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FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO ENTER EIBTM’S SEARCH FOR NEW TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS

Closing date for EIBTM WorldWide Technology Watch is Friday 3 September

For any company yet to enter EIBTM’s WorldWide Technology Watch – open to any company who has developed new technology solutions for the meetings, events, incentive travel, conferences and exhibition industries – the closing date is next Friday, 3 September.

Entries will be judged on three criteria – innovation and uniqueness, potential impact on the industry, and completeness of the product or service.

Graeme Barnett, EIBTM’s Exhibition Director comments: “The importance of this Award should not be underestimated, so I urge those companies who have been considering, or yet to enter, to do so now. It is still not too late to apply.”

The winner will receive a free stand to exhibit at the Technology Village @ EIBTM 2010; present their winning product at the show and gain acknowledgement and widespread publicity in EIBTM 2010 WWTW promotional material both before and during the event.

The judges comprise a high profile panel from the industry including Chair – Corbin Ball who is supported by Martin Sirk, CEO, ICCA; Bruce MacMillan, President/CEO, Meeting Professionals International; Paul Hussey, Business Development Manager, BSI Meetings and Events; Ruud Janssen, Managing Director, TNOC; Samuel J Smith, Managing Director of Interactive Meeting Technology, LLC and Lynn Wong, Co-Founder and Director of Grupo eventoplus.

For more information on how to enter and to listen to the judges podcast about the benefits of entering, please visit www.eibtm.com/wwtw.

EVENT SUPPORT SUPPLIERS CHOOSE EIBTM FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PUSH

With event support suppliers playing an increasingly important role in the development and management of meetings, conferences, incentives and events, top suppliers have chosen EIBTM to showcase their services to the world’s top buyers and planners.

Now in its fourth year, the Event Services Village @ EIBTM is an area devoted to the essential services that support the meetings industry from audio visual, badge products, incentive gifts and lanyards to those providing entertainment such as Tenors Unlimited…”The Rat Pack of Opera” returning for a third year.

Exhibitors at the 2010 Event Services Village include:

·       ABADIAS – Bags & Baggage Design

·       Congress Rental Network

·       Create Multimedia Services

·       Creator Meeting Support

·       Identilam

·       kleertech

·       MeetingLinQ

·       Parthen the meeting services company

·       PSAV ® Presentation Services

·       Saville Audio Visual

·       Tenors Un-limited…”The Rat Pack of Opera”

·       Township – Fair Trade bags

Two companies – Saville Audio Visual and ABADIAS – who have chosen to exhibit at EIBTM for the first time explain the importance of their decision:

“This is our first year exhibiting at EIBTM and we see it as our opportunity to share our successes, awards, creativity and innovative events technology solutions with an international audience of events professionals. As we work on a global basis, it is important for us to meet with a wide range of conference organisers from all over the world and we feel that EIBTM is the place to do this!” Carl Holland, Conference Producer, Saville Audio Visual

“Abadias is looking forward to exhibiting at the EIBTM Event Services Village for the first time this year.  The event is very important to us as we will be launching our new corporative image Bag & Baggage and are keen to do this to an international audience which is why we chose EIBTM in Barcelona. We will also be unveiling our new 2011 catalogue range of products and services for the congress, meetings and incentives market.” Andrés Serrano, Sales Manager, ABADIAS

Whilst Parthen, the meetings service company, regulars at the event know that: “EIBTM has proven to be a perfect place for us to meet many valuable decision makers; an event for building new business relations and meeting up with our international clients. Although the meetings are relatively short, the quality always makes it worthwhile for us to never miss a single year of EIBTM.” Allard Jurriëns, Account Manager, Parthen

For further information on exhibiting at Event Services Village @ EIBTM visit www.eibtm.com/eventsvillage .

EIBTM 2010 takes place at the Fira Gran Via, Barcelona from Tuesday 30 November to Thursday 2 December.

EIBTM & ICCA’S FORUM FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

Highlighting their continued commitment to finding industry ‘leaders of tomorrow’, EIBTM and ICCA are undertaking their annual search for young talent to join them in the annual Forum For Young Professionals at this year’s EIBTM in Barcelona.

The two organisations are on the look out for 20 industry professionals, under the age of 30, to join them from Saturday 27 November to Tuesday 30 November. Selection to the Forum is based on country of origin, current employment and a short essay on either the challenges faced by the industry, social networking or sustainability.

The deadline for applications is Friday 10 September 2010. For full information about the programme and how to apply go to www.iccaworld.com/dbs/fyp <http://www.iccaworld.com/dbs/fyp> or contact Jill Harrison at jill@icca.nl

Martin Sirk, CEO for ICCA comments: “The Forum is a unique opportunity for ambitious young professionals, thrown together from different backgrounds and countries, to join together to learn more about the industry and ICCA. It adds up to an experience that past participants consistently enthuse about.”

Comments from past attendees include:

“The ICCA/EIBTM FYP was an amazing opportunity to collaborate with, and learn from, both experts in our industry and other young professionals. The forum allowed me to build relationships with industry colleagues throughout the world, an opportunity I would have otherwise never had the chance to partake in.” Bethany Teulan – Business Events Sydney

“The Forum is a great opportunity for anyone who is planning a career in our industry. The mix of experienced industry leaders and young ambitious professionals leads to an extraordinary experience with an open and educative atmosphere.” Arvin Singh – MCI Amsterdam

“It is a great opportunity for exchanging experience’s learning and fun. Absorb as much as possible and enjoy.” Ângela Silva – São Paulo Convention and Visitors Bureau

Graeme Barnett, EIBTM Exhibition Director adds: “This initiative is all about the future; the leaders of tomorrow. Together with ICCA we are committed in the long term to help educate and develop the obvious talent that exists around the world.”

Key benefits for those chosen to join the Forum for Young Professionals include:

· A fresh perspective on meetings management and the industry
· Familiarisation with the global meetings industry and its potential for young professionals
· Enhanced professional skills
· Connections and networks with peers from around the world
· Better appreciation of different viewpoints, approaches and cultures
· The experience of working in multi-cultural and buyer-supplier teams
· The ability to plan a career in the industry
· Knowledge of ICCA, its organisation and membership benefits
· Continued motivation and enthusiasm for the industry
· Preview of EIBTM
· Opportunity to meet technology guru Corbin Ball

The Forum for Young Professionals is complimentary and includes three night’s accommodation and a return flight to Barcelona – free flights from within Europe are courtesy of EIBTM, with ICCA covering extra flights up to 1000 Euros for non-European participants. Transfers, lunches, coffee breaks and dinners are included in the package.

EIBTM takes place at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona from Tuesday 30 November – Thursday 2 December 2010.

EIBTM LAUNCH MOST EFFECTIVE STAND AWARDS

With competition to attract the attention of buyers and visitors increasing at exhibitions worldwide, the industry’s leading international meetings event, EIBTM (www.eibtm.com), has announced a new Award programme for all exhibitors.

The EIBTM Stand Awards 2010 will recognise and acknowledge the brightest, busiest and best stands at this year’s show; those that demonstrate the best in business-to-business exhibition marketing, helping to generate business and interest from those attending the event.

Categories

• Best Stand Design Overall
• Best Stand Design – Shell Scheme
• Best Stand for Doing Business
• Best Stand Personnel
• Best Stand Feature/Attraction
• Most Innovative stand within the Technology and Event Services Village
• Sustainability
• Hosted Buyer voted Best Stand

The Awards are open to all EIBTM exhibitors and will be judged on the opening day of EIBTM  - Tuesday 30 November – by an independent judging panel, chaired by Rob Allen, Chief Executive of experiential marketing and live event marketing company, TRO Group.

Commenting on his role as chair of judges, Rob Allen comments: “I am delighted to chair the EIBTM Stand Awards later this year.  I am always pleased to be involved in the recognition and celebration of best practice and great achievements in the experiential and events sector and to do so at such an important and high profile event as EIBTM is especially exciting.”

Winners will be notified on the second day, when they will be presented with their Awards. Each winner will be featured in the dedicated Awards section of the show daily and on the EIBTM website.

The Sustainability Award will be judged by independent body Organise This Ltd, recognised as a leading authority in ‘sustainability’. The winner will have demonstrated a real commitment to sustainability through their presentation of a product or service at EIBTM and through their engagement with EIBTM’s Sustainability Policy.

In addition, all Hosted Buyers will be invited to vote for their favourite stand for doing business, the result of which will be announced on the final day of EIBTM.

Commenting on the new Awards, EIBTM’s Exhibition Director Graeme Barnett said:  “These Awards have been set up in recognition of the importance stands and stand personnel play in the success of achieving return on investment at EIBTM. Exhibitors, who invest substantial time and budgets in our event, deserve to receive recognition for their design and marketing efforts.

“We are sure that the Awards will prove popular with our exhibitors and will become an established part of EIBTM in future years.”

Full details of judging criteria and EIBTM’s Sustainability Policy can be found at www.eibtm.com <http://www.eibtm.com> .

EIBTM CHAMPIONING THE FUTURE OF MEETINGS TECHNOLOGY Technology changing the meeting planning landscape

Having gained an international reputation for showcasing the latest, most effective technology solutions for event and meeting planners, EIBTM has attracted many of the industry’s leading suppliers of technological solutions to this year’s show in Barcelona – 30th November – 2nd December.

With exhibitors showcasing their products and services in a dedicated  Technology Village (www.eibtm.com/technology), Corbin Ball, CMP, CSP, President, Corbin Ball Associates and EIBTM’s technology expert believes that “the industry needs a championing event to showcase the newest, most innovative technology developments. EIBTM is that show, providing a forum for exhibitors to demonstrate solutions that can make a significant and profitable difference to meeting and event planners, whether through improved efficiency, planning meetings, communication with delegates and overall ROI.”

