NASHVILLE ROCKS IBTM AMERICA 2016

NASHVILLE ROCKS IBTM AMERICA 2016

ibtm america held last week at Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort Nashville, exclusively connected the US and international meetings industry through a mix of business, education and networking. Kicking off with Discovery Day, where over 500 attendees experienced downtown Music City and the legendary Honky Tonks, the private event continued at the Gaylord Convention Center with some 5000 one-to-one mutually matched business appointments and 18.5 hours of networking opportunities over 2.5 days.

Tailored to the US market, the event was dominated by North America, Mexico, Canada and Caribbean suppliers that included hotel brands, convention centers, incentive destinations, CVB’s, NTO’s, Cruise Lines and tech suppliers. Each exhibitor has an all inclusive, uniformed Meeting Pod, which just requires their own branding so that clients just show up, sit down and start their business meetings.

First tier cities this year included NYC & Company, Greater Miami CVB, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and Detroit Metro CVB as well as Great Fort Lauderdale the destination for ibtm america in 2017. Some 2/3rd of exhibitors returned from their success at last year’s event.

Alex Michaels, Director of Sales for Virginia’s Blue Ridge “loved the privacy of the meeting pods” adding “We have been non-stop since Wednesday. I have really had a chance to have enough time with each buyer to explain about us and who we are and all in private. The mutual match has given me real appointments and planners who are already interested in us. I really believe I have met some great contacts for my business”.

This year’s international exhibitors included Costa Del Sol Convention Bureau, Valencia Region Tourist Board, Busan, Visit Flanders (Belgium), India Tourist Office, Turespana and Dubai Business Events.

Ishrat Alam – Tourist Information Officer, India Tourism confirmed the success of the event: “We have attended every year since the beginning of this event. Last year we picked up many leads but 2 of them will definitely turn into business in 2017. We know that any MICE business leads can take up to 2-3 years to make happen, but this has always proved to be a great ROI and it has given us the opportunity to really explain our experiential high end incentive and meetings products face to face. The mutual match appointment system is very good indeed.”

The Hosted Buyer program included 86% domestic USA and 14% international, (based on the research among exhibitors) including Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russia, Spain, Sweden, UAE and UK.
Exhibitor’s had requested planners from the corporate sector, as well as incentive planners as their priority – the first time this sector was at the event – associations and agency made up the rest.

Thomas L Fagan, Jr, PE, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) said of his attendance: “We are the world’s largest not for profit association. In 2015 we had 1300 meetings worldwide. I am here looking at various hotels, venues and CVB’s and have found a number of opportunities. I had 18 serious appointments of which some will wind up getting business placed. We are looking at events up to 5 years ahead – it used to be 10 years but the lead time has now shortened. I have been to ibtm america for the past 3 years – it works for me”.

The top 5 products of interest identified by Hosted Buyers for their appointments this year were Conference and meeting venues, resorts and spas, destinations and non-hotel special event venues. Planners represented blue chip companies such as American Express, Colgate-Palmolive, National Association of African American Studies, Global Cynergies, Wells Fargo, The International Ecotourism Society, Herballife International, Maritz and many others.

The show floor had new features this year with a focus on Technology, displayed around a central hub that also enabled more connections to be made over breaks in the appointments schedule, the TechCollective showcased latest and emerging technologies, from start-ups and entrepreneurs highlighting new ideas for the industry through live demonstrations.

“Building a community for this industry is a key ingredient to the success of ibtm america and this year Nashville bought everyone together for a southern style US meetings experience. The mutual match system of appointments was refined still further to produce the highest quality of real business prospects, resulting in some great praise from our exhibitors and buyers. Designing a system that allows both buyers and suppliers to choose who they want to meet with from the outset of their journey with us, and then making this happen has produced some remarkable results and 100% of appointments that each party wanted to have for their diary – nearly 30 over the 1.5 business days”.

Continuing to rotate ibtm america to the country’s top meetings cities, The Hilton Diplomat Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale will be the home of the event next year. Having received top honors from TripAdvisor and Orbitz, the property was also named a top 100 Meeting Hotel by Cvent.

ibtm america will take place from June 14 – 16 2017
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#ibtm #ibtmameric #MICE #MICEnews #IEEE #CVB #NTO

IBTM AMERICA 2016 SET TO OPEN WITH LINE-UP OF LEADING INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS AND BUYERS FOR 100% MUTUAL MATCH IN NASHVILLE

IBTM AMERICA 2016 SET TO OPEN WITH LINE-UP OF LEADING INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS AND BUYERS FOR 100% MUTUAL MATCH IN NASHVILLE

ibtm america 2016 (www.ibtmamerica.com), taking place from June 15-17 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, is set to debut it’s 100% mutual match business appointments design among an elite group of exhibitors and Corporate, Agency and Incentive Hosted Buyers.

Jaime McAuley, Event Director, ibtm america commented, “Our Hosted Buyer applications will go live early February, but for the first time this year we allowed Hosted Buyers to pre-register for ibtm america, and so far we’ve received applications from over 400 high-calibre buyers. We’ve also had over 100 exhibitors register for the event, which is not surprising considering that post-show feedback from ibtm america 2015 revealed a 95% satisfaction rate among exhibitors who felt our event platform worked for them.”

Corporate Hosted Buyers that have pre-registered for ibtm america 2016 will attend from companies such as Nature’s Way, Dell Inc., Metlife, Inc., Principal Financial Group, Tetra Tech, Inc. The Wall Street Journal, and Intel Corporation. Pre-registered Incentive/Agency Hosted Buyers will attend from companies such as American Express, Grass Roots, Meetings and Incentives Worldwide, Inc, and Peak Performance Distinctive. Association Hosted Buyers will attend from associations such as the American Association of Retired Persons, American Bar Association, California Alarm Association, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, American Public Human Services Association, Penn State University, and UC Berkeley.

