IBTM ARABIA 2016 SET TO OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW BUSINESS CONNECTIONS

IBTM ARABIA 2016 SET TO OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW BUSINESS CONNECTIONS WITH LINE-UP OF 100% NEW HOSTED BUYERS IN THE 5 STAR LOCATION OF ABU DHABI

ibtm arabia 2016 (www.ibtmarabia.com), the leading event for the Arabian meetings, incentives, conference and events industry, is opening with a line-up of 100% new Hosted Buyers. ibtm arabia 2016 will host a global mix of agency, corporate and association buyers, with this year’s show seeing a 61% increase in the amount of corporate buyers attending.

Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager, ibtm arabia, commented, “Once again, we placed emphasis on buyer acquisition; we focused on finding undiscovered buyers who were new to our show and targeted emerging markets where prospective Hosted Buyers were just starting to learn about the fantastic industry they’re part of. We focused on elite, senior level decision makers with purchasing power; 73% of our Hosted Buyers are senior management, Managing Directors, or owners. As a result, we have an impressive, global line-up of brand-new Hosted Buyers set to attend the show this year.”

At the same time, ibtm arabia will once again offer a mutual match system that will allow both buyers and suppliers the opportunity to select who they want to meet with and set up a diary of up to 30 pre-scheduled appointments. Last year the show produced 3,000 appointments between Hosted Buyers and exhibitors.

Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager, ibtm arabia, continued, “Our Hosted Buyers organize events such as conferences and meetings, incentive travel, business travel, luxury travel, and are interested in products such as hotels, Destination Management Services, conferences/meeting venues, and attractions and entertainment. With so many MICE industries represented at ibtm arabia 2016, our mutual match system will help eliminate non-relevant meetings while ensuring that both exhibitors and Hosted Buyers have control of their time and investment at the event.”

Hosted Buyers will attend from regions such as Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Asia, South America, and the USA. Just some of the buyers set to attend include Incentive Connect International (Australia), ALATUR JTB (Brazil), AW Europe (Belgium), Egyliere (Egypt), SAP SE (Germany), Provident Global Capital Group (Hong Kong), Korea Railroad Research Institute (Korea), B.V.Coca-Cola (Poland), Peugeot Citroen (Russia), Allama Company (Saudi Arabia), Kuoni MICE & Special Groups (Switzerland), Abbott (UAE), Cognizant (UK) and Meridian Meetings Factory (USA).

Just some of the exhibitors attending ibtm arabia 2016 include Anabas Travel (Japan), L’Amphitrite Palace Morocco (Morocco), Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (Oman), Saint Petersburg Convention Bureau (Russian Federation), Singapore Tourism Board (Singapore), Melia Hotels International (Spain), Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (UAE), Rotana Hotel Management PJSC (UAE), Etihad Airways (UAE), Arsenal Football Club (UK) and Hard Rock International (USA).

This year ibtm arabia will take place at the exclusive 5-star Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi from 9th – 11th February. ibtm arabia is run with the support of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA), Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau and Etihad Airways.

For further information about exhibiting or to apply to be a Hosted Buyer, please visit http://www.ibtmarabia.com. For any enquiries, please contact ibtmarabia@reedexpo.co.uk

For a video explaining the new pod show format please visit http://www.ibtmarabia.com/About-Us/

IBTM ARABIA TO CONNECT ELITE MICE INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS AND BUYERS IN DYNAMIC THREE-DAY EVENT

IBTM ARABIA TO CONNECT ELITE MICE INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS AND BUYERS IN DYNAMIC THREE-DAY EVENT

This year ibtm arabia 2016 will take place from 9th to 11th of February at The Jumeirah at Etihad Towers on the famous promenade of Abu Dhabi with views of the Arabian Gulf and Cityscape.

The Jumeirah is an iconic development showcasing some of the best meetings facilities that Abu Dhabi has to offer. The luxurious 5-star hotel offers prestigious features such as exquisite hotel rooms, fine dining, a health club and Talise Spa and two levels of boutique shopping at the podium. The property will create the perfect setting for bringing together meetings industry professionals from across the globe.

Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager, ibtm arabia, comments, “The industry in the Gulf region is growing and certainly Dubai 2020 is having an impact on international buyers looking to place business at ibtm arabia. But the focus of this event is about creating a community, providing a one-to-one ratio of buyer to supplier and to mutually match the appointments, which means both buyers and suppliers can select who they want to meet“.