Those returning to EIBTM’s Technology Village include Ungerboeck, amiando, pepEvent, Soft Congress, Cvent and Cube Technologies whilst newcomers include Grupo Desarrollanet, Newtonstrand and PowerVote.

Enrique Montes Perez, Product manager Grupo Desarrollanet says:  “After several years visiting the show, we’re very excited about coming as first time exhibitors. We chose EIBTM as the best scenario for the international launch of Face2Acces, our unique face biometrics access control solution for events. We’re expanding our business worldwide and we expect to close important co-operation agreements during the exhibition.”

Marc Bernegger, Co-Founder amiando comments: “EIBTM is the place to present amiando to potential clients.  Last year was our first year of exhibiting. We found that the high quality of attendees makes EIBTM a unique opportunity to generate business from all parts of the world and has provided us with several future partners.  Our objectives for this year are to continue to increase awareness of our product to this group and to meet additional potential clients”.

Whilst Nadine Uhl from Ungerboeck Systems Limited, who are regular exhibitors at not only EIBTM but CIBTM and GIBTM, comments: “For us, EIBTM is one of the biggest and most important shows in the meetings and events industry, bringing together the leading international event professionals. And, as the market leader in event management software, we absolutely have to present our solution “Where the World Meets” because EIBTM combines almost all of our target groups starting from venues, professional meeting planners to congress organisers and associations in one event. Meeting them all in one place gives us access to numerous potential customers, saves us time and offers us great opportunities to further communicate our brand.

“The number of business leads we receive at EIBTM is definitely worth attending the show and we expect excellent business at EIBTM 2010 again.”

Additionally, EIBTM will again be running a daily Technology Hour at 13.00 (www.eibtm.com/techhour<http://www.eibtm.com/techhour>). Tuesday 30 November sees Ruud Jannssen, marketing entrepreneur from  ©TNOC | The New Objective Collective tackle the topic of ‘Crisis management and technologies to save your event’. On Wednesday 1 December, Corbin Ball moderates the Tech Hour Debate entitled ‘Social media – Social media boom or over hyped’.  On the last day he tackles the subject of ‘Mobile technology for meetings’.

Also at EIBTM, the winner of this year’s annual WorldWide Technology Watch (WWTW) will be announced on Wednesday 1 December. WWTW is open to any company who has developed new technology solutions for the meetings, events, incentive travel, conferences and exhibition industries. Entries will be judged on three criteria – innovation, value to users at events and readiness of production and usage for the industry.

For those interested in entering the competition visit www.eibtm.com/wwtw <http://www.eibtm.com/wwtw> for more information. Closing date for entries is 3rd September.

If you have a technology related product for the meetings industry and would like to take advantage of special exhibiting packages available at the EIBTM Technology Village, please contact Sandie McCoubrey (sandiemc@otenet.gr) or visit www.eibtm.com <http://www.eibtm.com/>  for more information or a stand booking form or to register to attend as a visitor.

EIBTM SEARCH FOR NEW TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS THROUGH WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGY WATCH

Closing date for entries is Friday 3 September

EIBTM 2010 (www.eibtm.com <http://www.eibtm.com> ) – taking place from 30 November – 2 December in Barcelona – has launched its annual WorldWide Technology Watch (WWTW). WWTW is open to any company who has developed new technology solutions for the meetings, events, incentive travel, conferences and exhibition industries. Entries will be judged on three criteria – innovation, value to users at events and readiness of production and usage for the industry.

Corbin Ball, CMP, President, Corbin Ball Associates, EIBTM’s technology expert and Chair of the EIBTM WWTW judging panel comments: “New applications and technology tools are emerging for meetings and tradeshows at an unprecedented rate. These products will transform nearly every aspect of event management, marketing, networking, and the attendee experience.”

EIBTM’s WWTW, now in its tenth year, acts as a major opportunity for companies to demonstrate technology solutions that make a real difference to meeting and event planners’ bottom line.

The Winner will receive a free stand to exhibit at the Technology Village @ EIBTM2010; present their winning product at the show and gain acknowledgement and widespread publicity in the EIBTM 2010 WWTW promotional material.

Corbin Ball continued: “Social media, mobile technology, collaboration tools, location-aware products, more efficient meetings data management tools, virtual/hybrid meetings and many more will work to increase efficiency, decrease costs and improve event networking and education. I am very much looking forward to reviewing this year’s EIBTM Worldwide Technology Watch entries that will very likely reflect this explosive growth of innovation.”

The closing date for entries is Friday 3 September. The judges comprise a high profile panel from the industry including Chair – Corbin Ball who is supported by Martin Sirk, CEO, ICCA; Bruce MacMillan, President/CEO, Meeting Professionals International; Paul Hussey, Business Development Manager, BSI Meetings and Events; Ruud Janssen, Marketing Entrepreneur © TNOC, Samuel J Smith, Managing Director of Interactive Meeting Technology, LLC and Lynn Wong, Co-Founder and Director of Grupo eventoplus.

Graeme Barnett, EIBTM’s Exhibition Director added: “EIBTM’s WWTW has made a considerable impression over the past ten years, as it highlights the creativity and technological know-how that the industry has to offer.

“With our WWTW website having only just gone live, we have already a received a number of entries. It is clear that companies are encouraged by the clear evidence that so many past entries to WWTW have received significant media attention and business success following their participation.

For more information, please visit www.eibtm.com/wwtw <http://www.eibtm.com/wwtw> .

Information about EIBTM’s Technology Village and Daily Technology Hour can be found on www.eibtm.com/technology <http://www.eibtm.com/technology>

EIBTM 2010 80% BOOKED

Marriott International and Korea return to ‘must attend’ event

With over six months until EIBTM 2010 opens its doors in Barcelona on 30 November (www.eibtm.com<http://www.eibtm.com> ), and on the back of record 2009 audited figures, the leading international event for the meetings industry has announced a raft of new exhibitors, rebookings and those increasing space.

Marriott International, through Neal Jones, Vice President Marriott International, Global Sales, Europe confirmed they “are delighted to be returning as an exhibitor to this year’s EIBTM.  The show has become a ‘must attend’ event for the European MICE buyer, and as Marriott International’s global hotel expansion continues at an aggressive pace, it is critical we continue to forge strong partnerships with these very important and valuable customers. EIBTM offers a strong platform to achieve this.”

Other leading hotels who have signed up to EIBTM 2010 include GHM Hotels, AC Hotels SA, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, IHG, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, The Rezidor Hotel Group, NH Hotels, Zacchera Hotels, Preferred Hotel Group, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Plc.

Following a highly successful EIBTM 2009, a number of exhibitors have increased their stand space including Oman with a 30% increase; Uruguay, 25%; Visit Scotland, 12.5%; Preferred Hotel Group, 38%; Allied Europe, Europe’s premier destination management company, up 60%.

Destinations already committed to the show include Korea – returning to the show – Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Monaco, Qatar, Catalunya de Turisme and Turespaña.

Congresses and convention bureaus are represented by Bonn/Rhein-Sieg/Ahrweiler, Valencia, Taiwan, Iceland, Cuba and Nurnberg.

Other exhibitors recognising the value of exhibiting at EIBTM include Jungfrau Region Marketing AG, Skyteam Global Meetings, Essence of Bali DMC, Kuoni Destination Management S.L, Global Events Partners, Liberty International, Exotissimo Travel Group, Creative Travel India PVT Ltd, and Cube Technologies.

EIBTM has also attracted first timers, Lithuanian Exhibition and Convention Centre (LITEXPO), Principal Hayley and Indian tour operator Incent Tours.

The continued support of EIBTM by the industry is well illustrated by last year’s show post event research, which highlighted that 96% of exhibitors were satisfied with EIBTM and the same figure satisfied with the quality of appointments.

Commenting on the numbers and quality of exhibitors who have committed to EIBTM at such an early stage, Graeme Barnett, EIBTM’s new Event Director said: “With 80% of space already taken for this year’s show, it is clear that the industry is in an optimistic and upbeat frame of mind as Meetings professionals around the world recognize the importance of attending EIBTM to create new business opportunities. As the flagship event of Reed Travel Exhibitions portfolio of global Meetings events, the EIBTM team is totally committed to delivering a world-class event that meets the needs of the industry it serves.

“Marriott International’s return to EIBTM, joining so many hotel groups, and their acknowledgement of the show being ‘a must attend event’ is a great indication of the role EIBTM plays in helping companies achieve their sales and marketing goals.”

This optimism in the industry is additionally reflected by Hosted Buyer Groups. Groups who have committed – coming from Europe, Africa, Australasia, the Americas and Asia – are already 31% up on this time last year.

June Clark, Manager, Hosted Buyer Programmes comments: “We are delighted by the response from Hosted Buyers Groups who know the value of attending EIBTM in that it delivers return on investment and return on objectives.”

For more information on EIBTM 2010 whether as an exhibitor, Hosted Buyer or trade visitor, log onto www.eibtm.com<http://www.eibtm.com> .

EIBTM 2009: Official audited attendance confirms 8,170 total attendees – the largest audited gathering in the show’s history

The official independent ABC audit confirms that EIBTM 2009 achieved a total unique visitor attendance of 8,170, a record number, reconfirming the event as the leading global event for the meetings and incentive industry, held in the vibrant business and tourism destination of Barcelona.