All exhibitors and Hosted Buyers will be able to partake in 100% mutual match business appointments, which allows both parties to select who is relevant to their business needs and set up a diary of up to 30 appointments. ibtm america 2016 is the first event of it’s kind in the US to offer 100% mutual match business appointments.

Jaime McAuley, Event Director, ibtm america continued, “100% mutual match is a real game-changer for our attendees and definitely a draw for our exhibitors. Allowing exhibitors to request appointments with Hosted Buyers really puts them in the driver’s seat and gives them a real return on investment. The 100% mutual match system eliminates non-relevant meetings.”

New exhibitors confirmed to attend ibtm america 2016 include Cedar Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau, Eau Palm Beach Resort, Fairmont Orchid- Hawaii, Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau, Social Tables, TripBuilder Media, and Visit Wichita. Returning exhibitors include British Virgin Islands Tourism, Conrad London St. James, Jamaica Tourist Board, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Live Nation Special Events, Marriott International Inc, Maui Jim Sunglasses, Station Casinos, and Vail Resorts Meeting & Events.

“In addition to their business appointments, all Hosted Buyers and exhibitors will attend Discovery Day, which will provide the opportunity to experience Nashville, and network with industry peers. We’re working with the Nashville CVC, Visit Music City to put together an exciting programme for Discovery Day, more details will be announced in the coming weeks,” said McAuley.

To find out more about the Hosted Buyer Programme and apply to attend, visit http://www.ibtmamerica.com/Register-Today/Hosted-Buyer-Registration/

For further information about exhibiting, please visit www.ibtmamerica.com

For sales enquiries, please contact ibtmamerica-sales@reedexpo.com

IMEX America | Protection, promotion or policy-making?

Protection, promotion or policy-making?
U.S. Travel Association’s Roger Dow, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, and Rossi Ralenkotter of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to Speak at First Ever IMEX America Political Advocacy Forum

Continuing its efforts to raise the political bar of the meetings industry and build broader awareness of its strong role in creating jobs and economic growth, the U.S. Travel Association will host a session at IMEX America 2012 October 9th, from 4:00 – 5:30 pm at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas.

Lead speakers will feature Roger Dow, CEO of U.S. Travel, Rossi Ralenkotter President and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Chair of U.S. Travel, together with Las Vegas Mayor, Carolyn Goodman.

Heading the panel discussion, Geoff Freeman of U.S. Travel will speak about the meetings and business travel industry as a critical asset to the nation and provide an update on the success of recent political advocacy efforts. He comes to this issue as a well-versed member of the Washington DC community having been a key driver behind the “U.S. Travel Meetings Mean Business” campaign and the Travel Promotion Act. He was also recently made a member of the Passenger Advocacy subcommittee of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) of the Department of Homeland Security.

Ralenkotter, as both Chair of U.S. Travel and President of the LVCVA, will provide an inside look into how Las Vegas excels at hosting more than 19,000 meetings annually – an industry that makes a $6.3 billion impact on the local economy and supports 58,000 jobs.

Adding even more leadership power to the session, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman – a champion for tourism as the “lifeblood” of the Southern Nevada economy – will also address attendees. Her remarks will focus on efforts to keep Las Vegas on the cutting edge of the travel and tourism industry, and the evolution of Las Vegas as a destination already offering 150,000 hotel rooms and 10.6 million square feet of meeting space.

“IMEX’s recent “Power of 10” global study showed that one of the most pressing challenges for our industry in the next decade is to measure and effectively communicate the strategic and economic value of events and meetings to local, national and global economies,” said Ray Bloom Chairman of the IMEX Group.

He continued: “This new political advocacy session will provide an update on how far the industry has come in making sure that this true value is fully understood, especially in the US. It builds on the efforts we have made over the past 10 years with the Politicians Forum in Frankfurt, but will also offer a distinctly North American perspective. Everyone involved understands that we must keep acting, keep talking, and keep working in unison to achieve meaningful and positive change by policy-makers. IMEX America is proud to play its part in helping to drive this effort and in providing a global platform for the continuing debate.”

“Building a Stronger Meetings Industry – in Washington and your Community” will take place from
4pm – 5.30pm on Tuesday Oct. 09 at IMEX America. It will be open to all IMEX America attendees and exhibitors and will include several US destination CEOs who will also contribute their views and experience.

About IMEX America
IMEX America is America’s worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events and is already the largest trade show for the industry in the USA. The second edition will take place at the Sands Expo, Las Vegas, (which is connected to the show’s Headquarters Hotel, The Venetian®|The Palazzo®), Oct 9 – 11, 2012.

The show’s strategic partner and premier educational provider is MPI, who power “Smart Monday” – Oct. 08 – a full day of education on the day prior to the tradeshow. Smart Monday also includes a range of high level education delivered by other partners and associations; including Association Focus – a conference within a conference for association meeting planners – delivered by ASAE, ICCA and PCMA.

IMEX also has an exclusive partnership with the US Travel Association and is endorsed by DMAI and Site, has an Industry Partnership with PCMA and is an ICCA Business Partner. Other supporting associations include: ACTE Global, ADME, AIPC, AMCI, ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, Association Forum of Chicagoland, CIC, CSAE, ECM, FICP, GMIC, IACC, IAEE, IAPCO, ISES, JMIC, PATA, SKAL, Spin. A list of industry and media partners can be found here.

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