IBTM World Virtual confirms first raft of hosted buyers and exhibitors for December

Reed Travel Exhibitions’ IBTM has announced first details of hosted buyer and exhibitor sign-ups for its IBTM World Virtual 2020 event. Major exhibitors confirmed include Luxembourg Convention Bureau, Melbourne Convention Bureau, Latvia Convention Bureau, Visit Finland, Switzerland Convention and Incentive Bureau, Hungarian Convention Bureau, Arabella Hospitality Munich, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Barceló Gestion Hotelera S.L., Hankyu Travel DMC Japan, San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara. Organisers say that almost a quarter of hosted buyers signed up to date are completely new to IBTM World. Buyers confirmed include representatives from associations including the European Society of Urology, the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), World Confederation for Physical Therapy, The International Ecotourism Society, International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy, and International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI). Corporate buyers include NIKE, Leroy Merlin, BBVA France, Puma Brazil, Mundipharma International Limited, Hyundai, HORIBA Medical, and Schlumberger. Agency buyers include event planners from BCD Travel, Kenes Group, Paragon Group, CWT Meetings and Events, MCI and Cievents and HelmsBriscoe. Hosted buyers will be expected to carry out 10 appointments online over the three days of the event with exhibitors of their choice and at a time convenient to them and their geographical location. In addition, buyers and trade visitors will be able to request ‘walk up’ meetings with exhibitors via a chat function, with the option to convert directly into a video call if required. Hosted buyers will be pre-qualified with a series of quality checks. IBTM World Virtual takes place from 8–10 December 2020 and will incorporate three days of one-to-one business meetings and a comprehensive programme of content. In addition, hosted buyers will be able to access tailored content with the IBTM Inspire Masterclasses, a separate track which is all on demand – with sessions for associations, corporates and agencies. There will also be a new programme of exciting content tailored to those running experiential events in the Exceptional Experiences stream. David Thompson, event director, says: Our hosted buyer sign-ups have exceeded the expected number of registrations for this point of the event cycle, with many more sales in the pipeline. We are looking forward to an exciting and productive event.” For further information, visit www.ibtmworld.com.