Mentoring has myriad benefits for individuals and companies, and for some ‘young’ businesses, can play a key role in scaling and growing their business.
At IBTM World 2019, we launched our Event Business Accelerator (EBA) which was designed to do just that – to give new and growing businesses a platform to secure ongoing mentorship from a business expert.
Now, as we launch the competition for its second year, we caught up with some of our finalists to find out how the 2019 programme has benefited them and their business.
Zenith Experience
Talking about the programme, Judith Zaragoza, founder of Zenith Experience, said: “We’re really confident that participating in IBTM World’s EBA programme will continue to have excellent benefits for us in the long term as well as the short term benefits we’ve already experienced.
“Being part of the EBA has given us a stamp of approval from IBTM which has really added legitimacy to our fledgling business. It’s made it much easier to get a foot in the door with potential clients and we’re confident that this will translate into confirmed sales in the coming months.
“Our mentor, Jacki Hulbert from Reed Exhibitions, has been fantastic in helping us to clearly define our USPs, our target market and our proposition. She’s currently supporting us with our messaging and marketing to ensure our communications are highly targeted to support us in growing our business as effectively as possible.”
Zenith Experience provides nomadic glamping experiences for the international MICE industry, including Corporate Campsites and Vivential Routes.
https://zenithexperience.es/en/
Event Professionals Journal
“We actually launched Event Professionals Journal at IBTM World 2019”, said Bernadette Palombo, Founder, Event Professionals Journal, “so the event marked a major personal milestone for me. Being part of the EBA was invaluable in getting the product ready to launch and having the opportunity to showcase it to so many people at IBTM World meant that sales really took off immediately – something that would have taken much longer if I hadn’t been part of the programme.
“As a direct result of the EBA, I’ve benefited from several pieces of media coverage as well as being a speaker at Confex which really helped amplify the launch. I’ve also partnered with EventWell, donating some profits of sales of the journal back to this incredible charity. We’re also working on bespoke products for a number of organisations, which is just fantastic given the business is only a few months old.
“As well as acting as a platform to launch my business, I took away some skills for life as a result of the EBA – thanks to the programme I am now a lot more confident with public speaking which in turn will help me as I continue to promote Event Professionals Journal.”
The Event Professionals Journal is designed help you put yourself first, gain perspective, recognise achievements, manage priorities, improve focus, excel your productivity, track your mood and enables you to be accountable for your own wellbeing.
Allowing for a happier, healthier life, it provides you back with valuable hours to spend as you wish. The journal has been designed to inspire, motivate, and prevent those dreaded effects of stress. It is the only journal on the market designed for event professionals.
www.eventprofessionalsjournal.com
Follow the Folk
“Participating in the EBA and having such an involved and expert mentor has been fantastic for our business”, commented Raquel Núñez, co-founder of Follow the Folk. “Our mentor, Mark Riches, has been an invaluable support in helping us to build a three-year strategic business plan and a comprehensive marketing and content plan. He’s also acted as an advocate and ambassador to amplify our message through his network. We have had so many fantastic opportunities as a result of being at IBTM World, including meeting with some of the world’s best DMCs and Leading Hotels of the World, with whom we’re starting to work.
“As well as securing a number of exciting new contracts as a direct result, we’ve also expanded and are now in the process of creating new food expeditions in and around Madrid. IBTM’s EBA has been absolutely crucial in developing and growing our business and I’m so glad we decided to participate.”
Follow the Folk is an innovative Spanish culinary start-up that curates authentic and sustainable farm-to-fork expeditions for groups in different regions of Spain, offering guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in the hidden stories behind traditional dishes. The company is committed to changing the way guests related to food, their environment and each other in order to create a positive impact on each guest and local communities.
Our Event Business Accelerator is now accepting applications for IBTM World 2020 and will close on 31 August 2020. To submit your business idea or start-up plan, visit https://www.ibtmworld.com/Whats-on/ibtm-accelerate/event-business-accelerator/