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The Meetings Show has experienced a successful first day with thousands of visitors attending for a record number of appointments, to listen to insightful educational sessions and network with fellow meeting and event planners. The show opened its doors on Wednesday 26 June at Olympia London to welcome more than 900 hosted buyers and thousands of visitors to meet with the show’s 750+ exhibitors.

“We’ve had an amazing first day of The Meetings Show with a real buzz experienced across the show floor.”

After an evening of networking over cocktails and hi-tech mini golf at Puttshack for the Hosted Buyer Welcome Reception on Tuesday evening, the show kicked off with NewcastleGateshead Convention Bureau hosting a press conference to announce the exciting new development due to open in 2023 – Gateshead Quays.

Alongside meetings and multiple networking opportunities, visitors on day one of the show attended hours of educational sessions as part of the show’s education programme, based around the planner journey.

The show’s opening keynote was delivered by Colin Maclachlan, a former SAS soldier and star of Channel Four’s reality drama SAS: Who Dares Wins, who shared SAS leadership secrets with attendees, while a host of educational sessions followed on subjects such as sustainability, technology, engagement, mental health, and gamification.

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More education, appointments, and networking are set to take place on Thursday 27 June as the show opens its doors for what is expected to be an equally busy second and final day.

Following an opening keynote from pioneering technology researcher Carl Miller on oppression and liberation in the digital age at 9.50am, visitors can attend talks on subjects such as networking, the rise of festivalization and immersive events.

Some highlights include panel discussion ‘Do Men Have a Future in Events?’ With Martin Ellis of Team Umbrella at 12.30pm and ‘Turning Events into Experiences’ with John Hanlon of Giant itab at 2.10pm.

David Chapple

Group event director, The Meetings Show

David Chapple, group event director, The Meetings Show, said: “We’ve had an amazing first day of The Meetings Show with a real buzz experienced across show floor as visitors and hosted buyers meet and catch up with our exhibitors to do business, attend networking events and listen to education sessions. Our second day, with its packed programme and pre-scheduled appointments is set to be just as busy and we look forward to welcoming more visitors through our doors.”

Visitors can also find out about the latest trends and developments in meetings and events technology from some of the leading technology suppliers at the Technology Tour at 11.10am and 2.10pm.

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SOURCEThe Meetings Show
A long-time meetings industry addict, Gorazd is the Founder and owner of marketing and event agency Toleranca Marketing. He has many years of experience in planning, preparing and carrying out large international meetings and exhibitions. As the founder of the "Power to the Meetings" methodology, he still firmly believes in the power of live events and human to human communication. He is also the author of numerous articles and editor-in-chief of the meetings industry magazine Kongres Magazine.