Top line statistics from the record event:

• 8,170 total attendance marking a 0.5% increase on 2008, made up of 7563 visitors and Hosted Buyers and 607 VIPs, speakers, students and press
• 3,827 Hosted Buyers up over 3% on the previous year
• 54,255 pre-scheduled appointments took place between Hosted Buyers and exhibitors over the three-day event – up 4% on 2008
• EIBTM’s professional education programme saw attendance of almost 4,000, up 15%

“These official audited figures prove the importance the Meetings Industry continues to place on EIBTM to develop business, gain knowledge, and to meet new contacts. We are already looking at how we can enhance the event taking into account feedback from all our stakeholders,” says Mandy Torrens, Head of Marketing and Buyer Programmes for Reed Travel Exhibitions’ Meetings and Events Portfolio.

Full statistics can be found on the EIBTM website. Dates for EIBTM 2010 are confirmed for 30 November – 2 December 2010 in Barcelona. To find out how visiting or exhibiting at EIBTM can increase your business potential, go to www.eibtm.com <http://www.eibtm.com> or email eibtm@reedexpo.co.uk.

Vienna Convention Bureau makes major impact as EIBTM sponsor

The Vienna Tourist Board‘s Vienna Convention Bureau acted as sole sponsor of the Association Program at EIBTM (European Incentive, Business Travel and Meeting) in Barcelona in December. Not only was the bureau highly praised for the quality of the events

The Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB), a standard-setter in sound environmental practices

Directors from 25 international convention centres visit the CCIB’s temporary waste transfer plant, pioneer in Spain.
Barcelona, December 15th, 2009.- On November 29th, directors from 25 worldwide convention centres visited the Barcelona International Convention Centre’s (CCIB) temporary waste transfer plant, as an example of sound practices in environmental policy.
The visit was a part of the AIPC – The International Association of Congress Centre’s Event Management Summit, held in Barcelona on November 29th and 30th.
The plant, inaugurated in October 2008, is a pioneer in Spain as it sorts waste products into six different types, separating metal from plastic, which reduces environmental impact even more.
This sorting goes one step beyond the criteria established by municipal regulations, which requires separating waste into 5 groups.
Installed in the Centre’s loading dock and with a surface area of 300m2, the temporary waste transfer plant has six large capacity bins identified by different colours: blue (paper), green (glass), orange (organic waste), mustard (metals), yellow (plastic) and brown (waste products that don’t fall into the previous categories).

In addition, in all of the CCIB’s common areas there are batteries of waste bins, with their corresponding coloured bags, avoiding possible confusions and making it easier to move them to the temporary waste transfer plant. Foment del Reciclatge, the authorized waste management company, is in charge of collecting the waste for it to be treated correctly.
In parallel with recycling 6 different types of general wastes, the CCIB manages and controls the special wastes generated internally by the centre itself. So in the temporary waste transfer plant there is a properly delimited space for special waste management: fluorescent lights, light bulbs, paints, varnishes, oils, greases, batteries, accumulators, toners, inks and computer waste
products.
Special wastes undergo a parallel control carried out by the CCIB’s cleaning department, due to the importance of their correct separation and control using identifying labels indicating the maximum storage time of these wastes, which in no case should ever exceed 6 months.
This profound and complex waste treatment has even more merit when you consider the CCIB’s dimensions: a surface area of over 100,000m2 with a capacity to host events for up to 15,000 delegates.
The CCIB’s temporary waste transfer plant is a part of the extensive environmental policy the complex has been practicing since its opening in 2004. In this respect, the CCIB will shortly be receiving the ISO 14001 certification, an international regulation that establishes how to introduce an efficient environmental management system.

EIBTM acknowledges the CCIB’s efforts in sustainability matters
In acknowledgement of the Barcelona convention centre’s environmental policy, the organizers of the Convention, Meetings and Incentives Trade Fair, EIBTM 2009, held in Barcelona from December 1st to the 3rd, awarded it a certificate recognizing the centre’s contribution in sustainability matters, both permanently in its facilities and during its presence at the fair.
Specifically, of the twenty initiatives proposed by EIBTM, the CCIB complied with twelve, seven more than required by the fair organizers, of which some of the most outstanding were: the contribution of sustainable ideas and improvements for the fair, the reduction of paper at the CCIB’s stand and facilities, promoting environmental aspects among clients and suppliers, maintaining a documented environmental policy and waste recycling.

Visit London blasts previous business records at EIBTM 2009

Visit London and its 30 stand partners at EIBTM expect to receive record enquiries following an extremely successful show in Barcelona. The record number of stand partners and over 150 appointments meant that the Visit London business team saw record numbers of event enquiries coming in for London. The Visit London team and partners also surpassed previous records by meeting over 900 people over the three-day show.

This year was also the first business trade show to be attended by a member of the Mayor of London’s Office.  Director of Marketing and Head of London’s new Business Tourism Group Daniel Ritterband attended the show for the first time.

Ritterband said of the show: “It was a great pleasure to attend EIBTM and extremely useful in giving me further insight into the needs of global event planners. By meeting so many visitors to the show I was able to understand exactly what they require from a city when they plan to bring in business meetings and events. The Visit London stand was extremely successful and received record visitor figures to both our London destination presentations and to our 30 partner areas. By visiting the show I was able to really understand what the key goals should be for London’s new Business Tourism Group moving forward in 2010.”

Barbara Jamison, Sales Manager, Europe at Visit London added: “EIBTM is a key industry event for Visit London and it has proved year on year to be a key driver for events in the UK capital. Our target in 2009 was to beat last year’s figures of £52 Million business enquiries, and following a very busy few days of appointments and stand activity, we expect to at least double that amount in confirmed business this year. We saw over 150 pre-appointment meetings and there were some very clear countries which were very interested in London – the top ones included the US, Belgium, Italy, Sweden and France.”

Visit London’s stand featured over 30 London partners, a rise of 12 more partners compared with last year’s stand. These ranged from some of London’s biggest venues such as ExCeL London, Barbican, the QEII Conference Centre, through to unique events spaces such as the London Eye, Brocket Hall and One Great George Street, through to outstanding hotels like Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, Lancaster London and Jumeirah Carlton Tower.

Sue Etherington, acting commercial director, the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre said: “In these difficult times, it was encouraging to be involved in such a busy stand at EIBTM with lots of potential clients and actual events to be placed! Good organisation and support from Visit London ensured a very useful three days – well worth the time out of the office with approximately one million pounds worth of enquiries received.”

Lisa Fisher, Sales & Marketing Manager from One Great George Street said: This was the first year that One Great George Street exhibited at EIBTM or internationally, so this was seen as opportunity to introduce the venue to overseas buyers. The show was very busy and I am glad to have been involved. The number of hosted buyers joining us on the VL stand was impressive and having walked around the show appeared one of the most popular!”

The über cool Miramar Barcelona restaurant which is set within Barcelona’s mountain area was the location for a stylish networking evening hosted by Visit London on Wednesday 02 December. The evening showcased a slice of London’s modern and vibrant style and culture with beat boxing and break dancing competition.

Athens Convention Bureau at EIBTM 2009

The City of Athens Convention Bureau’s (ACB) participation in the EIBTM 2009 international conference tourism conference, which took place 1-3 December in Barcelona, Spain, was declared a crowning success.

ACB’s assertive presence at EIBTM, one of the most important exhibitions in the conference market worldwide, is one of the main axes of City of Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis’ strategy to establish Athens as one of the top international conference destinations.

ACB representatives, headed by City Councilor and President of the Athens Tourism and Economic Development Co. (ATEDCo) Dr Katerina Katsabe, used every available time slot to conduct more than 70 scheduled and unscheduled meetings with hosted buyers and trade visitors and representatives of international associations, Professional Conference Organisers, multi-national corporations, and meeting and incentive travel management companies(TMCs) from more than 30 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia.

The fact that the time for pre-scheduled meetings (about 42 meetings with hosted buyers) had been completely filled just a few hours after the electronic programme went into operation a month ago is indicative of the interest shown in the ACB’s presence at EIBTM.

For the most part, foreign visitors requested information about infrastructure and services, either because they have already undertaken to stage conference and company meetings in Athens in the near future, or because they plan to include Athens among destinations they are considering for future events. In addition, they commented positively on the fact that Athens in 2008 rose 10 places among top conference destinations internationally to finish in 15th place.

The main conclusion drawn from contacts made at EIBTM 2009 was that Athens is attracting an increasing amount of interest as a destination for conferences, company meetings and incentive travel. This is particularly important in the areas of company meetings and incentive travel, as these two sectors have been particularly hard hit by the economic crisis on both an international and a European level.

As results from the annual survey conducted as part of EIBTM (Industry Trends and Market Share Report 2009) indicate, the international conference and meetings market is looking to 2010 with reserved optimism, as 65% of respondents claimed that they will either not go through with cutbacks in budgets for conferences (38%) or that they will increase budgets or the number of planned events (27%).

Additional trends and findings highlighted by the survey include:

-The cancellation of events was the most common form of adapting to difficult economic conditions during 2009 (31%). “No change” was noted by 25% of respondents and 21% said they opted for “less luxury.”
-The process of selecting a destination in all categories of events – even for international conferences staged by associations which have not been particularly affected by the crisis – involves thorough market research and price comparisons in search of the best infrastructure and prices. Destinations which seem or could be conceived as “exotic” or “luxurious” are already at the bottom of the list.
-The H1N1 virus has not influenced the decisions or organisational plans of 74% of respondents. Nevertheless, 13% stated that they had decided to cancel an event because of the pandemic.

It should be noted that the ACB, as part of the new development actions it is planning and in cooperation with its members, will participate in the first AIBTM event in the USA, which is to take place in 2011 and is already drawing considerable attention in the international market.