“ibtm arabia creates a true industry community, where participants stay in the same hotel and attend the same activities, from meetings to lunch, drinks to dinner. This enables genuine ongoing relationships to develop which leads to real business. ibtm events are not about the size of an event, it is about making that event 100% valuable to all attendees.”

ibtm arabia 2016 has seen an increase in the total number of buyers attending, as well as an increase in corporate and regional buyers. This year’s event will feature an impressive line up of new, fully Hosted Buyers, including Egyliere (Egypt), Helen Holidays (Egypt), Pomalo Travel (Jordan), Dakkak Holidays (Jordan), Piece of Cake (Lebanon), Belair Travel & Tourism (Lebanon), Kanoo Travel (Saudi Arabia), Allama Company (Saudi Arabia), Expotrade Global (UAE), Abbott (UAE) and QnA International (UAE).

All Hosted Buyers are handpicked, personally invited and verified against a strict qualification criteria, which requires that they are senior level decision makers with proven budget and business to place internationally. 80% of the Hosted Buyers confirmed to attend ibtm arabia 2016 have a budget over $5 million and organise a variety of events; 90% organise conferences and meetings, 80% incentive travel, 71% business travel, and 59% luxury travel. Confirmed Hosted Buyers this year have also indicated a variety of product interests: 88% indicated an interest in hotels, 80% in Destination Management Services, 66% in conferences/meeting venues, and 63% in attractions and entertainment.

ibtm arabia will also feature a number of new exhibitors, including Fairmont, Raffles & Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, Alpha Destination Management, Attikos Ilios S.A., Europe Hotel LLC, Golden Tours, Hill MICE Saudi Arabia and Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. All exhibitors at ibtm arabia will have access to the pre-scheduled appointment system, which gives exhibitors access to the world-class corporate, association, agency and incentive buyers at the show.

Exhibitors will be able to pre-schedule appointments with the Hosted Buyers that they identify as relevant to their business interests with a diary of up to thirty appointments. Last year saw over 3,000 appointments between Hosted Buyers and exhibitors at ibtm arabia, which we expect to increase in 2016.

The ibtm arabia 2016 experience will also include a ‘Discovery Day‘, combining a dedicated Knowledge Forum with networking and activities around Abu Dhabi which will invite buyers and exhibitors to discover the region and specifically its leading MICE products and services while enjoying exclusive networking events.

The Knowledge Forum will feature world-class keynote speaker, Carol Talbot, who sets out to empower professionals and help them think differently about their approach to work. Her objective is to support professionals towards creating and delivering a vision for themselves, which will ultimately accelerate them towards succeeding in this industry. Carol will highlight the difference between those who attract success and those that don’t. She will also share some of her top leadership tactics, which will provide attendees with useful tips around how to influence people.

The combination of the pre-scheduled appointments and nine networking opportunities at ibtm arabia 2016 including Discovery Day, a Welcome Reception and Gala Evening ensures valuable touch points for everyone to help make meaningful connections.

Post show research from 2015 confirmed that 95% of both exhibitors and Hosted Buyers were satisfied with the event and the business they did. So, this year ibtm arabia plans to deliver the same experience, which will continue to deliver maximum return on investment for all suppliers and buyers participating.

For more information visit www.ibtmarabia.com

IBTM ARABIA LINES UP IMPRESSIVE LIST OF BUYERS FOR 2016 EVENT

IBTM ARABIA LINES UP IMPRESSIVE LIST OF BUYERS FOR 2016 EVENT
The event for ‘serious high profile buyers and suppliers’ to connect

ibtm arabia (www.ibtmarabia.com), the leading event for the Arabian meetings, incentives, conferences and events industry has already seen a strong line up of regional and international buyers register to attend. The exclusive one-to-one event will take place at the 5-star Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi (9–11 February).

Companies represented by buyers looking to attend the show include Peugeot & Citroen (Russia), Cognizant (UK), Conference Direct (USA), The International Association of Public Transport (Belgium), Tata Capital Financial Services Limited (India), Google (UK), Abbot (UAE), Society of Petroleum Engineers (UAE), Prisme International (UAE), Moelis & Company (UAE), Land Division at KCA Deutag (UAE), HSBC (UAE), OiLibya (UAE), International Live Events Association (UAE) and Nova IVI Fertility (UAE) as well as interest from a variety of other countries in the Middle East and beyond.

Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager, ibtm arabia commented: “This year is very much about building on the success of last year’s event. Following the 2015 event we received so much positive feedback. We’ve secured a number of returning exhibitors already, including Arsenal Football Club, Meliá Hotels International, Matrix Audio Visual & Entertainment, Rovos Rail Tours Ltd as well as newcomers Hill MICE Saudi Arabia and Golden Tours Egypt“.

