As in previous years, Event Planner Spain has interviewed Graeme Barnett, senior exhibition director of ibtm world (Reed Travel Exhibitions), about the next edition scheduled to be held at Fira Barcelona from 17-19 November.
1. What would you say was the most "ground-breaking" news from the 2014 edition of the event?
For sure the industry ended the year on a high as our last edition saw a record number of attendees but for us one ground breaking piece of news was the effect that our first self-select pre-scheduled appointments made on the overall number of business meetings that took place across the show – over 78,400 of them – a massive 20% increase on 2013.
We also saw more independent Association planners attending – in fact 67% of them came individually and took advantage of the first flexible programme for them, giving more choice over their diaries and attendance.
Exhibitors also commented on the launch of our Concierge Service, which set out to help those exhibitors that needed it with a pre-event planning service, thereby reducing the time and effort in participating at the show. This proactive and personal approach helped exhibitors make the most of their event participation, from the moment they book into the show right through to helping them on site in Barcelona. It was an important new initiative and one we have extended at this year’s event.
2. After the show’s rebranding, EIBTM is now called ibtm world. What was the main reason behind this change and how do you think that it has gone down in the meeting and event industry as a whole?
The change was part of an overall re-brand for the global portfolio of events, which has evolved over time and now encompasses eight events spanning the globe. It became crucially important that each event had a clear position in the market, locally and regionally ensuring that our flagship event in Barcelona was positioned and branded as the "world event." Whilst the common denominator for them all remains recruiting top-level hosted buyers who meet and connect with local, regional and international suppliers, which in turn creates long-term profitable business opportunities.
ibtm world clearly identifies with the proposition and as a result of each event clearly establishing its own value through its brand identity and positioning, we believe the industry can clearly see where we have a business opportunity for them. So, having launched the new ibtm world identity in Barcelona last year, I would say it has certainly helped us explain the positioning when talking to our clients.
ibtm world joins its sister events ibtm arabia, ibtm africa, ibtm america, ibtm china and ibtm india under the ibtm events umbrella along with AIME in Melbourne and ICOMEX in Mexico. Together the events in the newly branded ibtm portfolio annually provide access to more than 5,000 suppliers from 100 countries connecting with 19,000 meeting planners and event organisers, delivered through more than 110,000 pre-scheduled meetings. Impressive, I would say!
3. Although it is early days yet, would you say that the number of both hosted buyers and exhibitors registering for the show are meeting expectations?
We are now over half way through this year’s campaign and I am delighted to report we are well on track to deliver an outstanding edition come November, representing all aspects. Our hosted buyer registration has opened to a burst of activity and we looking forward to welcoming some 4,000 planners and buyers onsite this year. We regularly look to ensure a healthy mix of new and returning buyers to the event many of who will be hosted either independently or as part of a buyer group. Either way, they will be fully hosted by us and enjoy the business and social elements of the event.
ibtm world maintains a strong reputation for delivering on objectives which means a high level of returning exhibitors each year and 2015 has seen forward bookings well ahead of 2014. Having worked on the portfolio since 2006, there are many factors that come into play when exhibitors plan their participation at trade shows, one of which is the prevailing local and global economic situation. We have seen a number of national, regional and city CVBs and DMOs increasing their stand size as demand for places by partners increases, as well as an overall investment to increase the awareness of a destination – South Africa being a good example. This is always good to see as it demonstrates a continuing uplift in economic growth, (which continues to be patchy globally), but overall is great news for the industry.
My personal view is that there is a very positive feeling about the event for 2015. The timing is crucial, being at the end of one year and the almost the start of a new year which always creates a real buzz on the show floor. Feedback from many participants thought 2014 was the best edition in recent memory largely because of the quality of buyers and the amount of business being discussed. Of course it helps enormously that positivity is returning to the local Spanish economy which is filtering down to the events sector where we saw attendance rise by 16% last year – a sure sign of recovery and an improving focus on local, regional and international events.
4. As for hosted buyers, how many do you expect at the 2015 edition of the show and are there any worthy of a special mention?
We are on track to deliver our target of 4,000 hosted buyers. We spend a lot of time talking to our exhibitors to find out who they want to meet with and where they want to target their business. So, we have been focusing not only on many countries including Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, UK, France and the US, but also on recruiting buyers with the right levels of international business to place by volume and spend.
Hosted buyer registration has just gone live and we are expecting good results. Hosted buyers who have already been confirmed to attend ibtm world 2015 include Business Travel Club (Poland), the European Society of Cardiology (France), Helmsbriscoe (France, Italy & United States), CIC Congress Incentives Conferences (Norway), Consortium of the Polish Travel Agencies (Poland), European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (Spain), TheMICEworld (Spain), Event Plus (UAE), Quintiles (UK), and Alpaca MICE (Ukraine).
5. Regarding exhibitors, do you expect a greater turnout than last year?
Creating an event like ibtm world is not about numbers – it’s about the success of the individuals attending, both buyers and suppliers. It’s important that every attendee gets the maximum from our event so that means discussing their business objectives before he or she contracts with us. We usually have about 3,000 exhibitors onsite but we won’t know for a few more months the exact numbers for 2015 although the signs are that there is more demand than in 2014. We are delighted though with the number of new exhibitors who see the opportunities delivered at ibtm world not just through the business of appointments but also through the array of networking events which sometimes can be just as efficient for continuing those conversations with prospects, but in a more social environment.