EIBTM MEETING AND INCENTIVES AWARDS RECOGNISE CREATIVITY AND EXCELLENCE

EIBTM’s annual Meetings and Incentive Industry Awards were presented – Wednesday 2 December. The Awards, an integral element of EIBTM and now in their 9th year, encourage creativity and reward excellence in the meetings and incentive industry. They offer recognition for the many talented event creators and marketers for their highly imaginative skills and professional execution, ideas and services.
The judging panel, chaired by Jeremy Garbett, formerly MD of JMW and now founder of a new agency Deeper Blue, were looking for truly outstanding events and campaigns that were highly imaginative in concept and execution. Creativity, innovation, impact, production, expertise, interactivity, sustainability and evaluation were all key factors in the judges’ final decisions.

Winners and runners up

1st Category: Best Special Event

Winner: Hagen Invent GmbH & Co. KG for Life is running! – HDI-Gerling Leben

This special event was part of a change management project for HDI-Gerling, a German insurance company following the merger with HDI Lebensversicherung to form one of the largest insurance companies. The analogy of a marathon race was transposed into a strategic motivational project: to train the employees and get them fit to run – in the figurative sense to reach corporate goals – as well as to take part the Cologne Marathon which the company sponsored.

‘Life is Running’ established itself as the main internal employee programme. 263 employees participated in the marathon; 600 runners and non runners involved themselves in leisure activities and a total of 2,800 employees watched the marathon from the fan grandstand in the Centre of Cologne.

The company also donated €100,000 to broadcaster’s RTL Donation Marathon.

Highly commended: Insglück Gesellschaft Für Markeninszenierung mbH for International Opening Ceremony CeBIT 2009

2nd Category: Best Conference with more than 250 attendees

Winner: Face to Face GmbH with Cast Off! Takeda Pharma

The key objective of this conference was to help communicate changes in the Pharmaceutical company Takeda by creating a collective experience for 500 delegates.

Key highlights of the day included welcoming delegates into a harbour; nautical charts were used to manoeuvre delegates into the future and implement strategies; logbooks and modern sailing equipment were used to highlight key performance indicators and explain future targets; teams assembled boats which were then donated to kindergartens; new company guidelines were presented through role play and Tim Kroger, German America’s Cup sailor provided delegates with a motivational keynote presentation.

The result was an original, well executed company event that successfully communicated core values and messages to the company.

Highly commended: Torino Convention Bureau for MPI’s European Meetings and Events Conference, Torino 2009

3rd Category: Best Conference with less than 250 attendees

Winner: Face to Face GmbH for We Write History (Bayer Health Care)

In October 2008 Bayer Health Care launched Xarelto, a new blood coagulation inhibitor on the European market and one of the company’s most important recent launches. The task was to train and build a new team over one year into a tight and motivated business unit.

The company organised five conferences around the theme of ‘We Write History’ with a kick off conference in Zugspitze, teambuilding at the Spitzingsee, a competence workshop in Königswinter, training in Warnemünde before the final launch, a five day conference in Valencia.

In Valencia delegates were personally collected by ‘Fink’ the reporter and then whisked to a tapas bar to interview management. Other highlights included a visit to a monastery, a white party in the Americas Cup harbour and a press ball all culminating in the publication of Xarelton News’ – the work of all those involved who had taken on the role of journalists to ‘Write History’.

Highly commended: The Companies GmbH for Funds Go 3D – Real I.S Annual Customer Meeting

4th Category: Best Incentive Programme

Winner: Grupo Pacifico for a cinematic event for Chiesi España

Making a movie for an incentive trip for pharmaceutical company Chieisi España was the task set for Grupo Pacifico.

All those involved in the incentive, together with actors, were sent a script outlining their role in the movie during their time in Jordan. Nobody knew the movie plot. The scheduled cultural and tourist activities laid on were interspersed with the shooting of the film which involved a plane highjacking, Roman spies, thieves, hired assassins and heroes in the spirit of James Bond and Indiana Jones.

The incentive was completed when the group flew back on a private charter flight to Madrid and the film was premiered in one of the city’s leading cinemas.

Highly commended: EVT Marketing Group for ‘Hot Sales, Cools Rewards’

5th Category: Best Destination Marketing Campaign

Winner: Sarawak Convention Bureau for ‘Awaken the Warrior Within’

The campaign’s objective was deceptively straightforward – to generate new international bid opportunities for Sarawak in Borneo. The components of the campaign included a series of three full page advertisements placed in international trade publications and a five minute sequel to the Award winning ‘Recharge in a New World – Sarawak, Borneo’ destination video used in destination and sales presentations.

The campaign generated during the period July 2008 to end August 2009 148 new bid opportunities from international organisations. Of these 93 were successfully converted and 24 are still under development.

The Bureau has achieved an overall bid success rate of 68.5% with an overwhelming majority of wins being regional or international conventions

Highly commended: Tourism Australia

6th Category: Sustainable Initiative of the Year

Winner: World Events for World Events Company Conference 2009

World Events is a full service event management company with 120 staff in its global offices. This winning entry’s objective was to source an environmentally, eco-friendly and socially responsible venue to accommodate 120 people for a company conference and evening social with the aim to make it the company’s green ever.

Based on the theme ‘Our Business Rocks’ the event featured Papakata tents used to create a sustainable village; the publication of a ‘Green guide for events’ to generate ideas on minimising the impact the event would have on the environment; locally sourced food served in recyclable boxes with vegetarian options encouraged; clothing, food and book donations to local charities and the creation of the World Events logo using the charity donations.

The event was delivered to the same budget as previous years despite a 15% increase in head count demonstrating the company’s sensitivity to the current economic climate.

Highly commended: Adelaide Convention Centre

7th Category: Best Product Launch

Winner: Vok Dams Gruppe for Skoda World Dealer Conference

Vok Dams challenge was to launch the new Skoda Yeti – the company’s first compact SUV – to 4,000 dealers attending their conference in the mountains of Austria.
Not all events have the wow factor. This one did! Using the theme of the Yeti, dealers were welcomed at base camp, with views of the mountains and slopes where by magic Yeti footprints appeared in the snow. After ten steps the Yeti disappeared behind an obstacle and miraculously reappeared as the Skoda which approached the base camp tent at speed, disappearing again before reappearing in the tent in front of the guests for the first time.
Other highlights of the launch included a huge Yeti ice sculpture and the opportunity to drive the car both on and off the road.
The Yeti Expedition 2009 perfectly reflected the brand slogan ‘Simply Clever’. Rarely is it possible to run a central theme through all campaign activity – from product to event motto and the actual event – so cohesively as the launch of the Skoda Yeti
Highly commended: Global Events for Lipton Tea

Commenting on the Awards, chair of judges Jeremy Garbett said: “We have been delighted this year by the highly innovative concepts of the events submitted. We have been particularly impressed with the quality of entries received in our new Award for Sustainable Initiative of the Year. It is clear that the industry, particularly from the entries received from Australia, is taking sustainable issues to heart and putting words into actions.”

BUSINESS FIRST AS EIBTM 2009 CLOSES

Record figures – Hosted Buyers, Pre-scheduled appointments and education attendance

This year’s EIBTM was confirmed by Mandy Torrens, EIBTM Exhibition Director, as having attracted the largest ever gathering of Hosted Buyers and the most pre-scheduled appointments in the event’s 21-year-old history.

She announced that unaudited figures showed that the event attracted a record number of Hosted Buyers – 3,791 up 2% on the previous year; 54,255 pre-scheduled meetings were organised over the three day event – up 4%. Overall total attendance is expected to hit the 8,000 mark.

Mandy Torrens commented: “These figures show not only how resilient the meetings market is in challenging times but the reputation EIBTM has as the place to do business, learn and network.”

She added: “We welcomed our largest ever gathering of Hosted Buyers from Europe, Africa, Asia, US, South America, Middle East, Far East and Australia and we are already receiving requests for space for next year.”

EIBTM’s professional education programme saw numbers top over 3,000, up 15% – another record for the event – making it the largest European education gathering of industry professionals.

The Association Programme attracted record attendances from twenty-four countries including Russia, Israel, USA, Sweden, Chile and China; a truly international and cosmopolitan gathering of Associations representing an array of sectors.

A major success has been the expansion of the event’s Spanish educational programme with ten dedicated sessions organised over the three days with speakers from APCE, MPI, Malaga Convention Bureau, Viajes Iberia Congresos, Oviedo Congress Palace and Le Meridien Barcelona. This initiative has impacted positively on the number of Spanish visitors at the show and is set to become a stable part of the show in future years.

The atmosphere around the show highlighted the enormous amount of business generated at the event.

Visit London

“Best EIBTM ever, we expect to exceed last year’s figure of £52 million worth of business enquiries. We have organised three fam trips with North American, South American and Norwegian buyers. EIBTM plays an absolutely crucial role in our marketing strategy.”

Sandton Convention Centre, South Africa

“More high quality appointments, particularly from Associations. £3 – 5m of business enquiries which are confident will turn into actual business.”

New York City

“EIBTM has brought more appointments (15 per day per person) for us this year than ever before. We have come to EIBTM every year since its beginning and intend to come back next year.”

EIBTM is ABC Audited every year to guarantee that the number of visitors promoted is completely accurate and are unique attendees only.

EIBTM 2009 (www.eibtm.com) will take place again in Barcelona 30th November – 2nd December 2010.

EIBTM Best Destination Marketing Campaign 2009 for Sarawak Convention Bureau

Sarawak Convention Bureau’s destination marketing campaign entitled “Awaken the Warrior Within” has won the EIBTM Best Destination Marketing Campaign Award at the Global Meetings & Incentives Exhibition (EIBTM) held at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain from 1 to 3 December 2009.

