IBTM AMERICA 2016 SET TO PROVIDE VALUABLE BUSINESS CONNECTIONS WITH IMPRESSIVE LINE-UP OF GLOBAL HOSTED BUYERS

IBTM AMERICA 2016 SET TO PROVIDE VALUABLE BUSINESS CONNECTIONS WITH IMPRESSIVE LINE-UP OF GLOBAL HOSTED BUYERS

81% of Hosted Buyers looking to place business internationally 

ibtm america 2016 (www.ibtmamerica.com), taking place from June 15-17 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, has confirmed an impressive global line-up of Association, Agency and Corporate Hosted Buyers attending from the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Asia and more.

Registered Hosted Buyers have confirmed their product interests among exhibitors, with hotels and conference/meeting venues being the top two picks. Other event products to make the list include special event venues, Destination Management Companies, resorts and spas, and destinations. Among those buyers the two most popular event types were conferences/meetings and incentives, followed by exhibitions, conventions/congresses, staff training/motivation, and business and luxury travel.

Jaime McAuley, Event Director, ibtm america commented, “We have a great line-up of Hosted Buyers this year; not only do we have elite buyers with proven budget and business to place attending from all around the world, but we have a diverse group with a variety of products interests and this will increase the opportunity for our exhibitors to make connections at the event. And with our 100% mutually matched appointment system, we can ensure that all of our Hosted Buyers and exhibitors are only attending relevant, valuable appointments likely to result in business opportunities and ROI.”

Hosted Buyers have also indicated the regions in which they are most interested in placing business, with 98% of buyers looking to place business in the US and 81% interested in placing business internationally. Domestically buyers placed particular emphasis on wanting to meet exhibitors from the Western US (98%) and the Southeast (97%). Internationally buyers were most interested in Canada, Latin America, and Europe.

McAuley commented, “These preferences are really on trend with where the industry is right now. Rob Davidson, Managing Director of MICE Knowledge, predicted in his 2015 Trends Report that 2016 will see an increase across all meeting types in North America, so it’s not surprising that both our regional and international buyers are looking to place business in Canada and the US. Davidson also noted how Latin America’s close business and cultural ties to the US, which make it especially attractive for US-based meeting groups, have played a large role in the Latin American MICE industry’s growth, so we expect this to continue to be a region of interest among our Hosted Buyers.”

Some of the Hosted Buyers attending this year include Philips (Brazil), Rimac Seguros y reaseguros (Peru), Hurricane Action Sports (Canada), Montreal Event Planner (Canada), Lenovo (China), GECK’O Incentives & Events (Germany), Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (India), Fullteam Networks (Mexico), TUSExpo BV (Netherlands), Decast Group (Russian Federation), ABB INDUSTRIES (UAE), Ultima Media (UK), Smartfocus (UK), Freestyle Football Federation (UK), the American Association for Cancer Research (US), AT&T (US), Wells Fargo (US), Corning Inc. (US), The Geological Society of America (US), and Nature’s Way (US).

Veronica Carletto, Project Manager, Fourth Wall Events, who will attend as a Hosted Buyer commented, “My objective is to learn about new hotels and services that I can share with my organisation and offer our clients. I am interested in looking at the 5* luxury brands in Europe and Asia.”

Blair Monica, Marketing Event Project Manager, GM Financial, also a Hosted Buyer for 2016 commented, “We plan events all over the US and Canada. I am interested in looking at different locations that can hold larger groups, what’s new with technology, meeting design, what’s new with exhibit design and displays and how to elevate our meetings and events.”

Fred Williams, Conference Manager, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, also a Hosted Buyer for 2016 commented, “Face-to-face meetings are critical to understanding city and hotel updates as well as special offers. Cities, hotels, airlines, audiovisual, and exhibition companies are the types of exhibitors I wish to meet.”

Joost de Meyer, Chairman & CEO, First Incentive Travel, also a Hosted Buyer for 2016, commented, “I am the Chairman & CEO with First Incentive Travel. I lead a team of experienced project managers. We work all over the USA for incentive groups coming to the USA, Mexico and Caribbean from mainly Europe and the rest of the world. I am interested in hotels, DMC’s, CVB’s, cruise lines, etc.”

To hear what more Hosted Buyers have to say, please visit:http://www.ibtmamerica.com/Media/galleries/Testimonials/

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

 

PACIFIC WORLD AND ACCESS GLOBAL DESTINATION INDEX REPORT IDENTIFIES TOP DESTINATIONS FOR MEETINGS, INCENTIVES AND CONFERENCES

PACIFIC WORLD AND ACCESS GLOBAL DESTINATION INDEX REPORT IDENTIFIES TOP DESTINATIONS FOR MEETINGS, INCENTIVES AND CONFERENCES
Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore recognized as top destinations in Asia
Italy and France most popular in Europe, UAE top destination in Middle East
Texas, Florida and Las Vegas top the list in the USA

Results from a recent global Destination Index, compiled by the leading Global DMC and Event Management Companies, Pacific World (www.pacificworld.com) and ACCESS Destination Services (www.accessdmc.com), have identified the top destinations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States for meetings and incentives.

Patricia Silvio, Global Marketing Manager, Pacific World, commented, “The Pacific World global Destination Index report identifies each year the countries and cities most thriving within the meetings, incentives and conferences industries. This year overarching themes that led to an increase in popularity were improvements in transportation/flights, an increase in venues and hotels, investment in technology, attractive exchange rates, and safety and stability.”

Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore were recognised as the top countries in Asia for meetings and incentives, with Bangkok and Bali voted as the most popular cities, and meetings and incentives being the most requested event types in Singapore. Governmental stability, attractive exchange rates and improved flight connections were factors contributing to the increased attention from source markets including North America, Australia and other Asian regions.

In Europe, France and Italy were identified as the top countries for meetings and incentives. Improved transport links and investment in infrastructure resulting in the opening of a number of new hotels and venues were factors accountable for the fact that Milan and Paris have both been voted as the most popular European cities for Meetings and Incentives, with increased interest from source markets such as the Middle East, USA, UK, Germany, and Brazil.

The UAE was recognised as the most popular destination for incentives and conferences in the Middle East, with the UK, Saudi Arabia and India identified as the key source markets placing inbound business into the destination. Accessible flight routes, new hotels, and an investment of time and resources in the latest technology and set-ups to facilitate large-scale events have pushed the UAE to the top of the list.

Texas topped the list as the most popular destination for meeting and events in the USA, followed by Florida and Las Vegas. New venues, restaurants and an increase in international and regional flights have boosted the popularity of these destinations while the abundance  of available VIP experiences have established Dallas, San Antonio, Miami, and Las Vegas as key cities for conference and incentives in the U.S.

For more details about the Destination Index, please go to: www.pacificworld.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.