EIBTM continues its onward journey

Barcelona : EIBTM 2012, the annual hub for the global meetings industry, continued its onward journey through growth and innovation with the largest Hosted Buyer program to date, the most dynamic Future Events Experience, the first EIBTM Hybrid Conference streamed globally, over 110 tailored education sessions, and the launch of the EIBTM Forum.
Graeme Barnett, Reed Travel Exhibitions, EIBTM Event Director, commented: “We judge our success by the opinions of our customers, and so far without doubt, this has been a hugely successful show. The positive feedback received from attendees at the EIBTM Forum has ensured it will become a regular part of the EIBTM program. We’ve also delivered our most successful Hosted Buyer program to date, with over 4,100 international Hosted Buyers, which is what we hope provided real business opportunities to our exhibitors.”
Hosted Buyer, Mohammed Al-Qassmi, Travel and Insurance, Senior Supervisor, Human Resources Directorate Qatar Foundation, commented: “I have had a very good experience at EIBTM and have found a number of new hotels that really add value to our offering. I have 100% achieved all of my goals, and I am really happy that I came. I will definitely be coming back.”
The first EIBTM Hybrid Conference streamed keynote panel discussions and educational seminars for a full day during the event. Mandy Torrens, Head of Marketing and Buyer Programs, IBTM Events Portfolio, commented, “Virtual and hybrid events are of interest to our participants, so it was important for us to innovate in this area, extending the reach of the show.”
The social media activity generated through this event exceeded all expectations, and according to Tweet Reach, #EIBTMHybrid reached over 26,800 accounts and had over 71,000 impressions.
EIBTM 2012 also delivered the largest education program to date with over 110 sessions including tailored streams for Corporate, Association, Agency, and Business Travel.
Elling Hamso, Managing Partner, Event ROI Institute, commented, “The educational program gets better every year. The Future Events Experience is also a good example of innovation showing EIBTM maintaining a leading industry position.”
Amiando, exhibiting at EIBTM commented: “EIBTM 2012 has been very good; the audience is very international which is perfect for us as we are an international company. EIBTM is our most important show, and it gets better every year. We have had many UK and Russian leads which has been great, and it’s fantastic to meet with our clients face to face.”
Barnett concluded, “We end Barcelona on a real high with sunshine, and we start work on EIBTM 2013, and its new dates of November 19-21 in the Fira Gran Via Barcelona.” Source: eibtm.com