The campaign objective is to generate new international bid opportunities for Sarawak. The components of the selected destination marketing campaign included a series of three full page advertisements placed in international trade publications, second edition of Meeting and Incentive Planners Guide and a 5-minute sequel to the award winning “Re-charge in a New World – Sarawak, Borneo” destination video used in destination and sales presentations. The campaign brief of both the advertisements and video was to effectively communicate the concept that visiting or meeting in Sarawak will change ones way of thinking for the better and this would open up a fresh new perspective and in-depth knowledge to one’s creativity and wisdom. The target audience for both the advertisements and the sequel DVD are meeting planners, association executives, professional conference organizers, corporate decision makers, business travel agents and incentives.

One of the components, the Meeting and Incentive Planner’s Guide Volume II is the second destination guide produced by the Sarawak Convention Bureau. The 128-page guide is full of useful information on Sarawak, the largest State of Malaysia situated on the exotic island of Borneo. It includes information on the Bureau’s services to meeting planners, Sarawak’s meeting credentials, top incentive ideas and features details on 213 potential convention venues and industry service providers. Venue details include information on the two landmark breakthroughs in highlighting Sarawak’s new direction in development, that is, the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching and Pullman Hotel Kuching. The Guide also highlights local people of interest sharing their personal thoughts about Sarawak.

The Meet in Sarawak Video II (Recharge in a New World – Changing Perspectives) sequel video continues the story of a climatic meeting between jaded Western business executives and unique local hosts from the Sarawak Iban community. The original video positioned Sarawak as a new and vibrant business destination where the traditions of the past are still upheld but follows in a way that is very much a part of today’s fast paced business world. The sequel uses the same “tongue in cheek” humorous approach and retains many of the same characters from the original so that it can be used in tandem.

Copies of the Guide can be ordered in print or CD format from the Bureau’s website at www.sarawakcb.com. The video is now available for viewing in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNacZeGEtnc and the DVD format also will soon be available on the Bureau’s website.

The winners were revealed at a VIP ceremony during the European Incentive Business Travel and Meetings exhibition in Barcelona on 2 December 2009 on the Turespaña Events Lounge. In attendance at EIBTM were 3,000 international suppliers from over 100 countries across the globe. The international panel of judges selected Sarawak’s entry over finalists from Tourism Australia and Montreal, Canada highlights its outstanding creativity.

Representing the Bureau in the Award Presentation Ceremony were Ms. Christina Wendt, Director of Sales and Ms. Elynnie Dominic.

Overwhelmed with the award back in Sarawak, Malaysia, the Honorable Dato Sri Dr. Muhammad Leo Michael Toyad, Chairman of the Sarawak Convention Bureau said, “We are really thrilled to be presented this prestigious award and certainly hope that this destination marketing campaign will add to our support to bring in more number of successful bids to Sarawak.”

Previously Sarawak Convention Bureau has also won the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Best Marketing Award 2008 in Victoria, Canada.

EIBTM 2009 INDUSTRY TRENDS AND MARKET SHARE REPORT

VALUE AND SERVICE KEY TO MEETINGS INDUSTRY IN CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT

Industry turning to technological solutions/China growth area

The annual EIBTM Industry Trends and Market Share Report was launched (Tuesday 1 December) at EIBTM in Barcelona. The report compiled by Rob Davidson, Senior Lecturer in Business Travel and Tourism at The University of Westminster in London and EIBTM Industry Analyst identifies the key trends for the meeting and incentives markets over the past 12 months.

Rob discloses from the report findings that “in a challenging environment, the winners in 2010 will be those suppliers who offer exceptional value and service and those destinations that target a diversified business base where downturns in one area of the meetings industry can be compensated for with opportunities in other areas.

“The more the industry does to promote itself as excellent value, with no compromise in quality, the more likely it is to emerge stronger than before.”

Key findings

General economic context

· Convincing signs that the global recovery is now underway, road back to a buoyant economy will be slow and bumpy
· Many developed economies have suffered; emerging markets have continued to prosper and grow
· Emerging markets in 1999 represented about 20% of global GDP; but should account for closer to 50% by 2010. They account for 80% of the world’s population, 70% of global foreign exchange reserves and half of world exports
· Economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) have seen a strong and broad-based rebound in business confidence
· In Europe, the picture is more mixed. Business confidence has rebounded and many national economies have emerged from the recession, but job losses across the continent are set to continue, particularly in manufacturing
· The unemployment rate in the US rose to 10.2% in October – its highest rate since April 1983. Fears of further job losses were compounded by concerns over the burgeoning budget deficit in the US which hit a record US$1.4 trillion in the year to 30 September.

Meetings and events trends

· Corporate meetings and events, including incentive travel, have been hardest hit
· As corporate profits have fallen in most countries, companies have reacted with an array of cost-cutting measures related to their employees’ business travel and their participation in meetings and business events.

The Industry has seen:
- Ever shorter lead times
- Clients shopping around more and comparing prices for facilities and services
- Greater use of one-day events to reduce the number of overnight stays
- Reduction in the number of suppliers they use, to increase the potential for economies of scale.

· As supply outstrips demand in most countries, it is clearly a buyers’ market
· The Association sector has been far less affected than the corporate sector
· Demand is buoyant, boosted by the number of new association events created (ICCA database of international association events grew by over 10% this year)
· The SMERF market (Social, Military, Educational, Religious and Fraternal market) has seen demand growing
· Fewer meetings being held in resorts, and more in hotels and in dedicated conference centres.

World Regions

· Europe maintains its clear lead where most international association meetings are held, even if this lead is being gradually eroded as a growing number of cities beyond the frontiers of Europe enter the market
· The US remains the world’s number one country in terms of the number of meetings of international associations it hosts, but overall, 2009 saw shrinking budgets, fewer participants, shorter events and increased cancellations and postponements of meetings
· China’s potential as an expanding and highly lucrative market for other countries has made it a prime target for the marketing efforts of many destinations beyond it borders
· In China, the ongoing march towards equipping the country as a leading international meetings and events destination continues; China National Convention Center (CNCC) in Beijing opened in October 2009 for its originally intended function – providing international standard, purpose-built convention and exhibition facilities.
· High-profile wins in Middle East such as the International Bar Association’s decision to hold its 2011 annual conference in Dubai’s World Trade Centre
· On the supply side, investment goes on unabated. Bahrain announced the development of its new Expo City, increasing the size of the existing Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC) by around 10 times

Technology Trends

· Many corporate buyers have sought a technological solution to help them cut costs
· Greater use of alternative meeting methods, including webinars, videoconferencing and web-based learning tools, as a way to control meeting and travel costs
· Growing use of social media for meetings; becoming an integral part of making an event successful both from a marketing and networking/learning enhancement perspective, and some of the earliest adopters have been associations.

CSR Trends

· Corporate Social Responsibility continues to shape the way in which meetings and events are held
· Economic downturn has not significantly reduced companies’ concern to consider the impacts that all of their operations, including meetings, have on the environment
· An important step towards the adoption of uniform measurable standards of environmental performance in meetings planning was taken in August, when the Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) Panel on Green Meeting and Event Practices released the final draft standards for review and comment by the meetings industry
· Growing interest in the potential for industry to leave a social legacy in the destinations it uses

Future outlook

· Trend towards a more positive business outlook
· Business confidence will most probably pursue a moderate but cautious path to recovery, and the meetings and events industry will follow
· More organisations showing signs of increased bookings in 2010
· Organisations will continue to select destinations and venues not considered extravagant or luxurious
· Number of business trips projected to move upward in second half of 2010, gathering more momentum in 2011
· Continued strong demand for face to face meetings

The research will be available in print format from the EIBTM press office immediately after the presentation on Tuesday 1 December and downloadable on the EIBTM website www.eibtm.com from Thursday 3 December.

EIBTM – 21st YEAR OF DELIVERING BUSINESS

54,255 pre registered appointments – up 4% on 2009

The 21st EIBTM opened in Barcelona, Tuesday 1 December, the international meetings event where the world meets for best business, networking and professional education.

This year´s event has attracted over 3,300 suppliers representing 80 countries. 3,800 international Hosted Buyers from 71 countries have registered to attend the show and a record breaking 54,255 appointments have been pre-scheduled between exhibitors and Hosted Buyer – 4% up on last year. Numbers of pre registered trade visitors have topped the 6,300 mark.

Additionally, the event has seen a 70% increase in those registering to attend the Association Programme and a 43% increase in registrations to the corporate programme.

Exhibitors

First time exhibitors this year come from hotel groups, technology companies, tourist boards, CVBs and venues. These include Tiara Hotels, Zaragoza CVB, Essence of Bali, Oberoi Hotels, Mozambique, Venezuela – INATUR, Seoul Convention Bureau, Senegal, Poznan and Centre de Congressos de Andorra.

Whilst New Zealand, Croatia, Switzerland, Ecuador, Jordan, Costa Rica, Canadian Tourism Commission, Las Vegas, Taiwan, Shanghai, Beijing, Trinidad and Tobago and Madrid CVB, Barcelona Convention Bureau, Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Beijing, Jordan have all increased their stand space.

Education matters

This year´s education programme targeted at corporates, associations, agencies and suppliers features 43 sessions which includes the event´s largest ever bespoke Spanish programme.

As in previous years, the programme has received the support of leading industry associations such as ICCA, MPI, SITE, PCMA and ASAE.

