and analysis of India’s dynamic and growing MICE market,” said a spokesman for Reed in a statement. “As with all our events, we want to tailor our product for our audience as well as our industry partners, making sure that it has the same brand values as the rest of the IBTM events portfolio, before announcing the 2016 dates and venue over the coming months.” The industry will be watching the progress of its two IBTM shows in America and Africa with interest. Both reformatted shows hope to follow in the footsteps of this year’s IBTM Arabia. In many respects, RTE’s new format in the US is a response to the dominance of IMEX America, the continent’s leading global business travel market, which launched against Reed in 2011. “Judging by the enthusiasm of exhibitors and Hosted Buyers at the first IBTM Arabia, which took place in February and is based on the same concept, we feel this new event format should also hit the mark for IBTM America,” Jaime McAuley, IBTM America ‘s Event Director. IBTM America takes place June 9-11 in the Skyline Ballroom at Chicago’s McCormick Place West, overlooking Lake Michigan. According to Reed, IBTM Arabia proved the new format works, from what it describes as a ‘closed’ event style with no trade visitors or time-wasters, to the mutually matched appointment system where exhibitors choose hosted buyers with whom they’d like to meet, and buyers do the same with suppliers. The system is based on a ‘speed-dating’ arrangement whereby everyone moves after 15 minutes, with a greater emphasis on ‘morning to night’ interaction for exhibitors, engaging with existing clients and new prospects through a number of functions and activities. “We believe this new concept will create a new experience and a serious business platform,” says McAuley. All exhibitors and buyers select who they would like to have appointments with and a sophisticated software system matches the preferences of buyers and suppliers resulting in up to 30 pre-scheduled mutually matched appointments. New exhibitors – 28 per cent at time of writing – did not exhibit at last year’s event, titled AIBTM. They include Meet in Illinois, Las Vegas, Travel Alberta, Visit West Hollywood, Boise Centre, Event Ready and Kalahari Resorts. Reed claims 71 per cent of hosted buyers so far are new (still work in progress because registration is currently in underway). Hosted buyers will come from Corporate, Association, Association Management Companies, Agency/3rd Party/Incentive – all representing various sectors. Additionally, the show layout – all exhibitors will be provided with an identical meeting pod space. The 8ft x 8ft turnkey meeting pod will be ready for the arrival of the exhibitor. There will be no more additional costs associated with set up or tear down, no freight or drayage giving a hassle-free way to exhibit.   Celebrating Africa’s events industry Of course it’s not just in America that Reed has its fingers crossed. When IBTM Africa launched last year as part of Africa Travel Week, it focused on delivering international buyers to do business with Africa’s incentives and meetings industry. According to the event’s exhibition manager, Shinu Pillai, the exclusivity of the event will remain the focus for 2015, with core themes being mutually matched pre-scheduled appointments, education and networking. “The concept is to create a business event where connections mean everything delivered through the show floor, the Knowledge Forum and some 10 networking opportunities,” says Pillai. The show’s hosted buyers will be new this year, hailing from markets specifically requested by exhibitors. These include the Middle East, Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, South America and Russia – a cross-section of the most senior meeting and incentives planners in the industry, representing corporations, associations and agencies. Companies represented at this year’s event include; BI Worldwide China (China), HelmsBriscoe (Turkey), Maesse Marketing Consultancy Ltd. (Germany), Blaycation (Canada), The Scienomics Group (U.S.) and Inception Global Ltd. (UK), Haye Incentive Travel (Netherlands), Paragon Europe (Belgium), Speed Sailing International (UK), AstraZeneca (Russian Federation) and Abbott (United Arab Emirates). The pre-scheduled appointment system guaranteed nearly 1,500 appointments over two days, averaging out at 33 business appointments for regional exhibitors. The format already has its champions. These include Carol Martin, Destination Manager South Africa of Pacific World, Global Destination, Event & Congress Management. “As an exhibitor at IBTM Africa’s first show in Cape Town, I really enjoyed the event. We were glad we had the opportunity to meet new buyers with fresh ideas, which will give us the opportunity in future to tailor our programmes even more to suit our clients individual needs,” she comments. The concept of IBTM Africa is to focus on the inbound MICE market, bringing professional and screened international hosted buyers with proven business from regions of the world that are key to African suppliers. The market is, after all, in demand as one of the world’s emerging destinations for business events. In December, the World Bank claimed sub-Saharan Africa’s growth improved for the second consecutive year, and projection support this picking up further by 2017. “By focusing on 1:1 business appointments and ensuring that both buyers and suppliers are equally matched in their objectives, we are sure that IBTM Africa will provide an unmissable opportunity,” says Pillai.