ITE, held in partnership with SITE, the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, brings fully hosted, high-volume North American incentive buyers and meeting planners who have a combined purchasing power of $1.5 billion, together with global suppliers for two and a half days of exclusive networking opportunities and prescheduled one-to-one meetings in private, luxury suites.
The 2017 ITE program launched with a complimentary education session presented by SITE called “Storytelling: A Sales Pro’s Most Powerful Sales Tool,” led by Catherine Jones, CEO of The Edventives Group, and Jonathan Richards, manager, corporate gifts NW, Mexico & Europe, Maui Jim Sunglasses. Attendees learned to craft and use compelling stories to sell incentive travel solutions to clients including developing an audience profile to help tailor the story appropriately, and position it correctly for sales presentations and other considerations.
All guests then gathered for a welcome reception complete with stunning views, dining, and cocktails atop The Delano in the Skyfall Lounge, hosted by MGM Resorts International. Attendees tried to top the views from Skyfall with helicopter rides over the strip, provided by Maverick Aviation while others learned to play texas hold’em and craps from the experts at Preferred Events.
The event officially began this morning with a hearty breakfast and presentation by Quebec City Business Tourism before visitors headed out for their full day of private one-to-one appointments.
Organizers plan to close the night with a team building event at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, complete with bowling, cocktails, and a corporate social responsibility activity in partnership with the Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Las Vegas.
“Year after year we offer our visitors the most productive gathering in the industry,” said John McMahon, executive vice president of the Questex Travel Group and publisher of International Meetings Review. “This year we have raised the bar even higher by incorporating a huge element of fun into the event, allowing our attendees the ability to network with all 300 people on site, while still enjoying some of best Las Vegas has to offer.”
McMahon went on to share how Questex saw a record number of applicants for the coveted hosted buyer positions, leading to 80% total new buyer attendance.
Attendees are each scheduled to have a minimum of 25 prescheduled, private one-to-one appointments before the show closes on Tuesday evening with a reception at Smith & Wollensky, followed by the acclaimed Legends in Concert tribute show, sponsored by BASE Entertainment.
ITE 2017 sponsors include Aruba Convention Bureau, AWG Destination Management Services, BASE Entertainment, Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, Maui Jim Sunglasses, Maverick Aviation Group, MGM Resorts International, Preferred Events, Quebec City Business Destination, Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group, The Sun Lux Collection by Sun International, Vince Poscente International, and Visit Scotland.
Global Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchanges, owned and managed by Questex LLC, bring together qualified buyers and travel suppliers in key locations to provide a powerful platform for productive one-to-one meetings in private suites tailored to each attendee’s business objectives. The appointment-based events cater exclusively to the meetings, incentives, conferences and events market. More information is available at GlobalTravelExchanges.com.
 event began Sunday night at The Delano Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay.){kind=link}