Key educational highlights will be Rob Davidson, senior lecturer in business travel and tourism, University of Westminster, facilitating a seminar entitled ‘Motivating Generation Y – how you can design meetings and use technology to involve them?’ This forms part of the daily dedicated Technology Hour programme. He will also be presenting the annual EIBTM Industry Trends and Market Share Report.

Other highlights include sessions during the Technology Hour on social media and the hottest technology products; CSR Symposium tackling key developments relating to making the industry more sustainable and seminars covering creativity, ROI, meetings architecture, trends and business and market development.

Additionally, for the first time The Convention Industry Council (CIC) has chosen the event as an additional CMP exam location for international candidates and are awarding CMP accredited points for all educational sessions.

New networking hour

A new initiative has evolved from post event research undertaken after last year’s event when over 50 per cent of exhibitors requested additional networking opportunities to maximise return on investment. This has led to the exhibition remaining open for an extra hour on Wednesday to give exhibitors the chance to hold affordable, business and networking functions for Hosted Buyers and visitors on their stands.

The importance of EIBTM to the industry

Summing up the importance of EIBTM to the international meetings industry Exhibition Director Mandy Torrens comments “EIBTM delivers what it has always done – best business, best education and best networking. It is truly representative of what is happening internationally in the meetings industry on future trends, opportunities and developments.

“Our role is to act as a business, education and networking catalyst – to provide an environment and forum for the industry to end 2009 optimistically and uplifted; having come away with new and firm business leads, established new relationships and gained valuable insights into how to develop their businesses in the future.”

Join AIPC at EIBTM!

Once again, EIBTM will be the site of important industry discussion rapidly changing global conditions and how we can and should be responding to these. Be sure to join us for the AIPC program of activities around this event, including:

The AIPC Seminar: on Tuesday December 1, from 09.00-10.00 in the Fira seminar room 3.14

Beyond the Recession: Are We Ready for Next-generation Meetings and Conventions?

While impacts of the global economic situation have been getting all the attention, the bigger question is how meetings are continuing to evolve over the long term – and what that will mean for planners, suppliers and facilities long after the current recession is history. In fact, current conditions may actually be accelerating longer term change and bringing that future closer every day.

Drawing on recent research that is shedding light on where new trends are taking us, a panel of industry experts will present their conclusions as to how meetings are changing, driven by a new generation of delegates with expectations shaped by everything from time and travel constraints to the evolution of a new and more serious view of the role of meetings.

The conclusions will have important implications for everyone from association executives to convention centres who need to make decisions now that will influence their prospects for many years to come. Are meetings getting shorter? Will they be more complex, and if so, how? Will labour supply be a key limitation? Will delegates need more clearly defined ROI to attend?

The answers to these and many other key questions will help industry professionals anticipate the kinds of demands that are on the way – and to develop strategies that take full advantage of that advance knowledge.

Panellists:
Rod Cameron: Director, Programming and International Development, AIPC
Roger Tondeur: President, MCI
Didier Scaillet: Vice President of Global Development, MPI

The Liverpool 2010 Annual Conference Reception:
on Wednesday December 2, from 13.00-14.00 hrs at the AIPC stand L193

This reception is the traditional kick-off to our upcoming Annual Conference in Liverpool. In addition to interacting with your AIPC colleagues, it is an opportunity to gain an insight into all the activities planned for the conference and more details about this fabulous destination!

AIPC will be represented throughout the show at stand L193. We will be available on December 1 and 2 to provide the latest information about AIPC activities as well as providing a location to enable members to exchanging information and perspectives with your fellow members.Join your colleagues at these special EIBTM events!

EIBTM’S CSR SYMPOSIUM – SHAPING THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABILITY IN THE EVENTS INDUSTRY

First chance for industry to engage in new international sustainability initiatives

EIBTM (www.eibtm.com), taking place from 1st to 3rd December in Barcelona, achieved BS8901 3rd party certification in 2008, and continues to show leadership, by giving the industry its first chance to shape the future of sustainability during this year’s EIBTM CSR Symposium, part of the event’s comprehensive Education Programme.

The EIBTM CSR Symposium will take place on 2nd December 2009 from 14:00 to 16:30 in Conference Room 4.1

The interactive sessions will give the industry their first opportunity to provide input into two initiatives, which are shaping the event industry’s implementation and reporting on sustainability.

Firstly, as BS8901 starts its journey to become an international standard (ISO), attendees will learn how they can get involved with this process.

Secondly, The Global Reporting Initiative are developing a reporting framework for the event industry and attendees will take part in a interactive session to gather their ideas and opinions related to this project.

Attendees will also hear how The Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX), an initiative of the Convention Industry Council, has developed over the past 12 months, and hear case studies from EIBTM and the COP 15 United Nations Climate Change Conference which both demonstrate leadership in sustainability.

Mandy Torrens, EIBTM’s Exhibition Director says: “Last year BS8901, the British Standard for Sustainable Event Management, was conferred on EIBTM as a formal and independent endorsement of the event’s intent and business practices, which are helping to lead the way within the meetings industry. It is particularly appropriate that this year’s event is providing the first forum to harness industry opinion and to shape the future of sustainability.”

For further details on the EIBTM CSR Symposium please contact the chair of the session Alex Hall on info@positiveimpact.co.uk

For further information on EIBTM and the event’s full seminar programme and to pre register for EIBTM log onto www.eibtm.com

A First for EIBTM – Online Education Evaluation

A first for EIBTM this year sees educational seminars over the three days of the show being evaluated using MeetingMetrics’ online survey and reporting tools.

Those attending any of the 30+ educational sessions will be asked for their comments on speaker and topic content by logging onto www.eibtm.com/surveys <http://www.eibtm.com/surveys> .

Participants are encouraged to log onto the system as soon after each educational session ends through PDAs, notebooks and PCs.

This initiative, working with MeetingMetrics, winner of last year’s EIBTM WorldWide Technology Watch, offers a unique self administered set of online tools for maximising meeting effectiveness, measuring meeting results and demonstrating value and return on investment.

Commenting on the evaluation tools Ira Kerns, Managing Director of MeetingMetrics said: “We have created a set of easy to use, professional tools that greatly simplifies, speeds and lowers costs of collecting and reporting participants’ session feedback. A full selection of key analytical reports including session, speaker, learning effectiveness rating reports plus CEU reports are automatically produced ready to save print or email directly from the system in minutes.”

Mandy Torrens, EIBTM’s Exhibition Director comments: “We are delighted to be working on this online education evaluation initiative with MeetingMetrics, not just because they are winners of our WorldWide Technology Watch last year, but because they have created a sustainable tool that is of real benefit to the industry.”

EIBTM ANNOUNCES SHORT LIST FOR 2009 MEETING AND INCENTIVES AWARDS

Awards presentation at EIBTM - 2 December 2009

The short list for this year’s EIBTM (www.eibtm.com) 2009 Meetings and Incentive Industry Awards has been announced.

The seven Awards recognise the contribution, creativity and dedication of the world’s event creators and planners.

The seven categories and those shortlisted are:

• Best Special Event
Global Events (Spain)
HAGAN INVENT GmbH & Co. Kg (Germany)
Ingsgluck Gesellschaft fur (Germany)
Tapahtumatekijat Oy (Finland)

• Best Conference for more than 250 people
Face to Face GmbH (Germany)
Global Events (Madrid)
Inspiration (Sweden)
Torino Convention Bureau (Italy)

• Best Conference for less than 250 people
Face to Face Gmbh (Germany)
The Event Company (Germany)
The Event Company (Germany)
Investments Employee Conference
VOKDAMS (Germany)

• Best Product Launch
VOKDAMS (Germany)
Global Events (Spain)
Extraordinary Events (America)
Apple Tree Communication (Spain)

• Best Incentive Programme
Grupo Pacifico (Spain)
EVT Marketing Group (Australia)
Harith Productions (US)
timm-events (Germany)

• Sustainable Initiative of the Year
World Events (UK)
Adelaide Convention Bureau (Australia)
Sydney Convention Bureau (Australia)
Tourismus & Congres GmbH (Germany)

• Best Destination Marketing Campaign
Sarawak Convention Bureau (Malaysia)
Tourism Australia (Australia)
Tourisme Montréal (Canada)

The 2009 winners will be announced and presented at a VIP ceremony at EIBTM in Barcelona at 11.45 on Wednesday 2nd December 2009 on the Turespaña Events Lounge (stand N700)
Commenting on this year’s shortlist Chair of judges Jeremy Garbett, Founding Director, Deeper Blue, said: “Year on year the EIBTM Awards attract a greater number of entries. What is particularly noticeable this year is the number of submissions reaching the final short list from Germany and the quality of those in the new category of Sustainable Initiative of the Year proving that the industry is taking sustainability to heart.”

For more information about EIBTM 2009, taking place 1-3 December in Barcelona, please visit www.eibtm.com
Visiting EIBTM is free of charge for all pre-registered visitors at www.eibtm.com/register

THE MEETING ARCHITECTURE MANIFESTO: EIBTM AND RTE BACK CALL FOR NEW MEETING MANAGEMENT DISCIPLINE

For the past year, Reed Travel Exhibitions have been part of a global group of respected meeting professionals working with Maarten Vanneste, CEO Abbit Meeting Support, to create “The Meeting Architecture Manifesto” – a call for a discipline around the content, design and format of meetings.

Meetings have taken place in Copenhagen, Denmark and California with over 30 leading players representing all sectors of the meetings industry. The meetings and discussions have resulted in the Manifesto – a focussed and innovative vision for the meetings industry.

The Manifesto calls for the establishment of the Meeting Architecture 2011 project to plan for the longer-term development and implementation of this new meeting management discipline.

