Nearly 13,000 business meetings have taken place
Of the Hosted Buyers that attended, 30 per cent were new to the IBTM portfolio. Over 700 exhibitors attended from all over the globe, each carrying out an average of over 19 meetings with Hosted Buyers over the course of the show. The organisers reported an impressive 92 per cent attendance at pre-scheduled meetings, and an average meeting quality rating from both exhibitors and Hosted Buyers of 4.6 out of 5.
IBTM World Virtual featured a packed live and on-demand content programme with 87 sessions, four keynotes and more than 95 speakers covering a variety of topics designed to help meetings professionals look towards a brighter future as our industry rebuilds and recovers post-pandemic.
Over 1,400 hours of live and on-demand content was viewed over the course of the show, and the content will be available to view for two weeks after the event, for those who registered to attend. In addition, this year’s event saw the introduction of IBTM TV, sponsored by MeetEngland and Monaco Convention Bureau, a live and on-demand platform which streamed content from expert speakers direct to attendees’ screens. This included a variety of panel sessions, keynotes, trend reports and awards ceremonies.
Also new for this year was a programme of bespoke content for those running experiential events in the Exceptional Experiences stream, and Hosted Buyers benefitted from dedicated content tailored specifically for them with the IBTM Inspire Masterclass stream, a separate on-demand track with sessions for associations, corporates and agencies. The association stream of the Inspire Masterclass was sponsored by Korea Tourism Organization.
The online event brought together some of the world’s largest and best-known destinations and suppliers with top calibre Hosted Buyers from some of the biggest global corporations, associations and agencies. Exhibitors included Singapore Tourism Board, Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, Adelaide Convention Bureau, Tourism Vancouver, Destination DC, The Carlton Tower Jumeirah, Visit Portugal CVB, Rhodes Bay Hotel & Spa and Bruges Meeting & Convention Centre.
Buyers attended from across the globe, including associations such as: European Society of Urology, the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), World Confederation for Physical Therapy, The International Ecotourism Society.
Major corporations attended including IBM, Michelin, Dell, Boston Consulting Group, Real Madrid C.F., Deloitte, Cook Medical, NIKE, Leroy Merlin, BBVA France, Puma Brazil, Mundipharma International Limited, Hyundai, HORIBA Medical, and Schlumberger.
IBTM World 2021 will take place at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona from 30 November – 2 December 2021.