“Part of the success of the new pod show format is the mutually matched, pre-scheduled appointments system. Added to this is the quality of buyers that we hand-pick to attend. Hosted Buyers are invited based on their purchasing authority, where they place MICE business and the volume of business placed.”

David Escolar Díez, Regional Director of Sales – Middle East, Meliá Hotels International, who exhibited at this year’s show and will be returning next year commented: “ibtm arabia 2015 was very well organised and provided us with a platform to meet good quality buyers which led to some business leads. We are looking forward to being back in 2016 to continue to develop our international brand awareness to build the Meliá Hotels International profile in the Middle East. We will also be updating our business prospects with news regarding the new opening status of our properties within the region – ME Dubai, INNSIDE JLT Dubai, Meliá Dubai Residences and ME Doha.”

Bilal Al Barmawi, Managing Director, Hill MICE, who will attend the show for the first time, commented; “We are looking forward to exhibiting at ibtm arabia this year as it will provide us with many opportunities to connect, network, explore and partner with global MICE leaders. ibtm arabia is the perfect platform to meet with the industry’s finest MICE buyers, build relationships and grow our business.”

For further information about exhibiting, please visit www.ibtmarabia.com. For any enquiries, please contact ibtmarabia@reedexpo.co.uk

Hosted Buyer applications will be going live from Monday 21st September. For further information, please visit www.ibtmarabia.com/Hosted-Buyers

For a video explaining the new pod show format please visit http://www.ibtmarabia.com/About-Us/

ADRIAN HAYES AND PHIL BEDFORD TO LEAD IBTM ARABIA KNOWLEDGE FORUM

ADRIAN HAYES AND PHIL BEDFORD TO LEAD IBTM ARABIA KNOWLEDGE FORUM
Reed Travel Exhibitions Announces Final Programme Line Up for Discovery Day

Reed Travel Exhibitions has confirmed that Adrian Hayes and Phil Bedford are set to lead the ibtm arabia Knowledge Forum, which will take place as part of the closed event’s Discovery Day on the 10^th of February at the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort.

The ibtm arabia Knowledge Forum will present the best speakers and thought provoking topics to ensure that the attendees get even more out of their ibtm arabia experience and enhance their knowledge.

Lois Wilcox, Exhibition Manager, ibtm arabia comments, “This year we have two contrasting but equally exciting speakers who are sure to inspire the participants and their business: Phil Bedford, who is the Middle East Master Franchise owner of The Referral Institute, an international referral training and consulting company with branches across the world, will open the door to the secrets of advanced networking in his session; “Connections Mean Everything.”

“Adrian Hayes, whose session will bring inspiration from outside the meetings industry, is the British record-breaking polar explorer & adventurer, speaker, business coach, author and campaigner. An Arabic and Nepalese speaking former Airbus Middle East Sales Director and British Army Gurkha Officer, he has achieved more major goals the past eight years than anyone in the world, including his recent summiting of K2. He is now an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker and professional leadership, team and executive coach delivering seminars and programmes worldwide,” Wilcox concludes.

Hayes comments, “I wear a number of different hats and have a whole series of speeches, seminars and programmes, but this one is purely about the stories and the challenges and, hopefully, some inspiration to everyone in conquering their own Everests.”

ibtm arabia Discovery Day is a brand new concept introduced to the portfolio of ibtm events for both exhibitors and Hosted Buyers to attend a full day of experiential networking with the ibtm arabia community.

The full itinerary for ibtm arabia Discovery Day comprises two hours of experiential activities at Yas Island which include Yas Marina Circuit- Hot Laps and a ride on the world’s fastest rollercoaster at Ferrari World. These activities will then be followed by a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and lunch on a luxury cruise liner.

The afternoon programme will commence with refreshments before attendees receive an official welcome from the ibtm arabia team that will set the stage for an afternoon of education. The Discovery Day will conclude with a Welcome Networking Reception, which is set to take place at St Regis Saadiyat Island.

For further information please visit www.ibtmarabia.com

 

IBTM AFRICA NOW ACCEPTING HOSTED BUYER APPLICATIONS

IBTM AFRICA NOW ACCEPTING HOSTED BUYER APPLICATIONS#

www.ibtmafrica.com/hbapply

Hosted Buyer applications are now being accepted for ibtm africa 2015 (www.ibtmafrica.com), a highly targeted, exclusive event for Africa’s incentives and meetings industry, taking place at the Cape Town Convention Centre from 13 – 15 April 2015.

ibtm africa offers an exclusive opportunity for top level international decision makers to connect and engage with African and Indian Ocean exhibitors including destinations, venues, hotels, DMC’s and MICE support services over three days of one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments, networking and education.