Commenting on the initiative, Maarten Vanneste said: “This Meeting Manifesto aims to start a new era for the meetings industry, moving from a primary focus on hospitality and logistics towards designing, executing and measuring meeting contents and formats that has a purposeful impact on participants.
“By designing meetings to support information, Networking and Motivation objectives, participant behaviour will as a consequence provide more value for stakeholders.”

To download the Manifesto and/or to contribute to the development of this new discipline log onto www.meetingarchitecture.org.

The topic of Meetings Architecture will be discussed as part of the professional education programme at EIBTM, 1-3 December, Fira Gran Via, Barcelona. For further information on the event and to pre –register log onto www.eibtm.com

OVER 50,000 BUSINESS APPOINTMENTS AT EIBTM

Business first at global home of the meetings industry

With under one month to go before EIBTM (1 – 3 December, Barcelona – www.eibtm.com) opens its doors to the international meetings industry, over 50,000 business appointments are set to take place as EIBTM plays host to more than 3,700 Hosted Buyers; all recognising the importance the event plays in delivering business and return on investment.

As of 10 November pre scheduled appointments were up 10% on the same time last year.

Over 255 international Association Buyers have been accepted onto the Hosted Buyer programme, a substantial increase on association buyers in attendance last year, and all signs are predicting an increase in numbers attending the 30+ education sessions targeted at corporates, associations, agencies and suppliers.

June Clark, EIBTM’s Hosted Buyer Programme Manager comments: “We are absolutely delighted with these pre show figures, proving why EIBTM continues to attract Hosted Buyers from all over the world who are eager to do business.

“This year we have seen particular interest from Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Russia as well as long haul destinations such as Argentina, Brazil, China, India and North America.

“It is clear that, in challenging times for the industry, top international buyers recognise the value and return on investment of attending EIBTM. Our buyer driven pre scheduled appointment system ensures that we bring the right people together in an environment that is conducive to doing business.”

EIBTM 2009 is set for another outstanding year, with over 3,000 exhibitors from 90+ countries showcasing their venues, products and services. These include 28 new main standholders from leading hotel brands Tiara Hotels and Oberoi Hotels; destinations such as Mozambique, Senegal, Venezuela and cities such as Bonn.

For further information on EIBTM’s Hosted Buyer programme and how to apply log onto www.eibtm.com

ACC Liverpool heads back to EIBTM

Show’s technology theme is reflected in prestigious venue

The constant demand by international businesses bringing their congresses to the UK’s Northwest has ensured ACC Liverpool’s continued participation at renowned business forum for the international travel and meeting industry, EIBTM 2009.

EIBTM’s theme ‘technology’ and ACC Liverpool go hand in hand; Liverpool being recognised by economists and businesses as Europe’s second largest media hub and one of the world’s biggest centres for the development of software for the online gaming sector. Completed in 2008, ACC Liverpool, comprising the BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena, is one of the most technologically advanced venues to be built in Europe; a pinnacle in the rejuvenated city.

Liverpool’s increased popularity amongst conference and event organisers can be attributed not only to the purpose-built ACC Liverpool but also the huge local pride and determination to show off the city as a destination.

This year’s theme at EIBTM of science, technology and innovation reflects Liverpool’s established links within the creative, innovative and scientific industries. Home to three world-class universities, two dedicated science parks and world-class research departments including infection & immunology, cancer studies, computer science and, mechanical, aeronautical & manufacturing engineering; Liverpool really does have its finger on the pulse in terms of research, innovation and technology.

ACC Liverpool will be exhibiting on stand G120 at EIBTM 2009 from 1 to 3 December at The Fira Gran Via venue in Barcelona, Spain.

Fast facts:

Bedroom stock of 3000 rooms within walking distance
ACC Liverpool can be secured as a high security campus, ideal for high profile political delegations
ACC Liverpool is one of the greenest venues in Europe thanks to specialist design features from wind turbines to rainwater harvesting, which ensure it produces half the CO2 emissions it would normally.
The BT Convention Centre; 1,350 seats, a 3,725 sq metre multi-purpose hall and 18 further meeting rooms. Total exhibition space is in excess of 7,000 sq metres
The Echo Arena; capacity of 11,000

Visit London to showcase the capital’s credentials as a global events destination at EIBTM 2009

Visit London to launch new state-of-the-art stand
A record 30 partners to be showcased on VL stand G110
Daniel Ritterband, Head of London’s new Business Tourism Group, to attend EIBTM for the first time

Business tourism in the capital will receive a boost in early December as Visit London attends the EIBTM 2009 trade show to promote London’s unrivalled range of conference spaces, hotels, events venues and destination management companies (DMCs).

September saw the launch of a new Business Tourism Group, created by the Mayor of London, and Visit London’s attendance at the show supports this major new push to attract more corporate events to the city. A new-look Visit London stand (# G110) will use cutting-edge technology to share with visitors the unique sights and sounds of the capital, as well as showcasing a record number of venues and hotels – 30 in total. The Visit London stand will, for the first time, feature the new business tourism branding and carry the new brand line ‘See the world. Visit London.’

Lending further backing to this campaign will be Daniel Ritterband, the Director of Marketing from the London’s Mayor’s office and head of the London Business Tourism Group. His attendance will mark the first time that one of the Mayor’s team has attended the European trade show held in Barcelona.

“I’m delighted to be attending this year’s EIBTM show and feel it’s a poignant time to go and support the business and meetings sector,” said Daniel Ritterband, Director of Marketing at the Mayor’s office and head of the London Business Tourism Group. “Business tourism is incredibly important for the city and we want to ensure that we do as much as possible to support it. It is absolutely key for the Mayor and the city that we see some changes being made to business tourism. We have recently seen London’s first ICC being announced at ExCeL London and this adds to the already huge amount of conferencing facilities London has. With the Olympic legacy spurring on more regeneration and development in the capital, London now has the opportunity to make its mark as the world’s leading centre for business tourism.”

Visit London’s stand partners at this year’s EIBTM will provide guests with an exciting and interactive view of what the city has to offer, as well as underlining the value offered by London compared with the rest of Europe, especially with the current favourable exchange rates.

One partner with some particularly exciting news will be ExCeL London, the venue which has recently announced it will become the capital’s first international convention centre (ICC), trading as ICC London ExCeL. A press conference will take place on the Tuesday 01 December 2009 at 15.30 to explain to press the plans being put in place for the venue next year and how London’s new Business Tourism Group is supporting this, along with other activities aimed at further boosting London’s business tourism offer.

Barbara Jamison, Visit London’s Sales Manager Europe, says: “2009 is shaping up to be a particularly strong year for Visit London at EIBTM and we are extremely excited about the range and number of partners that we have on the stand. With a brand new stand and our new ‘Globe’ branding we want to highlight London’s unique diversity – the world really is on your doorstep when you come to London. Every one of our 30 partners has a great product to offer as well as a good understanding of European business and willingness to work within budget guidelines.”

A Visit London press briefing and drinks reception will take place at 15.00 on Wednesday 02 December on the Visit London stand. Please RSVP to ccouchman@visitlondon.com to attend.

The 30 confirmed partners are:

HOTELS
Elite Hotels
Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel
Jumeirah Carlton Tower
Lancaster London
London Eastside – a range of hotels
London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square
Millennium Gloucester Hotel London Kensington
Morgans Hotel Group
Novotel London West
Park Plaza Hotels Europe
Radisson Edwardian Hotels
Renaissance Chancery Court London
The Landmark London
Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour

Country House Estates with golf courses
Brocket Hall
The Grove

VENUES
Conference and Exhibition Centres
Barbican
Business Design Centre
ExCeL London
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

Unique and unusual venues
Arsenal Football Club
Chelsea Football Club
Historic Royal Palaces
London Eastside (also in hotels)
One Great George Street
Royal College of Physicians
The Merlin Entertainments London Eye
Unique Venues of London
Wembley Stadium

DMCs
Brook Green UK
Mango Event Management

EIBTM’S TAILORED HOSTED BUYER PROGRAMME ATTRACTS NEW BUYER GROUPS

Four new Barcelona hotels set to welcome buyers

This year’s EIBTM (www.eibtm.com <http://www.eibtm.com> ) has attracted over 30 new international group coordinators including Fore Events (India), Choice Hotels and Travel Experience (Sweden), Kuhlman International (Germany), Wish Eventos (Brazil), Pensosi MICE (Italy), Worldmeetings (Worldwide), Tiara Hotels & Resorts (Portugal) and Jumeirah Hotels (UAE) who will assist in delivering new buyers for the high quality EIBTM Hosted Buyer programme.

A further 20 existing group coordinators have increased the number of Hosted Buyers they are bringing to EIBTM.

2009 has seen The Hosted Buyer programme attracting strong interest from European countries including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and Turkey as well as long haul destinations such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and India.

Additionally, ME Hotel, W Hotel, Barcelo Raval and Diagonal Zero have signed up to become official hotels and will welcome Hosted Buyers during EIBTM.

New Hosted Buyer initiatives for 2009 include an additional fourth night in Barcelona being offered on request to all North American buyers, whilst those flying from the North of the UK will be offered one additional night.

EIBTM charter flights from Paris and London will be offering a dedicated check-in area as well as complimentary food and beverage on board.

The popular Hosted Buyer education programmes will also continue with streams specifically tailored for association, corporate and agency buyers.

June Clark, EIBTM’s Hosted Buyer Programme Manager comments: “This year’s extended Programme continues to attract top international buyers eager to meet exhibitors and to do business. In a tough and challenging economic climate, meetings and incentive professionals see the enormous value and return on investment in attending a show that has a buyer driven appointment system and fully justifies time spent out of the office.”