What is good to see is that many exhibitors are booking their stands earlier this year, perhaps as a result of improving economic conditions but also to fully participate in all of the pre-event marketing opportunities that exist to target buyers well before the appointment match takes place in October. We have an enhanced matching system this year which requires exhibitors to complete their profiles earlier, in time for buyers to start making their preferences, so I think this has had an impact.
6. Who are the most outstanding first-time exhibitors at ibtm world 2015?
Some exciting brands and destinations are going to be among the newcomers this year. New exhibitors who have already been confirmed to attend the show include Bulgaria, Ibiza Convention Bureau, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Ministere de l’Economie Direction Generale du Tourisme, Luxemburg, Prague, the Secretaria Nacional de Turismo de Paraguay, Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, and Zimbabwe.
7. Has the economic recovery had any measurable effect on the number of Spanish exhibitors and/or the size of their stands?
For sure, the signs that Spain was recovering were felt last year with the highest number of Spanish attendees in recent years, so with the economy continuing to build, we of course believe that once again we will have a strong representation from Spanish planners and suppliers for 2015. Those contracted to date include include Agencia Catalana de Turisme, Basque Tours, Canarias, Cititravel, Eurostars Hotels (keytel), H. SANTOS D, S.L., H10 Hotels, Iberostar, Madrid Destino Cultura Turismo y Negocio S.A., Melia Hotels, Pacific World / Hotelbeds Spain S.L.U., Turisme de Barcelona and Wedgewood DMC Group. We also have two new Spanish main stand holders Basquetour and Ibiza Convention Bureau.
8. Have any major changes been envisaged for this year’s edition of the Show? If so, how would you describe these in a few words?
We’ll be announcing some changes around our corporate programme – taking the learnings from My Association My Club to create an even better program for corporate planners. The Focus Group held earlier this year highlighted the continual need for these planners to meet and network peer to peer but also to keep abreast of what’s new. So this year we have decided to host a new Corporate Networking reception in the I-Zone on Tuesday evening between 5pm and 6pm. What better environment to host them than the I-Zone which will be packed full of innovations and interesting concepts and ideas. We will also be trialling a new "matchmaking" service just for corporate planners where we will be providing recommendations based on data provided by both planners and exhibitors.
Exhibitors will also have the opportunity to further influence their pre-scheduled appointments with a stronger focus on relevance to both parties thanks to our mutual match appointment system, providing exhibitors with more control over who they meet with.
Hosted Buyers will do the same and our sophisticated appointment matching program will match appointments according to both buyer and exhibitor preferences creating more relevant appointments and hopefully higher, levels of ROI.
In the area of technology, the Technology Watch award has been developed further and will become the Technology and Innovation Watch Award. This new name and broader scope will illustrate the evolution of this recognition program recognising the importance of both innovation as well as technology.
Whilst the name of the award has changed, the submission and judging process has changed with 10 submissions being shortlisted and selected by the judging panel to feature in the Innovation Zone, as one of the 2015 Top 10 Innovations which have been identified with the potential to make a real impact on the industry. One of these Top Ten Innovations will then be selected as the winner (voted by the judging panel before the show), and will be benefit from a global promotion campaign, presence in the Innovation Zone and a chance to present its product at the show in November. The remaining nine will also be invited to showcase their products at the show.
We also have an exciting new venue for our Meetings Leadership Summit at El Born and a brand new look and feel for delivering education – all on the show floor and built around a "Knowledge Village" with a main lecture Theatre and three smaller learning environments designed to reflect the changing needs of meeting design.
9. What new themes have been chosen for the Knowledge Programme?
This year we will be featuring specific sessions in our education programme relating to the following themes; Connections Mean Everything, Putting Meeting Design into Practice, Tools for Planner Productivity, Industry Engagement, Inspiration from Outside, Innovative Events and Leading Lights for Leading Events. Individual sessions will be ‘linked’ to one of these themes and promoted pre-show and on site. Hopefully, this will provide a more "sculptured" programme where attendees can link their personal education schedule according to these themes or can pick and choose according to individual speakers and topics.
10. "Connections Mean Business" is the theme for IBTM 2015, could you explain in more detail the idea behind this?
Everything we do at Reed Travel Exhibitions centres around creating profitable business connections – from formal business appointments to networking functions. Our focus therefore has to be connecting the right people in the right place at the right time. Whilst "Connections Mean Everything" is the strap line for ibtm world, it has also become the ethos of all we do.
11. As regards networking events, will there be any new ones in the 2015 edition of the show or will any of the existing ones be changing venue?
We have an exciting new venue for our Meetings Leadership Summit, which we will be held at El Born, a remarkable restoration of 17th century ruins set in the district sharing the same name. The other networking events include; the official ibtm world Welcome Reception taking place onsite on Tuesday 17 November and the popular ibtm world Networking Hour on Wednesday 18 November, prior to the ibtm world Club Night, which will again be hosted at Opium Mar.