In addition to their diary of up to 36 pre-scheduled business appointments with MICE exhibitors, qualified buyers will benefit from complimentary accommodation and transfers as well as a substantial contribution towards international flights to Cape Town and will have the opportunity to apply to attend a post event tour.

Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager for ibtm africa, comments: “Africa holds enormous potential for the MICE industry with great investment in infrastructure. The rapidly growing demand for meetings industry suppliers within Africa has been reflected in the unprecedented interest witnessed from international Hosted Buyers who applied to attend the first ibtm africa and is expected to pave the way for the 2015 event.”

Suresh Puri, Spice Travel, India who was a Hosted buyer at last year’s show commented: “It’s very well organised and full of quality and I see it on both sides not only as a buyer but also the exhibitors, who are representing the region very adequately. So my impression is that the intimate one-to-one sessions give buyers an opportunity and an insight into the products the region has to offer, my compliments to Reed Exhibitions.”

Meetings and incentives professionals who apply to attend this event as Hosted Buyers will be qualified under strict criteria including their purchasing authority, their annual MICE business, their annual budget and future business to place in Africa. They will also be first-time attendees at ibtm africa. Successful applicants will be senior decision makers from the Middle East, Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, South America and Russia, therefore representing a cross-section of the most senior meeting and incentives planners in the industry.

The second edition of ibtm africa, taking place in Cape Town (13-15 April) as part of Africa Travel Week, will bring together up to 60 African and Indian Ocean suppliers and international buyers over three days for business, networking and education.

To find out more about ibtm africa or to register to attend as a Hosted Buyer, please visit www.ibtmafrica.com

 

GIBTM SET TO DELIVER ENHANCED FOCUS ON EUROPE

European Pavilion and Market Focus Networking Event will serve increasing demand for outbound business from Middle East into Europe.

GIBTM (www.gibtm.com), the Middle East’s dedicated business platform for the region’s inbound and outbound MICE and Business Travel industry, is set to incorporate a dedicated European Pavilion and Market Focus Networking Event to the show programme this year.

The enhanced focus on Europe will be delivered as a direct result of post show feedback which revealed that Hosted Buyers who attended GIBTM 2013 from countries including UAE, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, specified a direct interest in placing outbound business there.

IBTM Middle East Meetings Industry Report 2013 confirmed that ‘the forecast for the year ahead is even more positive as can be seen from the 69% of locally based buyers predicting more events for the next 12 months. In addition, 59% of Middle East buyers are forecasting increased budgets for the next twelve months and 30% say budgets will remain the same as last year’.

Lois Hall, Reed Travel Exhibitions, Exhibition Manager, GIBTM commented “The Middle East is rich with opportunities for outbound business and last year, GIBTM saw 251 Hosted Buyers attend with 67% placing orders in excess of US$650,000 each.

“Last year, GIBTM attracted top-level regional buyers from major global organisations including Bank of Beirut – Lebanon, Carlson Wagonlit Travel – Egypt, Saudi Aramco – Saudi Arabia, American Express Egypt Travel Service – Egypt, Mobily – Saudi Arabia and Capital Market Authority – Saudi Arabia.

“For 2014, we are set to increase our offering to 300 targeted buyers as demand continues to grow for quality interaction with leading industry suppliers, and the new GIBTM event programme will build on previous show floor successes to allow us to continue to push outbound business from the region.”

Exhibiting in the European Pavilion at GIBTM will enable suppliers to meet with a highly targeted audience of buyers and achieve fast market penetration, which will be facilitated through the power of face-to-face meetings. Exhibitors will also be able to obtain competitive intelligence whilst establishing their company as a key player in the meetings and events industry.

The show programme will also include a Market Focus on Europe networking event, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 25 March from 8:30am – 10am on the show floor. The session will facilitate business opportunities between exhibitors from Europe and Hosted Buyers who have business to place in Europe.

Hall concludes, “We are encouraging any European exhibitors who are interested in participating to contact the GIBTM Team by telephone on +44 (0) 208 910 7098 or email them at gibtmteam@reedexpo.co.uk”

GIBTM 2014 takes place on the 24-26 March 2014. To find out more about the specialist pavilions at GIBTM please visit www.gibtm.com/specialist Join GIBTM on Linked in, Twitter and Facebook.