For further information on EIBTM’s Hosted Buyer programme and how to apply log onto www.eibtm.com <http://www.eibtm.com>

For general visitor pre-registration which is free of charge and will save the onsite entry fee of €20 please log onto www.eibtm.com/register <http://www.eibtm.com/register> .

PATHABLE WINS EIBTM WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGY WATCH FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION IN THE MEETINGS INDUSTRY

Pathable, an on-line community and social network for conferences and events, has scooped EIBTM’s WorldWide Technology Watch Award for 2009.

Pathable’s community allows attendees at conferences and events to communicate with each other, striking up conversations around all aspects of the event from educational sessions and materials, common interests and relevant topics, providing them with an easy way to get to know each other before they physically arrive on site. Pathable helps by making recommendations, aggregating twitter and blog feeds; it even tells attendees which of their Twitter friends are registered.

By integrating with major registration providers, each event’s own branded website and other social networking services, the Pathable experience becomes a seamless part of the overall conference experience from purchasing the ticket and participating in the community to sealing a business deal.

Jordan Schwartz, CEO Pathable, Inc. commented: “We are thrilled to have earned the recognition, not only from such a well regarded event as EIBTM but from a judging panel whose opinion we hold in such high regard. It serves as a great confirmation that the work we’ve put into improving the conference social experience for attendees has been well spent.

“Pathable has been largely focussed on the US to date; the EIBTM WorldWide Technology Watch Award provides a perfect introduction for our ideas to the important European market.”

As winners of the 2009 WorldWide Technology Watch, Pathable has won a free stand at the MPI Technology Village – Stand No P145 – giving them the opportunity to present their product at EIBTM.

The Awards’ judging panel also recognised three further outstanding entries who demonstrated highly innovative technological solutions for the industry. These were Vision Tree (using mobile technology to provide a range of attendee and event services), Sherpa Solutions (a low-cost active RFID badge with precise location tracking and the ability to easily bookmark attendees, booths and products with the push of a button) and BusyEvent (a low-cost, wearable, social networking, expo-lead management, session tracking, and audience response/survey tool)– all based in the US.

Corbin Ball, chair of the judging committee, reports that there were some excellent products representing a range of ideas and innovation in this year’s 46 applications. “Technology innovation continues to present great tools for the meetings industry, which bodes for improved efficiency and better customer service for events.”

Exhibitors, Hosted Buyers and trade visitors have the opportunity to meet representatives from Pathable, Inc. and see an overview of their winning product at the EIBTM 2009 WorldWide Technology Watch Winner Presentation and Drinks Reception taking place at 14.05-14.30 on Wednesday 2nd December in Conference Centre Room 4.2

For further information on EIBTM’s WorldWide Technology Watch, Technology Hour, the event’s full seminar programme and to pre register for EIBTM log onto www.eibtm.com

EIBTM’S WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGY WATCH ATTRACTS RECORD ENTRIES

EIBTM’s WorldWide Technology Watch, which aims to discover the latest technological innovations that will have a positive impact on meetings, events, incentive travel, conferences and exhibitions, has attracted a record level of entries this year.

46 companies from 12 countries have entered from USA, UK, Russia, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, Belgium, Netherlands and Syria.

Entries are judged on three criteria – innovation, completeness of product and impact to the meetings industry.

Commenting on the entries, Chair of judges Corbin Ball, CMP Corbin Ball Associates said: “This year’s group of submissions represent a diverse range of innovations in meetings technology covering site selection/sourcing, social networking for events, group travel management, virtual meetings, and mobile technologies.

“The EIBTM WorldWide Technology Watch has, over recent years, brought to the industry’s attention some of the most exciting new and innovative technological developments including past winners, Spotme and MeetingMetrics. This year will be no exception.”

The winner, to be announced in the following week, will receive a free stand at the MPI Technology Village @ EIBTM 2009 and the opportunity to present their product at the event.

For more information and to visit EIBTM, taking place 1-3 December in Barcelona, please visit www.eibtm.com

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION DRIVES THE ‘FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY’ AT EIBTM

Dedicated daily sessions demonstrate how new technologies will impact the meetings industry

Creativity, innovation, Generation Y, the impact of social media and the future of technology in the meetings industry are to be tackled at EIBTM 2009 through the event’s popular daily Technology Hour sessions, sponsored by SpotMe (www.eibtm.com/techhour).

With a line up of international experts, the provocative and challenging sessions will take place at 13.00 each day from 1-3 December at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, highlighting the ever shifting developments, trends and new technological products and services available to the industry.

The first technology hour session on Tuesday 1 December delves into the 2010 shopping list highlighting the hottest new technology products that ‘won’t break the budget’. Led by Samuel J Smith, Technology Consultant & Editor, Interactive Technology Blog and Rudd Janssen, Marketing Entrepreneur, ©TNOC, participants will be shown how to build a shopping list of new technology tools that can be used at future events. Maarten Vanneste, President, Meeting Support Institute will moderate the session.

Commenting on this session Samuel J Smith says: “The energy and enthusiasm surrounding event technology at EIBTM is amazing. Over the past months I have been reviewing the new tech tools and finding out what works and what doesn’t. We are going to talk about the items on that shopping list in the EIBTM Technology Hour.”

Generation Y – the youngest members of the meetings industry – and the importance they play in affecting what technologies are being used now and in the future will be tackled in the showcase debate on Wednesday 2 December. How does this new Generation want technology to be used? What technologies will motivate them to attend conferences and events? Will email become as quaint as the carrier pigeon or Morse Code? Rob Davidson, senior lecturer in Business Travel and Tourism, University of Westminster; Corbin Ball CMP, President, Corbin Ball Associates and Laurent Haug, LIFT Conference will lead this session, moderated by Martin Sirk, CEO, ICCA.

The technology focus on Wednesday 2 December continues at 14.05 with the opportunity to meet the winner of this year’s EIBTM WorldWide Technology Watch (delete winner), who will present a short overview of their winning technology product for the meetings industry. Each year, EIBTM seeks to find the latest, most innovative technology product for the meetings industry through this prestigious competition, where entries from around the world are judged by an international industry expert panel.

The final Technology Hour session on Thursday 3 December sees Corbin Ball, CMP, Corbin Ball Associates reviewing the current social media trends helping participants through the technology maze and identifying what’s hot for 2010. Follow Corbin Ball’s updates pre, during and post EIBTM on Twitter hashtag: eibtm09

Taking place in Conference Centre Room 4.2 there is no need to book for any of the technology sessions. However, it is advised that participants should arrive early, as seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Interactive voting will be provided by iml (www.imlworldwide.com <http://www.imlworldwide.com> ) during the Tuesday session and by SpotMe (www.spotme.com <http://www.spotme.com/> ) during the Wednesday and Thursday sessions.

EIBTM Technology Hour speaker profiles, photos, their thoughts about the sessions, full seminar details and other information on EIBTM’s Technology Hour can be found at www.eibtm.com/techhour <http://www.eibtm.com/techhour> . Pre-registration for EIBTM 2009 is available at www.eibtm.com/register

THE ‘WORLD’ OF MEETINGS AND INCENTIVES CHOOSE TO EXHIBIT AT EIBTM 2009

New exhibitors sign up from convention bureaux, tourist offices, hotel groups and destinations as the industry focuses on developing new business

EIBTM 2009 (www.eibtm.com <http://www.eibtm.com> ) has confirmed some of the leading names in the meetings industry as first time exhibitors at this year’s show. This further demonstrates the industry’s recognition of the business potential and return on investment that participation in events and in particular EIBTM brings.

Zaragoza Convention Bureau, Venezuala – INATUR, Oberoi Hotels, Lago Maggiore Meeting Industry, Centre de Congressos I Exposicions de Andorra La Vella and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority amongst others have committed to the event taking place from 1-3 December, Fira Gran Via, Barcelona.

Additionally, the business, education and networking led event has also seen a considerable number of exhibitors taking extra space in expectation of additional interest and business.

These include Prestige Hotels of the World, Kuoni, Feria Valencia, Canaries, Ecuador, Jordan, TUI, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Qatar.

Miguel Ángel Argente, Marketing Manager of the Zaragoza Convention Bureau explains why the CVB has chosen to exhibit for the first time: “EIBTM is the leading exhibition for the conference, incentives, events, business travel and meetings industry. The results of EIBTM 2008 speak for itself with record numbers of Hosted Buyers and Trade Visitors, and Exhibitors representing over 100 countries worldwide. We are sure, as our city has become a whole new product – including new accommodation and Congress infrastructures and a new Incentive offering – we will attract a great deal of interest from organisers for any kind of event.”

Mandy Torrens, EIBTM Exhibition Director comments: “What is particularly pleasing to see is that we are attracting new exhibitors from key markets like Spain, Switzerland and South America – countries, destinations and convention bureaux that our own research has shown that visitors want to see. Our role as an event organiser is to successfully match exhibitors with the influencers and buyers they want to see. This is exactly what EIBTM delivers.”

EIBTM’s 2008 official ABC audit confirmed a record number of Hosted Buyers – 3,725 (up 12% on 2007), whilst total attendance reached 8,131 – up 6% on 2007. Additionally, over 51,000 pre-scheduled meetings were organised between Hosted Buyers and exhibitors, over 11,000 more than the previous year.

For more information on exhibiting or attending EIBTM 2009 please go to www.eibtm.com <http://www.eibtm.com/> or email eibtmteam@reedexpo.co.uk.

Pre-registration for EIBTM 2009 is now available – please log onto www.eibtm.com/register and simply complete the online form.